Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1897-01-16
TWEED'S FOUNTAIN HEAD.
A Picture of the Mountain Source of Scot
lands Great River.


A Picture of the Mountain Source of Scot
lands Great River.
Away up among the hills of the SOUTH
err highlands Tweed first catches the
light of day. 1t is an ideal spot. Nature
greets you in her sweetest simplicity.
You are in paradise land of peace.
The smoky city is miles distant. No
village looms in sight. But one solitary
habitation breaks the monotony, if, in
deed, it can be called monotony. Pas
toral solitudes stretch out on every hand.
The hills, beautifully rounded, clad in
all hues, heathered, benty, gorsy, grassy,
descend with gentle slope to the green
meadow where Tweed S well rises in its
cooling pool Here at the fountain head
it is only some three yards round, no
more than a bubbling spring-a "well'
caller, clear, neutrality-suspicious. you may
stoop down and drink and experience in
its delightsOme refreshment thrill of
poetic rapture from scene so gloriously
Arcadian. One is tempted to muse at
the shrine by the place of the old pill
grim cross and to read into Tweed's
source parable of human life, with it's
first pure flow unmoved by storm and
tempest, and as yet untainted by the
gathering years.
Round about Tweeds we'll there still
cling to several places certain names
that recall the historic associations of
long dead days. With the passing CEN
turies the whole aspect of the district
has changed. Now it is "a bare and tree
less waste. The wind sweeps unhindered
from farthest glen and hilltop. And yet
here the ancient forest OF Caledon flour
ished, with it's thousand birches and
hazels.
Here wandered of old time Merlin,
the wild, weird, mad romancist of the
Tweeddale hills; Taliessin, "Bard of
the White Brow" st. Kentigern, large
souled apostle of Strathclyde, with
missionary zeal moving him to plant
churches in the most outlying parts of
his province; Gwenddolen, prince of the
Cymri, resolutely defending his ances-
trail Druidism Rydderch Hazel of Ro-
man birth, hero of the new Christian
faith, and Arthur, shadowy and mystic,
with his knights of brave renown. ready
to face every danger and to follow their
liege lord into all his bloody battles.
Of all these many traditions still sur
vive in the pastoral solitudes of the up
per Tweed. The wood of Caledon gave
place to a still more famous forest of
Ettrick, which embraced all the land
between the Ettrick and Tweed valleys.
. And that too diSaDneare6
The heather and "bent sac brown"
wave on the lonely hills. The hunts
mans horn has sounded it's requiem.
The bleating of sheep, the barking of
the shepherds dogs, the whirling of the
whaup, the shrill piping of the peesweep
and the music of the many mountain
burns as they swish downward to the
greater stream are the chief sounds that
now greet the ear.-Rev. W. S. Crockett.
He Wanted 1t Cheaper.
1t was one of those restaurants where
they charge according to the service, and
you can get anything in the line of serv
ice that you want from a private dining
room to a cafeteria help yourself coun-
ter. And the men in search of some
thing to eat had wandered in among the
private dining rooms on the second floor.
After he had settled himself comfort
ably in his chair and had secured the
attention of waiter he glanced at the
bill of fare, and the next minute he
Strengthened up as if he had received an
electric shock.
''Roast beef, 45 cents!" he exclaimed
"Do you serve whole COW for an order
here?"
The waiter said that was the regular
price.
"Well, when want to be robbed"
returned the man, ''I'll go out and hire
thug to do it. Just now I'm only aft
er lunch, and l didn't think to bring my
checkbook along"
The waiter politely suggested that the
prices were not quite so high on the first
floor, where the service was little less
perfect.
The patron declared that he didn't care
whether the service was good or bad, as
he never ate it, and then he started for
the first floor.
''Roast beef, 80 cents,' he said, look
ing at bill of fare before taking his
seat. ''That's better. I've come down
10 cents worth of stairs -
Then it was that brilliant idea oc-
CURED to him, and he beckoned to the
head waited.
"What's in the BASEMENT" he asked.
"Our cafetiria," was the reply.
"How much is roast beef down there?
'Twenty cents.'
He started for the basement, but stop
ped.
Say" he said, eff you'v got SUBJ
cellar I'd like to eat there. Chicago
Post.