River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-04-16
SOME OF
Oilaukfut Sfrung's
-ExPERIENcES.
BY SARAH wADswoRTH GETcHELL
BY SARAH wADswoRrn GrrcnELL.

could board at a hotel, but don'i
want to. 1t wouldn't be half a.
much fun"
1t took good deal of coaxin' tc
get me to wear dress, merely tc
my shoe tops, but Joe INSISTED
upon it. "You don't want to bother
with clothes, mother, and for this
occasion you must dress to suit me
so he got me big sun hat, some
stout shoes and heavy gloves, and
was ready. How queer | did feel
with short dress on. | wanted to
walk just as | used to when | was Z
little girl and wanted to make my
short dress seem long.
The view from Denver UP to
Beaver Canon was varied. though
that | had seen mountains in Maine
but they were only little hills in
comparison. 1t made my flesh creep
to look down, down, down. When
we think of that word in all of its
phases it is not a pleasant word, is
it' Then | looked up, up, up, and
the words, 81 will lift up mine eyes
unto the hills, from which cometh
my help" came into my mind, and
| did not look dozvn any more, but
only up, and felt safe and sure.
There are some prosperous lookin'
towns along the road, and others
whose hearts seem to be sick, with
hopes deferred. 1t does seem as
though good part of this country
never could be used as the habita-
ton of men. But | will never say
again that any thing is impossible
I've seen too much for that already.
and ga half was never told" We
were talkin' of the mysteries of life
as we rode along and Joe said: 81
don't know, mother, as all of these
wonders are any more mysterious
than the tiny plant or blade of grass.
You remember Tennyson says:
Little flower. but il could understand
What you are, root and all, and all in all,
L
There was party about ready to
start when we reached Beaver Canon
which we joined. Oh! the wonder
full grandeur of that ride, and the
pass that leads into the Park
could not help thinkin' that if the
government was as anxious to break
down the barriers between good and
evil, as they were to make the road,
we should see great and glorious
things everywhere.
1t was well that we wee provided
with enough of wraps, for the
weather right in August was as cold
as some of our coolest Wisconsin
October days.
Our first stopping place was at
the Fire Hole Basin. We were to
camp out What a treat it was to
Joe; he seemed almost boy again.
None would think from his pranks
and boyish tricks that he ever could
have been grave Judge. We had
no thought or care, for everything
that could be provided for our COM
fort was furnished by the conductors
of the party. There were thirty in
all, and it is good place tosget ac-
quainted. Joe knew good many
of them. There was the regulation
young man, whose thoughts seldom
went above his hat, nor beyond his
cigar smoke, and not much below
his feet, | should Judge. There
were two young ladies. who at each
new sight exclaimed, "Oh! my, so
sweetm When new sounds reached
their ears they always groaned, ait
is enough to make one crazy" If
I'd knowed all that | do now, I'd
have told them that they had better
go down to St. Croix county and
wait for the Asylum to be built.
We felt somewhat shaky when we
were awoke in the night by the
sound of geyser playin' very near
where we were tented. l did think
our time had come. Thought first
it was thunderin' and asked Caleb to
go out and see if the rain barrels
were all right. We got used % it,
however, and didn't mind it no more
than we do the cars agoin' by when
we are at home.
The first day the Beehive played,
and not agin while we were there.
The cone looks so much like an old
fashioned straw hive, only it was
pearly white. | think that it was
the grandest eruption that we saw
while there. They said that the col
umn of water measured I78 feet,
while that of the steam was Io3 feet.
During the eruption the earth shook
and trembled. Old Faithful ! think
is the best of all, because like all who
bear that title, you can depend upon
it. Its crater is about IL #. high.
The Castle is wonderful and Won
derfuIly different from the rest. The
crater IS large platform 75xIoo #.
and IL Fl. high. The eruptions come
in jets, at the rate OF about * per
m;nu.e, for about twenty minutes,