The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-03-19

never was lord OF a foot of ground,
But fewer are richer, I'll be bound,
Than me on a hunting morning.
-Tiperany Joe
The great lawsuit between Mrs.
Darby, plaintiff-or rather, as the
lawyers expressed themselves,
David Darby and against
Henry Greenberry, defendant, and
for which so much and elaborate
preparation had been making for
some time previous, had at length
commenced before the county court.
All the witnesses and friends, were
in attendance at the county seat,
and Rumor, with her thousand
tongues, whispered from day to
day, by the mouth of some strag-
gler, the doubtful success of either
party to their anxious friends at
home, keeping suspense constantly
on tiptoe.
The bit of unexplained romance
respecting the picture and the maid,
however, served to distract Ernest's
thoughts, in some measure, from
the one subject of painful interest.
INDUCING in his wonted reveries,
he found himself straying alone
and idly along the retired banks
of the Wallo-wish, that glorious
stream, sweeping in quiet beauty
through a landscape of wild gran
deur. Now eddying past the base
of a steep precipice, and next kiss
ing the smooth edge of luxuriant
meadows. Here suddenly started
up above the surface the sharp edge
of the sunken rock, and yonder a
lovely island, bright with rich
magnificence of foliage. Every
turn in the stream revealed new
objects of beauty-woody sleeps,
covered with forest trees, descended
in wild magnilicence to its margin
fields picturesque with verdant
heritage, or bright with waving
blades of grain, stretched off in
rising terraces. Vista opened after
vista-as the wanderer proceeded
forest, hill, precipice, and valley
now seemed to close, and again
suddenly open out new landscapes,
and the cleaning surface Of the
stream reflected the rural beauties
which adorn its banks as it extends
far away in the blue distance. The
modest cottage of the laborer peeped
out amidst vine-c covered bowers
the more stately mansion of the
cultivator looked down from the
neighboring height, and yonder,
upon the over-hanging precipice,
was the trellised bower-ft spot to
breathe the VOWS of love to the cal
of beauty.
The warbling of Natures song
sters tloated sweetly from the um-
brageous woods-the bleat of tlocks,
the low of herds from tne neighbor-
ing hills, and the whistle of the
ploughman, as he drove his team
merrily over the we'll titled field,
mingled with the sound of the flow.
ing waters, came ravishingly upon
the ear of Ernest, as he strolled
listlessly along.
These scenes, which would have
been full of romantic incident tu
him when in his natural element
of thought, now failed to fix his
attention or invite his admiration,
and he wandered on, without end
or aim in view. The youthful
dreamer drew unconsciously into
the vicinity of the hag's domicil.
He was however, aroused from his
meditations at length by the follow.
ing uncouth lines, sung in wild
and uncultivated strain:
"They may brawl who delight
| To wrangie and fight
About titles they ne'er may acquire,
| But give me the pack,
In full cry on the track,
| And steed that no riding will tire
| Oh, for a fox on the spring.
| While the wild forests ring,
| And coon in the tree for me!
| The horn and the hound
| What heavenly soundl
As o'er hedges and bitches we fly;
Through the valley we wend
| Up the steep we ascend
| Close behind the wild chase in full cry;
| Oh, for a tcx on the spring,
While the wild forests ring,
And coon in the tree for me-
No pleasure so great.
Save seat by young Kate.
| When the twilight is settling still;
| And the sound of her voice
Makes all nature rejoice
With sweet echoes from valley and hill;
| Oh, an arm round Kates waist
Or my steed and the chase,
And coon in the tree for me-"
Ernest hurried along the zigzae
path that wound around the rocks
TO discover the singer and saw
seated on a little eminence a few
PAGES from the stream, a young