The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1845-03-03
Miscellaneous,
The Force d Sale,

% ron
.lni,elr Germany generations in a clump ofine old
III lrre green ield-almcst qualified to take
III .,, ,ark-at distance of six or seven miles
M ,apml's In the days Of the good Queen An
~ s.eiy lay comfortably hudded up round the ca
- church. and looked upon her sister Of West
M .,1; 700 FAR removed, and Of too lofty a rank TO
# ...,i except on rare occasions. London was
al ~, ,,,nsd within reasonable limits, and i; was
.,,,ya.k round her boundaries; YOU could even
a, 5st ,he precise spot At which the town ended
"a tre country began. The inhabitants Of the large
"a , -sess known by the name of Surbridge Hall. a,
. -ufras and then on y 10 visit the shops under
, 5s quincy into the CITY; and, unless in the still
# strallmn evenings when the enormous tongue
II t---o7citan clock made itself audible on the
M ,rr., .awo, .hey might have forgotten that such
III ,-,@ssl the capital was within City miles. That
r-,~.ca died Off; and London had begun to put GU,
a4eyn u. directions, and had ouigrown the ancien,
md, streets had begun to move out a little way
n -grIs country for change Of air. and in making
sses,a shopping visits to the great city the nhab-
aapd slrbrige Han had 20 drive through
short rs houses, where The elders Of the party re-
Y rau'gsi 1orhir but a hedge. That generation al
81, lied ont, 4a 'Hr city like an old dowager who
n d, arra been a beaa,y and boasted OF waist, grew
q l.diaI shape There were squares and crescents
u ,ag in every l1lHariand the white top of chmuies,
Cd he blue ii7gncss Of roofs, became visible from
apar windows Of Surbridge Hail. The propre-
20, certified perhaps by the approach Of such neigh
a". a'er'i'ed the Hall for sale, speedily found
:'rlser and, somewhere about the beginning ofihs
7lr, the Old family name of the Waldrons dlsnp-
,u1 rom the country ind Surbridge Hall be-
;-a tho property Of William wilkins, Esq. We
-r aJ.''ve that, much about the same time, the
aal q, he senior partner disappeared from the
i afl dingy looking house in Riches CoErt, and
ai- Of Wilkins g Roe was deprived of its larger
ai The old on-rampant that had stood on IT,,
egs Cor SO many years the top Of the piers O
entrance 5ates,as lin act to spring upon the deer
0l; lay terminating on the top of the other was now
..71cod lnd 10 0 few days. his position was taken
plaster Of Paris cast Of Iiebe ,benevoenty hold
u. lnH IN empty goblet towards the thirsty statue
apollo, which did duty on the other side. The
.'s be old hall were new laid, the windows lit-
rs Nth plate glass, the painting md decoration put
a hands Of u Bond sire-t fuisher, who covered
-a The ceiling, and placed mirrors upon the walls
Me ,ooms ookeI like the show galleries Of an up-
'e'cr, md very different from the fine solid habi-
.7a naT'uents they used To be with the late propr
H't Aal q change nearly as remarkable took place
90 lr wilkins himself as in his house. lie attended
''riy meetings ard became learned in rents and ag
'cli1re He built new houses for his tenants and
n? gr.iad he had never learned to ride or he
ao1d have followed the hounds But though he
vas no Nimrod, he dressed like one Of his sons and
messed his thick legs in top boots, and generally
carried whip, At last by dint of good dinners, and
'''nl on the right side at the elections, he became
magistrate; and # Mrs. WIKI ms had had the polite
mss 10 die, he would have married Lady Diana o.
"''somy, the daughter Of an Irish EARL but Mrs.
Wilkins did not die, and Lady Diana ran away with
dancing master His son had been eighteen years
""e bar, and never had had a brief; his daughters
''' 'een twenty years the world, and never had
81 oueri but he still expected 10 see Richard lord
"o'eIIor and his three girls peeresses. A country
'''0eman n county magistrate, perfectly healthy and
~saDly 1ch was there any thing wanting to Mr.
'""ns ieIicty? Yes, Alexander the Great was
''Hoed when he had conquered the,vorld and was
s' "nnes happier when he was breaking-in Bucepha-
U.s. and llr Wilkins, if the truth must be told, vas
very IKE Alexander the Great, at least in his dscon
,,'' lna was never so gay as he used to he in the
'"sy mansion in Riches Court The dinners he
gave were formal, cold affairs, where he never felt at
US ease he could not help thinking that the neigh
"' 4o'zzed and looked down on him: and in short,
'' ou' Of his element, and longed some times for
% ''ee'a nd-easy dinners he had relished so much in
'NY' Ills lighthouses were at last all built, his
improvements oil completed and there was no further
NDpaaon Tor either himself or his money He
s'hes drove into Harley street to see his son but
Ounu that gentleman also on the rack of deness,
"en' nome again, wondering how Roe was get
5 U" III the old premises, though never venturiug
" - near hm-for his family had insisted on dead
Oe'"een The partners, and could not endure the
1s"' Of MIR Roe coming between the wind and
,,,', newly acquired nobility. Time wore on. Old
,'" 'S grew older lie used to sit at the window
u''"ing room and look towards London, fan
- - himself the hustle and stir that were going
D "' cFowding in Fleet Street, the crush at the
H. " anu occasionally Imagination conJured up to
'"e mage Of an active citizen busting down to-
,,, ue Exchange, radiant with success, and filled
''''''y and hope; and he could scarcely recog
,v~. "' own Identity with that joyous citizen, the
wilkins Of that happier time. The flood o.