The Washington herald., 1922-07-23
Tells of Experience on Old
Valley Pike.

To the Editor. The Washington Herald:
Your pleasing reference to the
Link In the New York to Atlanta.
famous Valley Pike" recalls an ex-
perience on that famous Valley
Pike when II was in primitive
state of construction. A tourist
party on the border line between
Tennessee and Virginia remembers
1t as anything else but a desirable
road of travel between that fair
country and Georgia's favored cap
ital. Our primitive highway was en-
countered in its most disastrous
state of construction on q return
motor trip from Atlanta on a home
ward bound trip back to virginia
Leaving Atlanta in the early morn
ing hours under cloudless skies
conditions for an ideal trip seemed
in every way favorable. Our hrs'
span along famous Peach Tree
street with its unbroken row CT
palatial homes. set back on velvety
lawns, frightened with a profusion
OF matchless color in great variety
of tropical plants. They seemed 70
speak eloQuently OF enduring nap.
piness in their bright robed sooo
wishes and fond farewens.
Natures laws and mans unwisely
made plans seem ever f1ckle, friends
We might well have turned back To
the gay scene. for before our daV
was far advanced, all the fountains
of the air were playing over US.
and continued to descend into actual
torrents. At frst II acted as a
kind of spur to more animated con-
yersation. Every one In turn re-
lated his most thrilling adventur" IN
past battles with the elements. Ma
ture's continued weeping overhead
might nave been well endured with
our soft cushions and the we'll
eouipped protection of the touring
car, but quite without warning We
came to a sudden stand still. The
ancious bronze "Printz" bent over
his wheel in an effort TO urge Tvs
throbbing engine to renewed ell
forts. 1t seemed but an impetus lot
a yet more dismal dirge as we w"re
slowly sinking to deeper gun
Of soggy clay. The Sir Gallahad OIL
the party finally made an almost
aerial flight from the fender on
the side of the car to solid lano
ing on the roadside. He naNiGateo
his way to a little group OF tents
in a grove of trees camped near thelf
field OF active labor. They were
Just State prisoners working out
sentence in road construction. The
gracious superintendent summoned
his forces to the rescue. These
brawny. striped clothed men soon
brought our car with its temporary
prisoners out of the abyss 10
place of smooth sailing. the pam
pered wife of their Governor was
one of the unknown rescued party
In her effusive expression of thanks
she ventured IF the Governor knew
of this, he would certainly give you
every one a pardon" Taxing tne
cash and letting the credit so, we
left them standing with scarcely
audible thanks for the few dollars
they had received for their KIND
ness. There is now perhaps
smoothly finished road, with its
banks of wild mountain laurel ana
rhodedendron presenting restful
loveliness to the passing tourists
gaze, but to one who has known II
only in most dismal garb 1t is not
easy to transform the picture. All
of life's highways have undergone
the same primitive construction, but
In all stages of advanced civiliza-
tion, the unfinished and dangerous
highways are shut off or plainly
marked with danger signals. When
weary wayfarers have reached "a
bourne from which no traveller
ever returns" we would not their
path Of remembrance 10 he one OF
slushy soggy clay. without hope OF
rescue or completion. God did not
put his rainbow in the heavens
merely to adorn the skies.
NJ. L. K.