Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-01-14
THE OLD KITCHEN.

"You will find the old house greatly chanGed
Cousin Aiillie, when you come to see us in the
fall" wrote Mrs. Rood, the pretty lively wife OF
whole half year. Were having all the back
part torn down, and we're having new sitting
room and new bedroom, and a real new fash
oned kitchen, and we shall have the house
heated with furnaces, and all the modern i'm
provements We shall retain the front because
it is built..of stone. but we're to have long win
dows and u new poftico; and dear old grandpa
would hardly recognize his old home, if be could
sit down on his Iavoite seat under the old cher
r. tree, and see It again. 1t does seem so sacg-
egious to 90 to tearing Down and pulling up
SO soon after bis death, but Harry wants every
thing really ior winter, 50 we have h5d to conf
mence at once; and dear Mile, yol'n iind ev-
cry t!iiEsr 50 new, SO nice and comfortable when
you come tc see Es, that I'm IN hopes you won
know Row Go leave rs # 81 ~
and Mildred RAJ closed 40 the j5its- al le-
lively cousin 2eiith siell. aa ieaeirg Baal IL.
her chair, old memories came thFs hli1e ,i1
through the halls o. her heart 4rd 7ie l6y
eyes -with tears, those eyes like the eyes of 8,
spring hidden il the deep woods. when the sum.
mer Iaoonshise dutgers down IN its deep olua
heart.
Il don't mind 5he rest Of the bause.' n1rr-
INJURED swee5 Mildred Race, 'bpt the old kitchen
with It's Eleat, old-fsshioned Ersriace, I don
Ar,aEztlnzy tc spare tiIl.t.
-'Ab uie; 1glss Grave 5t,l-=s uaed 70 haz.a-
awsy down IL my childLoea, o1 slose visits y
Gzaldpas [ can see Il I'll rcw, Just -
though had been sherc last IiCLt the egeIo
gathered II tie losg auJurna cyeuir Is gaulJ
the chimney. There v.cCo .he gaze AL i1gIs,
ygiaf .leir lions leet, and their bTa5s gJBa and
tie Pile q li--h sticks built up -lDg st 70 the
ia.-o, aad All cur faces 3uid GLOW = t.e IeLs
OF tEat iire, Ical GsGt II Che Ell1y s5s5 II ! :
black chimney.
Grandpa always sat IN the corner, and his
hair white as the year Is when It settles IN De.
ceInber The great silverbowed speotaces
rested low 1n his nose as he slowly read the
| newspaper, and shook his hesd and said =
! 7Things didn't use 20 90 on so wnen ] was a
young man" And gyanduna sat on the other
side with one oI the yghitest caps and the pleas
sntest smile, toeing of wooden stocking md
and pausmg to show some other grand children
how to .eonnt apple seeds, Just IS they did at
the trolcs wheI. she was q girl.
f'Ths sros6 was at work at the windows.
marvellous and canning artist that frost was;
etching with ailsn5, mysterious fingers ali sorts
| o. landsc1Des and figures, which we should
[ reid in 5be morning with as much eager cu.
mostly ana interest, Is 5Iayeiers read this- day,
/ on OLD stones aud ruined palaces, the i1iero-
! glyPlios Of NineyaI and Egypt. There would
would be suggestions OF WouQrous landscapes,
ofnountaitls ana valley and rivers Of azrtielig
| too lsif as 5he hanging gardens Of Babylon
4 There would be Wa5tmi9s5er, Versailles, and
! St Peters, all done in 9 siugle nieat; ulera
would be fountains Of running waters and palms
of India, and somewhere in The corners some Of
US would find the old barn and long wel-poIe
at grandpa's.
Oh, l repeat it, they were brave times new
er 70 return, round an old kitchen fire, thathunq
| in crimson flags over the birch logs, while we
pared apples and counted seeds; and poor Char
lie cracked walnuts-poor Charlie the stars
look down on his lonely grave in California;
But see him now with the great brick on his
| lap, with his hammer going crack, crack, but
somehow it didn't disturb one of the salIes of
fun and outbursts of laughter around that tenn
pie. n rsfr
"And there was the clock-the clock that be-
lenged to my great-great aunt, and that had
icked away the lives Of FIVE generations, ia one
corner, reaching from the fioor to the ceiling
with the half-moon on its face What histo-
", what . biography that. old clock was, Sc
there inthe kitchen corner that had watched
such bright hair turned 20 sno W, suell fair young
ioreheads grow dark and wrinkled under the
burden of years
+ s" And atlast, whenthe hour had crepf up to
nine, grandpa would take his old-fashioDed
bibiei and the laughing eye and merry dim
pies wouI! settle into gravity, as he read those
blessed words once read over his cradle, and
that. would, soon be read over his grave -
And following this, came the prayer that
seemed to draw all hearts nearer to the gates Of
heaven
$50 that when all this was over, grandpa
Togd take the non shovel and heap the grey
Easheso on the glowing cone of FIRE Just as the
years heaped the ashes on the glowing hopes
and joys OF YOUTH; and grandma would fold up
her stockings and stick the needles into the BAD
of yarn and say -
Come children, il is time for honest people
TO go to bed"
=. And going back there I shall miss them all;
grandma white cap, and g1anipa's silver mar,
and the cluster of bright young faces round Sue
] fire III the autumn evening; bat if taeT hadn't
torn down the Kitchen, c0tIld have gone and
ksafby tile t6feh Srs and drearhed m old dreams
and brough5 them oil bdtk TO me but now its
! all gsne-all gone-sTen the old kitchen and
fire P5acs,n and Mildred Race bowed her head
on her hands and welt.
kiteEea hresslel3 aa f11eHsf ss where
oar guandfatkers read, and cur sundnlytiers
EMIT, ere growing less throughout the iau1.---l
Grim ghonls, ID the shape 0f- -sloYea- and fng-
naces, are everywhere taking .heir places, and
the reign of sndirons and bireh wood frez Is
growing less every year. II
! Yet blessed be tne Old kitehsn and msnslstfee
and IanB aBd blessed, TOO, the dreams that
-yyere bnilded cut Of those old brentwood fites
--faiI palaces and pleasant gsrdens, and that
ssI5asD 1of ,SIlIHKAL1 QaFLIaGE !
ies D. -rrsr. .l1f' -al1l T. i
e.nl 4 a.InHsIEa aOITLT ar-a