River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1897-08-12
FROM OVER SEAS.
a Letter From Miss Shultes DesCrib-
ing Foreign Scenes and pictur
esque Experiences.
AYR. SCOTLAND, July 5. 1897.

y rainy day gives me an opportuni-
ty to do what feared would be impos-
sible, that is, respond to your request
for letter from over the sea. / can
hardly realize that half a continent
and the broad Atlantic separates me
from my River Falls friends, and yet
it must be so; for it is three weeks
| ago tonight since we babe them all
! farewell and no word from friend or
/ kindred in our native land has reach
ed US since, except the welcome let
tiers that awaited US on ship board.
We have written for our mail to be
forwarded to Glasgow where we shall
soon be, and expect then TO have the
long silence broken.
The ocean voyage was one of uneX-
pected serenity. Your townswomen
rode the waves as successfully as the
sailors themselves. Every day found
us on deck, enjoying the monotony
and rest of the voyage. The sea was
| full of change. now smooth, now
rough, now blue, now almost black,
now dotted with whitecaps as far as
the eye could reach, suggesting great
| ilocks of sea fowl sporting with the
waves, and we dreamingly watched
the changes through the livelong day,
comfortably reclining in steamer
chairs and warmly wrapped in steam
er rugs. The evening of the sixth day
we packed our luggage expecting an
early arrival at Queenstown. But for
the first time on the voyage a fog pre-
vailed and our joyful anticipation OF
| sighting land was prevented. The
| fog horns crOaked and the steamer
| stood still. Land was near but not in
sight. This was proclaimed by sea
gulls which clustered around the ship,
gracefully circling and diving TO catch
| the food thrown out for them by the
passengers. Soon the fog began to
thin, and a dark outline resembling a
cloud on the horizon was declared to
be the coast of Ireland by the wise
ones of our fellow passengers. All
was hustle and preparation for land
| ing. Soon the tender which was to
| take the Queenstown passengers
ashore announced its coming by a
shrill whistle. The fog continued to
vanish and before we left the good
Campania, the coast of Ireland was
clearly visible and lay stretched out
1 hnfnra = in f,ar aIa1ac ~
dotted with white buildings, some the
tiny cabins of peasants. some mill
tary Notifications and some the lordly
mansions Of the rich. Small irregular
fields surrounded by dark green
| hedges gave the landscape the APP
pearance of beautiful piece of mo-
sale or a lovely stained glass window
of varying shades of green. Before
we reached the shore objects began to
take on distinct outlines, and we felt
that we were indeed in foreign land.
The wealth of brilliantly colored
flowers first attracted our attention,
then the queer houses, then, as our
boat touched the wharf, the Irish
| jaunting cars became form and sub
stance, and Irish women with baskets
| of fruit and curios, bare headed, bare
| footed, frouzy and dirty awaited the
| landing Of their victims. The Custom
House experience, the first payment
of shillings, pennies and ha-pennies,
all claimed our attention for an hour,
then we were free and in less time than
it takes me to write it we were aboard
jaunting car and dashing through
the streets of Queenstown. To ride
on a jaunting car is as much like rid
| ing on camel as anything i can liken
| it to. 1t is a TWO wheeled cart, ac-
commodities four, two on a side, with
their backs together: net at all what
/ had thought il to he From an
Irish woman we had bought luscious
Strawberries, served in cabbage leaves,
! and with these for refreshments and
sprig of shamrock given me by the
same woman, we took our first de-
lightful ride in a jaunting car, almost
screaming with delight at the wealth
Of vegetation everywhere displayed,
and groaning with pity for the
wretchedness of the poor Queens
town is situated like Duluth, against
steep hills, and as we wound back and
forth from terrace to terrace the
scene was indescribably charming.
Not even Florida presents such luxury
of trees and vines, and ferns and
flowers. The old. Ole walls were hid
den by the mass of green. The trees
were closely twined about with ivy,
and flowers peeped out every where,
not cultivated but growing in wanton
profusion With no encouragement eX-
cept the climate and soil of this re-
markable region. / cannot tell you
| the half Of that first hour of expert
ence on land. Our first realization Of
the lights and shades of Irish life, of
the beauty and misery of Irish land,
we're then obtained At one o'clock
we took the train for Cork, passing up
the beautiful valley of the River Lee.
Again the green mosaic stretched to
the uplands with tiny white cabins
dotting the green. Vine covered
banks and walls appeared on every
hand. Avenues Of fine trees boarder-
ed the roads. Everything seems fin
ished. Roads and bridges are in a
state of perfection. Trees and flowers
are planted, houses and castles and
churches are built. There is nothing
to be done but to repair and enjoy.
At Cork we repeated our ride in the
jaunting car through streets and by
homes that hundreds Of years will not
accomplish in America. BY cabins OF
such squalor and wretchedness as
hope will never blot the face of fair
America. We climbed the hill to the
church Of the Shandon Bells. 1t was
all so true TO the literature Of it. The
children running for the key, the
unlocking of the churchyard gate by
the yerger, the request TO hear the
T chimes, the assent, the strains OF
There is a happy land" floated out
on the sweet evening air, the shilling
TO the player Of the chimes, the six
hence to the Verger, the penny to the