The weekly sun. (New York [N.Y.]) 1851-1869, 1862-01-18

Here ! am, answered an ungainly youth,
making bis appearance upon the back Of the
house. How do you do, young Miss-1read-
full glad TO see you again, and ne twisted his
ugly face into an expression OF deiish that
made It ton timee moro hideous, if tbs thing
bad been poseible, than nature had intended il
to be.
Bon hsd been boy Of all work in Mrs. Moul-
TOM house ever since Lucy was little girl, and
considered himfelf person Of vast Importance
In the family, a. indeed he was,
He was perfect miracle Of uSliness, In form
aud feature, but 90 industrious and good hearted
and bis face beamed with 90 much honest kind.
neee that Il was almost bottsr than beauty as
ilarity OF their characters and dispositions served
TO strengthen the love between them. do not
wish them accused Of sentimentalism or ro-
mances. l shall 90 back 70 give some account Of
their childhood and give the history Of the event
which changed their early friendship into a
feeling 90 strong and unalterablo that neither
year, nor circumstances would have any effect
upon 1t.
1 must please myself by recalling tho prst,v
village whore they lived--a spot that | once
know 70 well that every crook and turn was
as familiar to me as the dull city rom whore
write.
Years have passed since my feet trod the old
paths, years Of toll and sorrow such as come 10
every human being but even in the darkest
hour that they brought tho recollection Of that
New England village was like spot Of sun
light amid tho gloom. | had only TO close my
| eyes and il were before me as IL aop3ared
whom last stood upon the hill side and no
other scene, however famed for its loneliness
could to my heart ever equal tho tranquil
beauty OF that valley.
Say what you like about the White Hills and
| groom mountains, have no disposition 10 on
pose your liking for tho grand or stup endous-
| but II you have taste for bits of picturesque
scenery, shady little hooks and towns which
remind you ola quiet corner of paradise, 60
into Connecticu'' search along tn, banks
| Of the Naugatuck and Ilousatonic and il YOU are
| disappointed-well | don't wish to impu "a any
boty e taste, but old G nnoc. lieut. for mo and ss-
pecially that part which was once the Wood
bury district above all Others. Its Of no use
saying all that sort OF thing about hearts blind
ing eyes persist in II, thoro is village Of
white, red and brown houses wing bo,w on two
noble hills within twenty minutes drive Of the
lloutoion.c- some flftotn miles from its source
that Is not ~ be surpassed ia all New Englln
II efsl
Ills village lie, in the heart o. a Ia luriart
valley, hedged in and almost overshaiosod by
nnge OF grassy and broken hills, piled up
against the eastern and western horiz)n Those
hour dsrice, cut up "A they wcro int rocks ra-
vines and forest trees, Seemed b Il a counterpart
each OF the her as If one letut ful mountain
had been cleft in twain and I, reed Jus ia enough
apart to admit some slopiny hills AMI
wood meadow flats 20 form an eden in which
clutter Of houses, with white church with
| its taPcring spire In the confer, gave slimpsos
Of worldly life.
At one end or tho valley river came Gliding
! drowsily round the shoulaer Of tue eastern hill
and ran Up 10 the village. There it .o,k
! graceful curve, cmOiac ng a maple grove, som9
throc hundred acres Of wheat land, three apple
orchards and half dozen green meadows, an
! Of vhich lay q mass Of thrifty v rdurc In tho
bond Of the beautiful stream which ran alowly
as il to carcss them. After this it swept gently
| round rotraccd its course by the base Of the
western hill and gldod on through the mouth
q The valley into the Ilousotonic having vi-itcd
/ tic village as IL were in fit Of caprice, aud
only to I'iresh and b,autiiy a spot so quiet
ana lovely
AT the opening Of tho valley. JUS, where tho
stream began 10 course around the hill, "a stage
/ rad iossud IL 10y wooden hi go No.hin,.
could he more lolghudl than a Wow from thi.
. Ar.ltd fridge. Tho river rolled silently on
lalt IN shadow aud sparkling like wavelet ot
silver when III" sun. hinc i,l upon It's waters.
Hodge, Of wild honey sueklc, sweet hrior box
/ wood and blackberry bushes, row and 'han
broken 10y clump Of elm or a line Of sl,n Ter
poplirs trlngod it. bark'.
Clo.c by the end Of the bridge, family Of
magnificent willow, ont over tho bank where
he waters canght their fragile branches and
/ rippled play fully among their delicate leaves.
/ lust below, the stream widenoi and fol in
beautiful sheet over nci shhoyng milLllm and
went sparAliDg aroun toward these superb old
! Gins that stood on the botdcrs Of the village.
/ On either hand rose the majestic hills, swelling
into vernani pastures, rocks utting rddely out,
/ forest trees towering grandly upwirda boz ond,
/ tho sott lluo sky aud at twilight golden sun
set burning among the loHcs aLl the unoVen
/ kG,lls.
Here and there, whore the hills sw,ll,d
boldly out, red ard white farm houses woio
/ scattered tar up the valley and, on a gcntlo cm-
inonce just beyond the chu ca, congregation
f,taav,,,.t
long rass which grew rank and greon in the
shadows flung by grove of gloomy yow trees
ard weeping willows.
lr m tho bridge you could Just gain view
Of Mrs. Moultons cottage. II stood on the
outskirts OF the village in a small mel low,
which sloped down to the river. Tho house
Was almost within the shadow OF those mag
niiicent tim trees. II was a beautiful yelling
White as snow, half covered with rosos and
clambCring honey suckle vines. Behind it WIS
yard fun d peach trees, very beautiful when
in fruit or blossom and in front lay that
lovel' unduation Of turf which rolled in ON
c'ald waves down TO the highway which divided
4 from Sophias leasant home.
Lucy Moulton lived with her grandmother
in this nest Of A village. From infancy tho
good old Lac y had always given the two girls
their own way ia everything. Tho meatJy
was crimson with Strawberries in August, ira
g'an' with wild piuks all the summer and
III dc u most delightful play ground which the
< is haunted fiOm infancy up. The Gins threw
their shadows delightfully."- on tho rivers banks
ard the stream, just whore il came 10y the
bick Nindow sparklcd and murinurod
yyously as If TO entice them 20 play truant.
1t was a very coquotte, that beautiful stream,
sometimes stealing slowly and steadily along,
rejecting tho hedge rows ON its banks and ripp-
ling among the long grasses that droopad green.
" down TO meet it or frOliokng onward llash.
ing and eddying in the warm sunlight and
making music among the loose stones
What two school girls ever thought Of lifting
in a little red school house studying all sorts OF
hard lessons when persuaded into the puro air
hy such sweet temptations. Amialle yoIng
lldies may be found who love their DO ks batter
than rolling over the grass but am very much
afraid that Lucy Moulton and the miEciioyOus
Sophia wore not among the number.
They almost lived in tho peach orchard whom
its boughs were bent with their lIals of fra
grant and mellow fruit, loitered away whole
days on the sloping banks Of the river, built
their play houses unler the old Gins carried
dolls and Chira there and would have been as
| happy and gloe'ul as the birds chirping n the
branches overhead, but for thought. Of schoo
| hours, over and over seams samplers, gr immar
,ssons and huge aliases which would intru le
! themselves upon their minds now and then with
| force that somewhat damponed enjoyment.
During tWO or three weeks each year
! they enioyd their out door haunts with
| pecul ar 2,st, not that thoy were
! more pleasant or their task, any lighter
! &, 81