The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1905-03-04


| city, peopled with thousands of tempo.
rary residents and transient visitors,
when We last saw it seven months ago.
We didn't care to 60 any further than
the entrance, especially after the in
formation had been given us by the
gate-keeper that We must either produce
passes or pay a quarter each for the
privilege of tramping in the snow and
slush inside the now unabtr active and
! desolate-looking Enclosure. The pro-
cess of demolishing the buildings is
we'll under way, and many of the
smaller ones have been entirely re-
moved, but the larger structures within
view from the main entrance seemed to
be intact, though somewhat dingy, and
weather worn. The Tyrolean Alps one
of the most elaborate and realistic
spectacles Of the great exposition, las
been preserved 10 its entirety, and it $
understood to be the intention OF the
| owners to maintain the imposing and
unique structure for several years as
one of the fractions of Forest Park.
The fine Wabash railway station op.
posite the main entrance to the fair
grounds is one Of the many edifices
that are being torn down, and num-
Der OF the temporary hotels, restau-
rants and "side show" buildings In
that vicinity and at other points ad-
iacent to the Enclosure have been de-
molished and hauled away. There
was something sad in the thought tn at
the lovely Exposition City was falling
q prey to the vandal hands OF the
ghouls of commercialism, and as we
walked away / was more or less lost
in retrospective contemplation of this
sentimental suggestion, until a big
chunk OF snow, propelled by the fair
hands of my travelling companion,
caught me SOU srely in the countenance,
knocking lugubrious reverie into the
middle of next week and my hat not
quite SO far. The perpetrator of this
unexpected assault confessed that she
had been itching to SNOWFALL me ever
since we had struck snow-coyered
country, and the contamination Of her
desire tickled her so Immensely that |
actually blieve enjoyed the incident
nearly as well as she and the other
spectators did.
We tried to visit Shaw's garden, but
an intelligent street-car conductor
steered US into Tower Grove Park in
stead, and we spent three-quarters OF
an hour there wading through the snow
and thinking what q pretty place il
was going to be next summer. There
were several lighthouses near the en-
trance to the grounds, and we walked
through two of these, admiring the
many beautiful and rare plants pre-
served there. In one of the houses we
encountered the superintendent OF the
pemises, an agreeable and accom-
plished old gentleman, who talked to
us very entertainingly of the rearing
and characteristics of some of his
horticultural specimens. One of the
most peculiar of these he called the
goose plant forget its scientific
name-Which was not only OF curious
shape, but possessed an aroma rival
ing that Of decayed cabbage. If I
were goose should feel indignant
that such an ordoriferous thing had
been given my name. Shaw's gar
dens, which are now the property OF
the city and have been rechristened
missouri Botanical Gardens were
close at hand, but we decided to s'cut
them out, as the sunset was approach
ing, and headed for the Budweiser
Rathskeller, Of which more anon.
L. E. B.