The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1854-02-03
LOUIS 0. COWAN, Editor and Proprietor.

gwen.
AS have said, the house was a hundred
years old. II was built soon after the SET
Element Of the town of H., among The hills
of the Granite State Its iramcr, the
great.grandfathcr OF Laura Appleton, no
doubt thought he had accomplished n
mighty work when he put up the last
cupboard, and took his family from their
log hut Of one room into the upholstered,
unfinished, barn-like, "new.house;" for
the old house was new then. lie was poor,
and could not fit up his /" shingle palace '
within; and so his family shIvered in il
winter after winter, until they became ac-
cus,omed 10 cold draughts from cracks and
crannies, and to coas swapping from the
wide gaping fire place, which sent up
heat from the centre of the chimney, and
drew down cold air on either side.
Lemuel Appleton, son of the first build
or, had revised and improved" the man
sion before bringing to lis wide hearthsionc
his young wile-thc "grandmama = Of Ia
ter days. Since then it had undergone
many repairs and alterations, being en-
lar.ed as children clustered around The
young couple. Now those children had
grown up, and were scattered far and wide
over the counirv-all but one, the youngest
of all. who sheltered his home circle under
the dccaying roof of The "old homestead
Now, his noisy children had outgrown
the low rooms and narrow s'aiIways. as
their mother thought. Certainly, any stran-
ger would have wondered where beneath
lha, roof so many llaxen heads found room
to be slowed away ni.htlr.
The days of The old house were mum.
bcred. On the very morning Of which !
have spoken, the father commenced the
work OF destruction by removing an old
chest of drawers, lille used, that had for-
mcrly been his grandmothrr'S, into niche
of "the shop near by. Bureaus, closets,
and chairs, followed, rs day after day went
by, with all such lesser articles as could be
spared from daily use. The old house was
searched from garrcl to cellar, by at least n
dozen pair of prying eyes, as it had never
been searched since the day Of lis "houSe
warming" hundred years before. SO
many discoveries rs were made So many
lost and forgotten treasures and trilleS as re-
vcalcd themselves in hooks aud dark cor
ncrS So many old letters and lockets, and
"uumpcry of all kinds as Laura'S mama
called it, did Laura hoard away in her
trunk for her own private investigation
The days OF the old house were finished
as well as numbered. The las, one came.
In the monin., the beds. the trundle-bcd,
and cradle, weIc carried into the already
crowded lower room of the shop. Grand
mas rocking chair followed, and after din.
ner, the SoHty queen OF the back kitchen,
The cracked cooking stove, diSgorgcd lis
throat full Of ashes, and went mourniully
lher, borne on the shoulders Of one boy aud
wo men.
One tin dippcr, one cup aud saucer, six
blue plates, "a k"ilc-boN and a broken t0
hle composed the whole stock at furniture
left. With the help Of these articles, the
ApI le,onS succeeded in making a last meal
Of bread and cheese, in their old homestead,
keeping themselves merry by jokes upon
the tea.Scrvcr. After this final supper,
James Appleton bundled baby up well in n
couple of window curtains, the last of their
kind; mama put her apron over her head,
and took up plates, cup and saucer; grand,
ma brushed the crumbs liom the old table
into the tin.dipper, and pu, the knife box
over il; and all wen; in procession ont Of
the old house The limping table was soon
helped out 10y Ebcn and Joseph, aud the
" home was empty.
II was not long lett 50, however; for the
Young Applclons, after establishing baby in
his shop quarter, hurled back 10 cary out
a plan which they hal proposed 20 Them.
selves some weeks before; namely, to have
a grand carousc by moonlight, IN the desert
ed aud doomed old house.
"Comc over with US, father. wont you g.
asked Joseph. very confidently.
No. answered the father, leaning his
head OH his hand, as though .dligued. FL
don't ieel much like it,"
The spirits of the children were TOO high
iQha lowered by this reply: and over they
ushed, headed by Master Ebrn.
"lIurrah " he shouted, as he jumped in.
\ faint echo seemed to come from all sides
of the Kitchen, such as he had never no.
ticed when it had been filed. |, would al
most have frightened him had he been
alone. But the clad VOICES and dancing
feet of his brothers soon drowned these cch-
ocS OF dcSo!a,ion.
They played "hidc and seek" "blind
mans hutT," aud "hunt the slipper, danced,
skipped, sang and screamed, until the FAR
away village bell struck for" nine In.
voluntarily, all looked up for the clock 10
strike; bur il was gone, aud they knew
that il was time for them TO 90 too.
Lets have a gIand .ood.hyc salute
cried Ebcn. And away they ScImpered up
into the bare chambers.
"Good.byc Cool bye, old house ="
they all shouted uproariousy into every
corner. y startled mouse SPrang out at
the sound, and shot across the loose boards
OF the floor.
It" LA. MIS-. MouScv! YOU wont have
your house much longer. llurrah -
Aud down stairs they went, pcll'mcll, into
the street, and across IL.
Ten minutes later. half OF them lay IN
their beds upon the l!oor, whilher the 9TH
cr half seemed preparing to olIow-all eN'
cept Laura, the eldest
She had danced and laughed with the
rest, quite rs merrily as any. But the cX'
had died away with her the soon
est, and "Sober second thought made
her feel that she should like 10 bid the old
house different kind OF " goodbye So,
putting handkerchief over her head, she
stole across.
She was not iimid girl, nor was she
afraid OF the dark shadows which the moon
beams threw on the stripped walls. But
the echo OF her footsteps solcmuizcd her;
ana, just then, a little noise overhead quite
startled her.
" 1t is the mouse" she thought; how
silly | am ~ But she was no, quite salts.
fed, and was standing n, the foot OF the
stairs, questioning whether she dared 90 up.
when the sounds came nearer, and, much
10 her relief her grandma's snowy cap
peercd down in the moonlight.
Its YOU, is it, dear ?" she called, kind