The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-06-02
LETTERS:FROMaA COUNTRY GIRL
IN LONDON.
NO. 1Us
LoNpoN. ENGLAND. May II, 1897.

LONDON Mdy II, 1ooi'
London pleases me 80 much better now
that I know more about it. AT first !
was afraid to 60 away from the great
thoroughfares, but now, with my map in
n hand and my indispensable Bae-
decker" in the other I wander all over
the city and suburbs.
went to Stoke Poges and sat in the
"country churchyard' where Grey wrote
his beautiful "elegy.'' The whole scene
was as peaceful and lovely as the poem
itself. T felt that when the poet wrote he
might have been sitting where [ sat, on
a moss-covered tom bstone, black with
age. T could feel the spirit of those open
ing lines:
"The curfew tolls the knell of parting
day,
The lowing herd winds slowly DER the
lea;
The p%loughman homeward plods his
weary way
And leaves the world to darkness and
to me-"
In the little dark c~hurchyard Grey
sleeps beside his mother.
Near Stoke Poges we saw the famous
Burnham Beeches, which are the Oldest
and largest in England.
One afternoon I went on a high omni-
bus to Hampstead Heath, the rendezvous
of robbers and cutthroats in days not so
very long past. The Heath is a beautiful
pasture and woodland tract of many
acres; over its green hills focks of sheep
Craze all day long or lie in the shade Of
the spreading beech trees. From the
highest wind-blown summit of the
Heath, you may see the towers and
domes OF London looming out of the fog
gy distance. For though Hampstead
Heath is q part Of London, it is many a
mile from the busy Strand.
The London people always say, "Oh,
it's all nonsense about London being 30
foggy; we occasionally have a little fog,
but nothing to speak Of" That, I know,
is scarcely true, because I was in a very
heavy fog there myself. There is a story
told of several men who, starting out to
their places of business one morning.,
lost their way in the fog. They happen
ed to meet on q street corner and fell to
wondering how on earth they should get
to their Offices or homes Not n of
them had the faintest idea where he was.
A man standing near said, "Gentlemen,
if you will tell me where your offices are
I can conduct you there in ashort time"
"How do you know the way any more
than we dor" said one. II am blind"
said the man, land London is o. well
known to me in darkDess as in light"
They trusted him, and he conducted each
man safely to mis- Office.
Although I liked old London 80 we'll, I
can tell you that I was delighted to bid
good bye to the great city and really start
on my journey to the only country in the
world for me, ifonly because it is "Home,
sweet home"
I was booked to sail from London, but,
OF course. the big ocean steamers cannot
go so far up the Thames, so the passen-
gers had to go to Tilbury Docks, near the
mouth Of the river. I enjoyed that little
ride on the train, for the scenery between
London and Tilbury is said to be very
much like that in Holland. IF it ha,. all
been blue I might have thought I was
looking at a Delft platter. 1t was a flat
stretch of country intersected by canals,
and the river lying level with the mead
ow; on these water-courses little boats,
with square, red sails went quietly up
and down. A row of windmills stretch
ed out over a hill, and slim poplars, just
touched with green, bordered the river.
The sheep and COWS gathered in knots
towards the pasture gate, and a country
milkmaid, with pail on her head and
stool under her arm, stepped gracefully
OSSA q oblAOs
We reached the Docks about sunset and
went on board the little tender which
carried us out to the ship where she was
anchored, just inside tho mouth Of the
river. How rejoiced we were to see the
dear old cred. white and blue' flag float
ing on the breeze at the ships masthead.
At the stern was the "Union Jack" which
showed she was an English steamer.
We hurried off to our cabins and un-
packed our traps so as to be ready for
seasickness. Only the best sailors ex-
pect to 60 on the English Channel with
ont that sad experience. The ship turn
ed slowly around and we steamed out of
the river. An elegant dinner was served,
OF which we all made the most, as the
majority of us imagined it would be the
last for many days.
But we were most a~greeably surprised.
We had a remarkably smooth and lovely
passage. All that night and next day the
vessel skirted the shores of "Merrie Eng
land" and towards the afternoon she
struck into the open sea with her PROV
pointed to the setting sun. The eleven
days passed delightfully."-, scarcely any
body was sick. By day we had the