Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1852-09-08
There are things
CHAPTER l.
an Early Settler and his Family at No,
Pooo nofJooe


smoked his pipe the last time under the warm
roof of Moss Rose Cottage. 'Ahp sighed an
old hero to us, as we sat at his feet eagerly
listeningtO him tell of the war and the drums,
'ah youth, when was boy / used to love
to sit at the feet of old uncle Ambrose and
hear him sing song of his young days, but
poor old man, he has now gone to rest with
his fathers long ago since he left Moss Rose
Cottage-his campaign is all over-hs bat
ties are all fought and he has gained the vic
tory for he was good man. All ! Youth
too must 60 shortly for | am growing old,
growing old ! once sat at the feet of an
Oldham, as you donow; boy as l was it scarce
ly entered my thoughts of growing old, but
see old Ambrose is gathered to has fathers
in the spirit land, and now | fill his place as
the story teller for the young around Moss
Rose Cottage; and see my locks are white and
frosty and the veins onmy old withered hands
look cold and purple, just for all the world
like uncle Ambrose's did the last time ever
saw him. All F.! yes, 1 too am going to rest
with my fathers like he did for | am grow
ingvery old; my eyes grows dim and my tongue
falters-l shall soon be gone Who then
Will amuse the young with tales of olden
times Youth, you must p
Moss Rose Cottage was love Of place
it was built with an eye single to comfort
for there was not a single item within its rus
tic walls that could be said was strictly for
ostentation, but everywhere both without and
within there was an enviable air of comfort
1t was built low and after the old style par
tition was run across from one side to the
other through which acapacious door opened,
giving communication between the two rooms.
A huge fire place was built in the centre of
the cottage, in which, of cold day. old Am
broan would have 1nr ftnv 1oo. QUO 81 ..
hickory piled, and depend upon it the cold
traveller found warm and cheerful welcome
there. How pleasant, the cold way-faring
man would say, rubbing his benumbed hands,
how different from the biting breath of the
storm king without The chimney shot UP
straight from the centre Of the roof and the
white wreaths of smoke might have been
seen curling and oircling APP nntil 4l,nz-----
lost IN the mist; or went floating away,
looking for all the world like q. mis-
shapen fragment from shattered palace Of
cloud. The main entrance to the Cottage was
in the Western half here a large shutter
swung back and its vine wreathed portals seem
ed to beckon you in to share the abundant
hospitalities A little messy roof jutted out
over this door over which awoodbine had sue
Cceded in clambering and had firmly linked
It's tendrils from either side, so if the roofhad
fallen it looked as if the woodbines would
have remained in tact forming a green bow
or in It's stead. Directly to the right, as
YOU entered this door, large window was
built we say built, for it was formed beyond
the walls ofthe Cottage, that is the sash was
farther out than tho walls, some three or -four
frames Of sash going to fllup the entire space
over which was built a conical roof and sur
mounted with a curiously wrought vane.-
From some fancy of old Ambrose the west
ern end of the Cottage was run upmuch high
or than thc'Other, and over the entire western
end and gable towering vines and moss haC
elambered and gathered from year to year; il
fact the entire roof was more or less covered
with the same, which taken withthe shrubbC
nv and bushes that shot up atthe eastern en-
in n compact verdant knob so that the Who'll
looked as much like moss covered flower
inc mountain when seen in the distance, as
cottage, and to carry the simile little fa
ther, II might be said that the smoke from I'll
huge chimney resembled the smoke from
miniature Volcano Perhaps from the faC
of its being covered with moss and howerin
shrubs and vines, old Ambrose was induce
to christen it Moss Rose Cottage. But tn
is only conjecture. In front green law
stretched its unruffled carpet down to lit
babbling stream that looked like q riband
woven mOonbeams, as it went singing merl
ly along, leaping over beds of bright pebbl
and messy roots, dashing its spray upon Il
pendant blades of grass in the meadow; aw
II went babbling along right merrily to po
It's tribute Of waters into the heaving bose
Of its lord In the rear arrange of cloud ca
ped hills shot up their deformed heads, a
tho morning sunbeams as they shone I
on the mist around their huge brows cast
mellow rainbow light around the cottage IL
seemed to nestle at the foot of themountai
All who ever saw Moss Rose Cottage said
was n lovely spot, but it is not now what
was in the days ofwhich we write the ha
Of improvement has shorne it of its charm
mansion with smooth marble steps and
bright silver plate is fastened to its richlyv
nished door. 1t is q rich mansion of mod,
taste, and Moss Rose Cottage, like its build
is gone to the dust again.
Ambrose Wingfeld was one of the first
tiers of the country, and bringing conside
bic wealth from his mother country, he v
regarded by his neighbors as ruler amC
them because he was wealthy, and in his
his cottage was universally reckoned IN
sion among the ruder foresters, so much
perior was it to the generality of building,
that section. The government of the Uni
States was at that time holding out strong
ducements to capitalists to occupy the
acres of land it possessed and this opport
ty old Ambrose did not fail to improve '
the riches of his purse he entered and sect
a right to large tracts of land around his
tage-large and valuable tracts a large
Of which is now occupied by the hourisl
city Of A.. Old Ambrose looked
delight upon his broad acres of fertile S
his lowing herds, fat and sleek, roam
through his meadows cropping the tel
grass tho dependent settlers gathering arc
him and claiming his lands for which he
acted a nice premium the cottages spl
ing up around him the red men Ofthe /;
falling back before the tide of white POI