Evening star., 1913-04-06

It's way the Hebrew cemetery, the rifle
range of the National Guard of the Dis
trict and the settlement of Garfield rms
old road has within late years been
renamed Alabama avenue, but the~gude
post either antedates the remaining or
the guide post makers concluded to ad-
here to the name borne time out of mind
Turn TO the right and head south on the
Wheeler road 1t will lead you through
one of the picture regions of the District
and of Prince Georges county. Across
the District line there lived before and
during the civil war Col J. II. Wheeler
He owned large farm and this road is
named after him. The old Wheeler house
is a ruin, now overgrown with trees,
shrubs. and weeds, and is nearly effaced.
At the junction of the Hamilton and
Wheeler roads are numerous new houses
and there is quite d large population of
suburban dwellers. Many new streets
have been cut through this section. The
land is high and level and hundreds of
cedar trees flourish, giving that dis
tinctive landscape feature so familiar in
the near Washington country. In the
southwest angle of the roads are green
Held and large frame house set in lawn
and garden and as the road slants down
the hillside into the valley of OXon run
one sees on the right hand long and
broad hothouses that glisten sharply in
the early spring sunlight, and through
the glass one sees thousands of carna-
tions and roses and millions of sweet peas
in all the hueS which that gentle flower
puts on. The road continues to descend
bordered by chckweed, fresh young grass.
garlic. dandelion and all the forms of
early spring plant life peculiar to the re-
Sion. Farther down the slope one passes
on the right pretty place and the rural
tolls fEat
Charles Torrey lives there and that he
calls the place South View.
Soon you are in the bed of the valley
and You will be apt to pause a few min
utes on the rough cement bridge that spans
Oxon run. The hills of the north side
of the valley-their slope being toward
the south-are mostly cleared, excepting
the ravines or draws that cut the
north ridge and lead down into the val
ley For the most part these are grown
with small timber and at this season
seemed veiled in a purplish haze with
just a suggestion of thin and feathery
green. The bottom of the valley is rich
land with indications of occasional over
flow from the broad, shallow stream that
rusheS along over wide bed and sand,
pebbles and water-worn stones. The
stream bed is very crooked and wide
as city street. Looking up and down
the Wiley the ridge that rises toward
the city is dotted with cottages and
gardens and now and then a greenhouse
or glass covered seed bed or plant bed
flashes back the rays of the sun.
The ridge that arises above the south
side of the valley is generally wooded.
but here and there a farmhouse peeps
out from among the trees. The road
turns and twists up this ridge. seeking
the easiest grades consistent with di-
rection. There are deep rounded ravines
on both sides of the road and on either
hand are thick woods with heavy un-
dergrowth of mountain laurel, and the
ground has a plentiful covering of moss
and ferns. ThiCkets of laurel brighten
the ravines 1t is country very like
that of Broad branch and certain
stretches of Rock Greek, though the hills
are not as high nor is the scenery quite
so rugged.
When your road has at last led You to
the top of the ridge you leave the woods
behind and face a broad stretch of level
land with few houses in sight and long
lines and clumps of cedars. Now and
then you can see a clump of ancient box
trees or cluster of arbor vitae-ealled
in many places in southern Maryland
blessed palm,'' and as a rule these
things mark the site of houses that have
disappeared. You are now passing over
the Wheeler land. On the left is a hand