Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1856-12-04

! set. And then the comfort OF beng aDl
| to walk out dry shod over the cleal
pavement, in all weathers. instead of il
| the winter being obliged to ride in q
:arriage, plungingaxel-tree deep through
| lanes of mud and water, or worse still.
being weather bound by the state of the
roads. In fact,so charmed were we all,
1T this walking with impunity at unac-
sustomed times and seasons, that the old
carry-all gathered dust int the wash-housc
and Jenny, the mare, accumulated fat
in the stable
But if the autumn in the city seemed
so delightful to us rustics, what shall !
say of the winter, when the lecture rooms
and concert halls were thrown open,
and when evening parties were given:
There seemed to us no end of enchant-
ments.
i should have told you that when We
first went to town we had but one ac-
quaintance there. That was with the
family Of our Uncle and Aunt Rocka-
way. They had q large family of grow
ing sons and daughters, Of which our
dear cousin VIII, Vour own respected
father, girls,) was the eldest, the hand
soonest, and widest, and the best be-
haved. VIII Rockaway soon initiated
us into all the innocent amusementS of
the season-took us to evening meet
ings, lectures, concerts, exhibitions of
every sort, except the theatre, which our
grandmother could not be persuaded to
regard as an innocent amusement.
we were a social family, and soon
collected around US a very agreeable
neighborh0od circle, some one or two OF
whom would drop in upon lis every eve
ming when we were at home, or else in
yite us out Ally and ] extended our
acquaintance among young people whose
parents gave occasional dancing parties
at which we were always present, and
which, therefore, our good grandmother
felt boundsometime toreciprocate. You
are not to suppose that our days passed
in q round of fashionable dissipation
! Nonsense. nothing of the sort. We
were rather staid domestic family
but upon the whole what a contrast this
to the long monot0nouS evenings III the
farm house!
"Wcll, 50 passed that winter, SO full
Of future conScquences-that winter in
which Ally's gentle spirit first won the
heart of her wild cousin VIII. All pleas
ures paili before the season was over,
the streets, the shops, the shows-all
the wonders and glorieS Of the city had
lost their attraction with their noyeltry.
When the spring came we had grown
/ #
| April spring fever for sowing, and
planting, and pruning, and trainingcamc
upon us. But alas. there was no where
to SOW or plant-our back yard was
/ fla yged and our front one paved. And
/ there was nothing to prune or tram
four forlorn trees trimmed by authority
into the shape OF upright mops, stand
ING upon the hard pavement before our
door, were the only apologies for vege-
tation near us, and they looked as eXiled
aud homesick as ourselves. Mrs Haw-
kins also missed her chickens and tur-
| KEYS, and we all felt the loss Of the cows
'Ah, if we could only get a house away
to ourselves, a house with ground around
it where we could be private and have
shade trees and a garden, and cows and
poultry, and all that, within an easy
walk to the city, how happy should
be- said grandmother, signing.
'.Ah, yes. if We only could. then we
should enjoy the pleasures of both city
and country life said |.
''Oh, that would be joyful, joyful,
joyful, joyful" exclaimed Ally, quoting
the chorus ola popular hymn.
'Ah. well, we must keep our eyes open,
and see what we can tind,' said our
grandmother.
The street upon which we lived was
narrow and closely built. 1t led down
half a mile to a long bridge that crossed
| the Z. river. Consequently this street
was the great thoroughfare of country
people coming into town, to market, or
to shop, or upon any other errand.
Among those who came every day
was one old man, who was quite 4 &C.
centric character, and who is still re-
membered by the aged inhabitants Of
! Doctor IL. ALWAYS wore cooked hat, a
powdered wig, a black velvet coat, double
waistcoat, rufiied shirt, knee breeches,
long hose and silver buckles, and carried
gold-headed cane, keeping up in his
age, the style andcustom Of his youth.
| lie came into town every morning in
/ a oir driven bv servant rs old and a>
quaint as himself He returned every
! evening. The Doctor was a never fail
ING object of interest to us. The little
information we could get respecting him
only whetted cur curiosity to a keenei
edge.
We learned from cousin Will that he
| had no family and no society that he
! lived alone in secluded country house,
called the Willow Cottage, with no com
panion except the aged servant seen al
WAYS with him: that he had tradition
al reputation Of having possessed great
skill in his profession, and that he now
followed a limited practice among hi
old contemporaries i'll the city. So much
Of authentic facts.
/ Besides these it was rumored that
wears before, he had married a lovely
Young girl, who had been persuaded o.
/ forced to sacrifice her youth aud beauty
and a prior attachment, to his wealth
and age and formalitieS: whose short
| life had been embittered by his iealou-
sizes; and whcsa sudden death under sus-
picious circumstances, had not left him
/ free from imputations ofthe gravestchar
acter.
This was all we could learn of the doc
tor. and YOU may depend that our inter
est in him was deepened and darkened.
We watched him with closer attention.
His bard, sharp features, his deep set
eyes, whitened hair, and thin, bent fig
ure, took on sinister appearance, or We
tancied SO. However that might be, we
/ felt more shocked than grieyed when one
~. ,,e,t-.s. oa,,,a that 4h.. doataf