Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1897-02-18
From Tarheellana.
AsuEvILLE. N. c.. FEB. 10. 1897.

the weather now fully justifying the
grounding. More perfect days
have never seen than those experience
ed by Ashevilie since the afore-men-
Toned animal came forth. The sun
shines brightly aud the air is balmy:
the higher mountains, their summits
and sheltered sides clad in snow, rosi-
iy tinted and brought into clear relief,
form picture one never tires
in viewing. The rough weather in
January gave the temporary residents
on the difference between the actual
climatic conditions here and the prom
ises held out TO the world by the dain-
tily-tinted. beautifully Illuminated
prospectuses. The citizen took our
twitting with what grace he could,
protesting that the like bad not been
seen or felt since the time TO which
memory returneth not, and proving it
by his neighbors. Now, he comes TO
US and asks US how we like this? and
assures US that this is the only genu-
inc, blown-in-the-bottle brand of Ashe-
vile weather; all others are counter
felt. Sooth TO say, it is no more salts
flying to him than grateful to US; and
we hope to enjoy to the maximum the
beauties and benefits of this glorious
cline during the remainder of our So
journ. 1t is doing all that was prom
ised US when we turned our faces
thitherward, and ungrateful indeed
must we be to withhold the due need
of praise.
l have spoken of Mt. Pisgah and The
Rat, and stated whence the latter de-
obtained of these mountains from the
upper piazza of the Swarnanoa Hotel,
our abiding place for the winter. The
windows OF our room, on the western
side of the building. also open upon
them, and the scene never pals upon
the senses. Especially delightful is
the view, always varying in tint and
shadow and radiance, at sunset:
Phebus ever reserving his chiefest
glory to crown the day accomplished
A few evenings since, just as the God
of Day was showering his parting
beams upon these Western North Car
olina attitudes, discussion arose as to
the right of the rodental peak to its
suggestive name-suggestive in an un-
pleasant way to all careful housewives.
The better-half is prosaic body, and
refuses to accept truth upon the half
she'll of credulous imagination. She
had never looked at The Rat, so far as
ed out to her as such; but she had
viewed, a dozen times over, all the
mountains within sight of Asheville,
aud never yet had noticed one in the
femotest degree resembling either the
upper or under outline of the animal
in question. Usually. when the other
side of the house becomes positive and
sets her foot down firmly upon the ten
der corn of my conviction, l prudently
retire from the contest, silenced if not
convinced; bat in this case my proof
should stare hero in the face. Seeing
is believing, the world over. Con-
Quoting her to the window. | was in
the act of triumphantiy directing her
eyes to the mountain in question, when
a vision of such exquisite beauty greet
ed our gaze :hat all material things
vanished from the mind and the tongue
was hushed in admiration. A long
bank of cloud over the horizon was
aglow in the fire of the departing sun.
AS we looked it resolved itself into a
crimson picture of sea and land, of bay
and river, island and strait and pen
insula. The line OF mountain peaks
forming the horizon was the hither-
ward shore; beyond was the airy do
main of the elements. The waves Of
its resplendent sea beat upon the
encrimsoued shores; golden mists
arose from the fiery waters, and anon,
in the distance, beside the purple river,
rose tower and pinnacle and blazing
mountain peak It seemed no unsub
tantial pageant, formed to cheat the
wondering sense, but tangible, real,
enduring. No artist ever gave truer
perspective the ideal of his brain, than
this radiant landscape presented to
the eye-stretchiug from its moun-
tain base to the furthermost bounds OF
human vision, and bearing beyond aud
beyond its transcendent richness and
beauty. But, alasi despite its prom
ise, the picture endured but few
fleeting moments. Its towers dis
solved. its rivers and seas and capes
and all that to them appertained. re-
turned themselves into the common
mass; its golden glory departed; its
crimson lost its glow and naught
but shapeless, gray-hued cloud remain
ed hanging before the eager gaze. as
the descending curtain shuts out FROM