The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-06-27
~ ~, 4ss
The Old Corner H0JIsa

tiquity. Every year its removal is rumored in
the neighborhood, yet still it raises its weather
beaten front in defiance of time. 1t has ol
course sadly degenerated from its former state,
yet still few coats of whitewash, or some
daubs of paint, Or perhaps new stoop or oc-
casional window shutter, conspire to keep the
crazy ediice together, and prop itup between
them as memorial Of the past Ofcourse the
old mansion has its numerous legends, which
an aged citizen will tellSou, handed down per-
haps by father or grandfather. One of these
had for its nucleus the story Of the murder OF
an Indian by a lonely woman in the time of the
| early French war: But the tale which [ have
chosen is, perhaps, more adopted to the quiet
character of domestic life, which the decaying
building has generally sustained. Many years
ago, somewhat prior to the American revolu-
ton, there came to the house famly-where
or whence none could tell. 1t was not surely
| either wealth or rank, or splendor that gave
them a position different from that of their
neighbors, for the worthy Dutch burghers would
have been slow to recognize such distinction.
Certain it was however, that dividing line was
drawn between this corner and all others in the
vicinity. The day on which its furniture ar
rived, borne along on heavy Wagon up to
the great side door, beheld many good frau
congregated on theirrespectlve stoops There
was nothing in the load to excite particular at
tention, yet there seemed a strange medley.
Here and there an ornament of the Louis Quar-
toze style, peeped out from among the array OF
delfchlna-h heavily carved arm chairs bore in
their capaclous bosoms genuine old fashioned
spittoons-brghtly polished andirous stood
cheek by jowl with delicate yase-and last Of
all massive harpsicord groaned beneath the
weight of Holland pipes Even the Schuylers
themselves could hardly boast of such an u
strument.
In these days it would have been questioned
why Anthony Won Hamberg brought his family
to the place-more especially why he had
ransplanted an exotic like his French wife to
the virgin soil of Fort Orange. She whose
very spinning wheel whizzed along with a slow,
melancholy sound like the harpslcord in the
night time. She who wore but two petticoats,
and boasted not the relic of cap. She whose
life seemed faint tremulous shadow Of some
far off land floating in the garsh, soulless sun
shine of this. The Herr Van Hamberg him
self was in his own way no less peculiar. hound
and rubicund as any OF his countrymen, there
was yet in his form a stawart massveness
which, if it were ANIMAL was strongly akin tc
that oq the lion. He seemed in fact to live
simply in his bodily organization, which com
pensated in strength and passionate vlgor tol
any lack of more ETHEREAL and subtle nature
Not that the burghers perceived such deficiency
there only seemed to come to them an lntul-
tive conviction that Mynheer Van Hamberg
was not to be meddled with-that the freshest
Joint in the maIket-place, and the stoutest ale
in the fort belonged to him by natural right
and that they might as little expect tooshare
with him such a savoury morsel, as they woulc
think Of inviting him to partake of their glas:
of beer or evening pipe, upon the spacious
stoop Much such species of feeling, i'm
agine, as a well bred comfortable group o
oxen might experience at the introduction Of {
tame tiger.
So Anthony Van Hamberg lived and smoked
and drank alone, and if madame Rumour
(who existed even in that early age was al
ways to be believed, sometimes privately beat
bis delicate wife and openly m!sused his ssotary
children. Even these children seemed some
what apart from their playmates The son
Walter, lad of some fourteen summers, was
the very index of his father destitute of thai
control which the eldest Van Hamberg could
tif he choose, exercise over his passions. Be
tween these arose, of course, many collision
Walter appeared to the community the very
mpersoniication Of an evil spirit, his onl y re-
deeming trait being an intense susceptibility tc
music. Often and often in the lonely night
| from some silent room of the lionel y house, the
sound of his mothers harpsicord would rise
like broken hearted Ariel striving to a]lay
that contest which it could not wholly subduc
| The two girls were singular enough IN then
characters 1t was wonderful to see how the
natures of the parents blended in the children
Aida, Or as she was generally called Aulie, was
grave, quiet apparently unimpassioned. In hel
I face, which was rather striking and thoughtful,
her father stolidness contTasted strangely with
her mothers sensibility. Gazing upon her the
beholder felt it difficult to decide whether be
looked on the summit of snow mountain, OF
the crater of avoIcano And the doubt would
hardly have been solved by an acquaintance
with ber all life-so subtlely were the opposing
qualities united 1t was she who did the most
of the spinning and marketing for the family
who arranged The green around the mirror, and
.scrubbcd the polished floors. She 1t was too
who played the harpsicord as sweetly as be1
mother and walked slee psng through the house,
insomuch that had she lived in ne!ghbonng New
England, she would have stood no small
chance of an accusation of wltchcratt had not
the correct and monotonous course OF her daily
life repudiated the charge. In the younger
daughter, Justine, the opposing natures were
still more remarkably blended. With the most
wonderful beauty and grace she united her
fathers tendency to degenerate into mere
animal existence. She loved flowers and de-
tested music She danced like any fairy,
tripped round The house light as sunbeam
and withal if it must be said, had lnveterate
.father-land fondness for good eating. No one
could predict into what model she would finally
develop. This uncertainty of future charac-
teristics, this antagonistic union of opposite
qualities, was peculiarly characteristic, was pc
culiarly visible in the daughters. less so IN
the son, who gave early evidence of his pre-
dispositions, and quilted the paternal roof, after
noisy passions, and brutal riots, and drunken
brawls, (such as sometimes happened even IN
those quiet days) unregretted by any save his
mother who slowly sickened and died one dis
nal evening in back chamber Of the dear old