“The melancholy days are again come.”[i] “The sear and yellow leaf is again with us.[ii]” These yearly reminders force upon our minds the unwelcome fact that we are growing old. As we look around on the incipient decay of the vegetable kingdom, we see the hectic glow of the consumptive cheek; beautiful, yet fatal. To turn, the mulberry and the willow are the first to change their foliage into saffron, followed by the maple, with all its variegations of prismatic hues, embracing all the colors of the spectrum. In the forest the crimson leaves of the dogwood are beginning to attract the eye, while the yellow, the orange and the violet or plants of congenital foliage, are strewing the woods with a spectacular scenery more gorgeous than ever exhibited by a cyclorama[iii] of art. Yes, the “saddest days of the year” are now ours, “the last rose of summer” is gone; the dahlia and dandelion yet linger; the squirrel eyes the “chestnut browning,” and the acorns are falling in the forest nearby. The farmers are gathering and housing the product of the year’s labor—i. e. what has not already been sold in the form of tomatoes, peaches, etc. In these hazy, balmy days, one naturally feels glad he is alive, particularly the school misses, as they romp along the streets on their way to and from school, appear to enjoy the cooler temperature and the “melancholy days.” The peach is gone, the watermelon is gone, the cantaloupe is gone, but Curtis Reed is around yet with “pure apple cider,” which he dispenses to his patrons with true huckster affability. Upon this subject of autumn we might linger, and what changes nature fails to supply, we might supplement by fancy, but we desist tor the present; and until the leaves shall have faded and fallen, will likely have no more to say about the “beauties of autumn,” the “melancholy days,” or the “last rose of summer.”
Through the courtesy of Mr. F. E. Davis, of Wheatland, Wyoming, we are the recipient of a copy of the “Wheatland World,” a journal published in the above-mentioned town. It is profusely illustrated, and amongst the illustrations is the “Carey Block” of buildings,” and the residence of Mr. Davis of that place. These, perhaps, attract our attention most, because these gentlemen were former residents of our town of Milton. The system of irrigation of the Wheatland country is fully explained, and this is interesting to one unacquainted with the manner of watering the soil in an arid country. The journal is nicely printed, the subject matter beautifully and rhetorically written, and gives to the reader an idea of the great advantages and resources of the State of Wyoming, and particularly of that of Laramie County.
A spirited contest was made at the primary meeting on Saturday to break the Saulsbury power in Broadkiln. There were 162 votes polled. The Saulsbury delegation was elected; 122 for, to 40 against.
The way the streets of Milton have been worked upon is a subject of comment by those who are interested, as well as by those who are not.
During the rainy weather the hill on Federal Street, as well as places in other parts of the town, together with the chug holes which were recently covered with clayey soil, have been bearing their legitimate fruit of mud and mire. This system of street work will probably never cease until a coming generation shall have taken the reins in hand. There might be some needed work done on the lateral streets and alleys. The grass in these alleys needs cutting off with the ground, as it is almost impossible at this season, when the dews are heavy and the weeds are ripe, for a person to, pass through them in any decent dress, without having his or her clothing wet with the dew or covered with pollen. This is a matter in which many are interested.
Mr. Wesley Coverdale has completed the painting of a school house in Long Neck, also the dwelling of L. J. Coverdale in Milton, and the building of Wm. Pettyjohn’s nearby. He is now engaged at beautifying the residence of Thomas Douglass.
There is a man in town who makes banking a specialty. It is said he makes a deposit one day and draws out the next.
“Turning fallow” is now a part of the farmer’s employment.
G. W. Atkins, the well-known hustler for C. H. Atkins’ wholesale house, of shirts, clothing, etc., is now on a two weeks’ trip through Virginia. When George is away from Milton on Saturday and Sunday, he is missed by the citizens, and more particularly by the church.
While riding a spirited horse down Front Street on Saturday, Miss Mamie Lofland was thrown from the animal and fell upon her back on the brick gutter in front of the “old academy” where the primary election was being held; it is thought the crowd around the polls frightened the horse. Fortunately she was unhurt.
The public schools of Milton opened on Monday morning with C. B. Morris as principal; Miss Raughley, of Denton, first assistant; Miss Martha Calhoun, second assistant; Miss Linda Todd, of Greenwood, third assistant; and Miss Mollie Hazzard, fourth assistant.
Miss Adele C. Neil, of Hampton, Va., is again the principal of the Milton colored school. She entered upon her duties on Monday morning.
Miss Mary Megee opened school on Monday at Midway, Mr. E. W. Warren at Ingram’s Mill, and Miss Register, of Lewes, at Beaver Dam, on Monday a week back.
At the Democrat primary on Saturday, John W. Davidson was nominated assessor, and Arthur Pettyjohn for inspector for Broadkiln Hundred.
Mrs. Samuel J. Wilson and daughter, Mrs. Frank Carey, and grandson Master Wm. H. Fox, after spending two weeks at S. J. Wilson’s “Monticelllo” cottage on Broadkiln Beach, returned to Milton on Saturday. During this time Mr. S. J. Wilson spent one night on the beach; the first in his experience.
Mr. William H. Fox, of Charlottesville, Va., who has had his household goods stored in Milton for some time, has rented the property of Captain Hunter on Chestnut Street and moved therein.
Dr. W. J. Hearn and family left their summer resort on Broadkiln Beach on Monday, and came to the Drawbridge in their launch where a team met them and conveyed them to Nassau, from whence they proceeded to their home in Philadelphia by train. The launch steamed to Milton and will be repaired and remodeled during the autumn months.
Mr. R. Davis Carey with his sister Miss Susie, are visiting their home. They arrived here on Monday afternoon, having been compelled to hire a private conveyance to bring them to Milton, because “the trains did not connect that day at Ellendale.”
After having their household goods packed for a week, on the promise of the proper officer of the
Queen Anne‘s-Railroad Company, that they could have a car on last Monday a week ago (September 22nd), the car arrived on Tuesday, September 30th and Captain John Fisher’s family, after a time of vexation and worry, have loaded their goods and shipped them to their future home—Philadelphia.
The section gang of the Q. A.‘s R. R. are at work repairing near the trestle west of town.
Tomatoes sold for 30 cents on Monday.
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[i] Excerpt (and slight paraphrase) of the poem The Death of the Flowers by William Cullen Bryant (1794 – 1878), an American romantic poet, journalist, and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post.
[ii] Conner first uses this quote, from Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Act V, Scene 3, in his letter of October 11, 1901
[iii] a panoramic painting on the inside of a cylindrical platform, designed to provide a viewer standing in the middle of the cylinder with a 360° view of the painting