Rensselaer Union, Volume 3, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 June 1871 — A Feeling and Truthful Account of a Visit to Niagara Falls. [ARTICLE]

A Feeling and Truthful Account of a Visit to Niagara Falls.

When I first got to Niagara the hack drivers took a fancy to me. They chased me up,»po that at one time there were twenty in a line, all anxious to do me a favor.’ It was a queer-looking sight. If I hadn’t known I was alive, I would have thought I was a corps" at the head of a funeral procession. Niagara is a nice place to get rid of money. It is full of leather fans with stull- d birds in the middle of them, alabaster whistles, squaws, bmd mocassins, canes ent out of the lulls, eaglets stuffed with stinw, owis chock full of hay, little hjrds that wish they were alive, two cents’ worth of ice cream for a quarter ofa dollar, and such like. You can buy ten cents' worth of anything al Niagara by just paying one dollar for it. This is the greatest, place in the world fir bridal couples; they are always here with orange blossoms growing around the women’s heads, and the men done up inblack broadcloth, all very susceptible, and all green—very, very green. I'll tell you something about a bridle couple, not a bridal couple. A pair of hack horses are a bridle couple, and it's about a pair of hack horses I have to write. A fellow who h art one of these started-a con versa—tion with me, and wc conversed together thusly: “Take a ride?” ~~“Noi” —“To Goat Island?” No.” “Lunar Island?” ‘•No.” “Suspension Bridge?” ‘No.” “Rapids?” “No,” “Whirlpool?” “No." “Devil's Hole?” “No.” “HorscShoe Falls?” “No.” “Gliftou House?” “No.” You sec, I’d been lb all those places, aud I didn’t sour much to get to them sonic more. I hadn’t been to Lundy’s Lane, and when he said “ Lundy’s Lane,” says I “Who* is Lundy?” “ Why,” said he, “there is where the American eagle soared aloft, and with one plucked a tuft from the mane of the British lion.” “No!” said I. . t‘Yes,” said he. “ Have they preserved the tuft?” I asked. lie said they had. “What became of old Lundy?” said I. “ Alas I” he replied, “he sleeps beneath the sod.” Then we wept, the hackdr ver and me. He wept for old Lundy, and I for the sod. It was a picture, it was. It ought to be did up in wax. Says I, “ How much to do Lundy?” “Well, ,r says he, “seeing it’s you, I’ll take you there for a dollar, and you couldn’t go for less than that in a wheelbarrow.” 1 got into his vehicle; and going out everything was all hunky. ljy-and-by we got to wlytt he called Lundy’s Lane. It was two or three patches of grass with rail fences around them, one brindle cow with afence around her, and a country road. The driver said he guessed I had better pay. So I gave him a dollar-bill painted green on tlie back. “\\ hy,” said he, “we are in Canada, and I want gold.” ,>Says I, “I hain’t got no gold.” lie said I was asickly-look-I ing cuss what had come to the i falls for my health. So he squared ) himself and doubled up two fists that looked like lager beer kegs, and said: “You little withered cuss, you, if you don’t come down with a quarter I’ll punch your snoot.” My snoot leels better when *it_ ain’t punched, sol came down with a quarter. Then 1 said, “ I guess I’ve got enough of Lundy,” and I went to get into his wagon, when he yelled out,’ “ What in thunder are you doing?” I said, “Getting in.” “Well,” said he, “ that is cool. You had better get out again darn’d quick.” Then he broke the news to hid very gently that he had agreed to bring me out fora dollar, and the price for goinir back would be five’gnllars. “ No!” said I. “Yes,” said he. “Then I’ll walk,” said I. “Walk and bo darned!” said he. He got upon his old rattle-box and commenced to move, and I commenced to move. I looked like onetwelfth dozen mourners at a one-hack funeral. He talked to me tliusly: “ Hot, ain’t it? Ever see so mveh dust before? Going to shower soon," Up came the clouds and down came the rain. I had walked a mile, and I said, “ I guess I’ll get in.” gave him live dollars. Said he, “Give inc another dollar.” I told him he agreed to take me for five dollars. “Oh,” said he, “ it was pleasant then, but you see it is raining now.” I gave him the money and finally reached the hotel, and I didn’t take no hacks no more.— Cor. 2/ewiork Sun.