rs.

The situation is very pretty, and the establishment has a
picturesqueness of its own. Even the ugly little brick structure near
the bath-house imposes upon one as Wade Hampton's cottage. No doubt
we liked the place better than if it had been smart, and enjoyed the
neglige condition, and the easy terms on which life is taken there.
There was a sense of abundance in the sight of fowls tiptoeing about the
verandas, and to meet a chicken in the parlor was a sort of guarantee
that we should meet him later on in the dining-room. There was nothing
incongruous in the presence of pigs, turkeys, and chickens on the
grounds; they went along with the good-natured negro-service and the
general hospitality; and we had a mental rest in the thought that all
the gates would have been off the hinges, if there had been any gates.
The guests were very well treated indeed, and were put under no sort of
restraint by discipline. The long colonnade made an admirable promenade
and lounging-place and point of observation. It was interesting to watch
the groups under the locusts, to see the management of the ferry, the
mounting and dismounting of the riding-parties, and to study the colors
on the steep hill opposite, halfway up which was a neat cottage and
flower-garden. The type of people was very pleasantly Southern. Colonels
and politicians stand in groups and tell stories, which are followed by
explosions of laughter; retire occasionally into the saloon, and come
forth reminded of more stories, and all lift their hats elaborately and
suspend the narratives when a lady goes past. A company of soldiers from
Richmond had pitched its tents near the hotel, and in the evening the
ball-room was enlivened with uniforms. Among the graceful dancers--and
every one danced well, and with spirit was pointed out the young widow
of a son of Andrew Johnson, whose pretty cottage overlooks the village.
But the Professor, to whom this information was communicated, doubted
whether here it was not a greater distinction to be the daughter of the
owner of this region than to be connected with a President of the United
States.

A certain air of romance and tradition hangs about the French Broad and
the Warm Springs, which the visitor must possess himself of in order to
appreciate either. This was the great highway of trade and travel. At
certain seasons there was an almost continuous procession of herds of
cattle and sheep passing to the Eastern markets, and of