Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-05-16
" THOSE GOOD OLD TIMES. .
CHAPTER l.

On the morning of August the lst sixteen
hundred and fourteen, the village of HANDLE
don was the scene of much lively hustle,
which rallied chiefly round the dwelling Of
Master Simon, farrier, blacksmith and wheel
wright for the township. Master SimOn's only
daughter, Rose-the White Rose of Hamble-
don, the folks called her-was going to be
married that day to her cousin, Richard Nj
cholI, who had come to Hambledon about
year before TO work at the forge of his kins-
man, whose strength was declining, and had
fallen in love at once with the pretty warm
hearted Rose. They were a very well match
ed couple of young people, for if she was
blooming and sweet as her name, Richard was
the ugliestman in the parish, and many an
other She was nineteen and he was twenty
six-both of them in the full glow and excel
lence Of youth.
The forge FIRE was out that morning, and if
any travellers horse had chosen to cast a shoe
near the village be must have gone a couple
Of miles further, to Wistlebank, before the
damage could have been repaired. In Master
Simon cottage were collected half the women
of the place, but Roses chamber was the IA
vorite point, for there the young maiden's
toilet was being accomplished by half dozen
of her particular friends We ought not to
90 into that mysterious sanctum, know; but
for the telling of our story it is necessary that
we should look through the doorway and
over the heads of the crOwding gossips, and
listen also to the remarks Of the handmaidens
engaged in their agreeable tasks. The cos
tune of those days was not remarkable either
for its picturesqueneSs or its grace; but Roses
pretty shape and sweet face were proof against
its disfigurements. She stood in the centre of
the room, fair and blushing, in petdcoat of
remarkable stiffness and bodice of paternal
length, her gold-colOred hair rolled up elabO-
rately, and highly starched ruff lying close
at hand to imprison her round, white throat.
There were not one of the halfdOzen friends
so beautiful as Rose but one of them-the
chief it seemed, from her being the putter on
of the bows and decorative parapharnalia of
the dress-had a singular cou1tenance-cOld,
repellant, and stOne-grey. The blackness of
her eyebrows, which met and were depressed
orer her eyes, gave her a furtiye, stealthy ex-
preston, and her narrow scarlet lips, while
they indicated a sensual disposition, showed
also one Of cruelty and Yindictiveness. She
was older than most Of the girls, but still quite
young, and had pretenslons to beauty which
she was more ready to assert than others were
to allow. Everybody, however, Rose includ-
ed, treated her with certain respect, for she
was the waiting woman to my lady the wife
Of Sir Rodger Redinfeld, at Hambledon Han.
Her name was Mistress Gilbert, and she was
reputed to posses philters and love charms,
which in those good old time were held in
high repute, not only amongst silly maidens,
but even amongst wise and discreet matrons.
One charm however, Mistress Gilbert did not
pOssess-the charm which would have charm
ed Richard Nichols heart out Of his bosom.
Her disappointed hopes had been a sly theme
of talk many time in the village, and even
Rose herself had shared in it. Possibly that
was the reason why, when Mistress Gilberts
chilly hands glided so stealthily about her
person, a slight shiver kept running over her
flesh.
You are cold, Rose said the waiting
woman; "shut the window, some of you
You shudder all over when you are touched"
SIT can't be that her enemy is walking over
the place wh6re her grave is to be, remarked
a careless young body who looked straight at
Mistress Gilbert and then turned red under
the cold scrutiny that she received from her
cruel eyes.
"Rose is too good to have an enemy. Ev-
cry one loves her, said the waiting-woman,
slowly directly she had spoken she approach
ed her lips to the white polished shoulder, and
blew softly at tiny brown mark, and then
brushed it with her hand carelessly.
'sYou viii have to blow long time before
you blow away that little mole, Mistress Gil
bert, laughed Rose; 81 was born with it."
al ~, -. .;r.b4a5 tl;s ,,,,-r;ns, -,
took it for fyi" and the waiting-woman
began to arrange the starched ruf.
Rose would have been glad to dispense with
the honor of Mistress Gilberts company at
her Marriage; because Richard Niehole did
not like her, and also because the waiting
woman's aspirations after the handsome
young smith offended her feminine preiudices;
but Mistress Gilbert invited herself for the
purpose Of dressing the bride, and even lent
her taste and skill in composing the attire to
be worn on the occasion, so there was no
evading her cold, uncomfortable presence =
When the ceremony was over in the chamber
and Roses beauty was eclipsed as far as Il
could be by her stiff clothing she was ush-
cred into the living room; where were her
father Richard, as fine rs herself and the
male friends Of the family.
Richard received her with a fine, honest
blush, which was more softly reflected in her
own face; and, after a short interval, the
whole company fell into order, two and two,
to walk across the green to church, where
Parson Phillips was waiting to marry the
young pair. Ny Lady Bedinfeld and two Of
her daughters had thought right to honor the
ceremony by coming to look on from the ele-
vation OF the family pew, and afterwards to
praise the rustic grace of the White Rose of
HambledOn. Mistress Lucy Bedin6eld and
her sister Elizabeth would have given half
their rich clothing for a tint out of her cheeks.
they were but sickly gentle-women. on whose
complexion Mistress Gilbert's various washes
had no effect at all, unless it were to male
them deadlier and duller than even Nature
who colored them in one Of her penurious
pallid moods-had ever intended.
When Rose walked out of church, her pref
ty blue eyes downcast, and holding Richards
arm, the folks inside blessed ner softly as be-