The colonel caught sight of me as I rounded the corner, Fitz and the
agent joining in his outburst of hilarious welcome, intoxicated as
they all were with the elixir of that most exhilarating of all
hours--the hour before breakfast of a summer morning in the country.
"Welcome, my dear Major," called the colonel; "a hearty welcome to
Caarter Hall! Come up here where you can get a view of Fairfax, suh!"
and by the time I had mounted the steps he was leaning over the railing,
with Fitz on the one side and the agent on the other, sweeping the
horizon with his index finger and drawing imaginary curves and building
bridges and locating railroad stations in the air with as much
confidence and hope as if he really saw the gangs of laborers at work
across the fields, their shovels glinting in the dazzling sunlight.
"Jes cast yo' eyes, suh,"--this to the agent,--"and tell me, suh, if
you have ever in yo' world-wide experience seen such a location for
a great city. Level as a flo', watered by the Tench, and sheltered by
a line of hills that are beauty itself--it is made for it, suh!"
The agent did full justice to the natural advantages and then asked:--
"Is the coal in that range?"
"No, suh; the coal is behind us on an outlyin' spur.
Pages:
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179