The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1865-10-11

1 views, 1nStcnu OF DelnK An economical par
allelogram, il was made up of angles and
eccentricities the architecture was Of the
conglomeratc style, the main building being
Doric, and the extension COfnthian; the
former having peaked roof 30 perpcndicu-
lar that il seemed as if il never would come
to point, and the latter being 80 fiat that q
ball would hardly roll of the caves. The
whole was ornamented with an unlimited
amount of trimming and moulding, and there
were windows of all shapes and characters
There were stained glass in the front and
rear doors, plain glass in some windows aud
parti-colored in others; there we're windows
whore no one would expect them, and blanks
where one would naturally expbet windows.
II might have been called model Of sur
priscs. To n person who prided himself on
his ability to lay out a plan economically
and advantageously, this was discouraging :.
but after all, to philosophic mind, 80 long
rs the necessary accommodations are obtain
cd, does the particular plan make much diff
ference!
Flusoing is a small place, and any unusual
occurrence throws il into wild state Of ex-
citement. Some one had been moving a
house down its main street in the ordinary
manner with rollers and windlass, and its
slow rate of progression led to much animal
version, and many Of what in country vii
lagos, pass for jokes. One bystandcr want
ed to know if it had stopped at the corner to
!, take a drink, another desired to inquire if il
was going to the city for visit, and third
sarcasiically pointed out its rate Of speed as
an example for the railroad company to imi-
tate. The Flushing Gazette took tho matter
up, and had an editorial every week on the
progress of the house. So tho reader can
imagine the effect when the Flushingites
learned that stranger was about bringing
house from Nantucket The Gazette en-
!, tered into the subject with spirited hilarity,
hoping that it would move faster than the
.'pattcrn house," and wondering whether it
would sail down, or come by land. After
signing his agreement, Mr.. Sille disappeared
it was supposed to look up the house, and
the foundation was rapidly complcted but
neither he nor the house reappearcd. Weeks
went by; tho prophecies Of the incredulous
were being confirmed and it was rumored
that he, house and all, had gone down in
! storm on the Long Island Sound. In the
!, midst Of these dreadful rumors. a vessel APP
| peared one morning at the dock near the
i premises, and landed brick beams and tam
ber-evilcntly what had been house and
! what must be n house again. The whole
! aspect of things changed. Hilarity succeed
/ ed gloom; and the mason who was building
!, the foundation, engaged all the carts, trucks
and wagons in the village to transport what
he called 'the stuff" TO my premises. He
drove down in great state of excitement,
only to find the gate of the dock closed and
locked. 1t turned out that an Irishman
named Barney-whcthcr it was something
Barney, or Barney something, no one ever
knew, as lie was invariably called simply
Barney--had hired the dock, and demanded
his damages before he would allow the
..stuff'' to leave Here was predicament-
my house landed. all the transportation ofthe
village ready to remove it, and an obstinate
Irishman named Barney barring the way.
He was immoyable. however, and insisted
on ..his damages" SO that the carts and
wagons and trucks drove away, and the Irish
character came under lively discussion. The
inhabitants 0. the Emerald Isle are certain
ly magnificent race, especially when one
, wants to run for Alderman and if they did
not lie, steal, cheat, rob, murder, get drunk,
perjurc themselves, quarrel, fight and insist
upon damages unreasonably, they would be
almost as good as other nations. Barney
was evidently superior Irishman, and rs
no one had ever landed load of house at his
dock before. and probably never would again,
he felt that dignity of tenants was at stake,
and must be sustained.
When these facts were reported to me.
took down my law books, and prepared
rod for Mr.. Barney. There was the clear
right to land nj public dock; there was the
clear wrong of OBTAINING property belong
ing to another. Damages began to loom mp
before my eyes, and very pretty case rs an
introduction to q lucrative legal practice in
the place of my newly intended residence.
Vistas of courts, and suits, and appeals, and
new trials, rose in my mind in graceful ar
ray, and thanked Barney who was reported
to be not only ugly" but responsible, with
all my heart. There were two difficulties in
the way of legal action first, that until the
suit terminated, the house could not be built
secondly, shat Sille. who would have to be
plaintiff had disappeared from the sight Of
, man. Now, the house might be delayed, but
the damages would be thus increased; but a
suit without a plaintiff was beyond ordinary
legal remedies, and was not provided for
even by the new Code OF Procedure So
Barney, like. in spite Of sense, law
justice, or hospitality, kept my house, or
rather. intended house, by ''force and arms"
and the cellar and foundation were completed
alone. A cellar is delightful part of a
house, ii is 50 cool in summer and warm in
-
.fhings," as the housewives call them: but
to have all cellar and no house, IS carrying
the point too far. It's pleasant place when
surmounted by the proper amount Of beams
and MORTAR but alone. is like an alligator's
countenance altogether too open. | am
not particular, and coald have made out very
we'll during the summer months probably, if
the cellar had only been upside down.
The foundation was built, the mason was
out Of work, and myself out of humor, when
we were both again raised to the pinnacle Of
earthly happiness, by the arrival of another
vessel, which fortunately selected another
dock and landed another house. On inquiry
it appeared that this was my house. Lest
the reader may suppose that Nantucket was
so overlooking with houses that they floated
down ehe sound and drifted ashore any
where, it must be explained that the first
house was but the workshop. The carts and
trucks reappeared, and this time. carried
away the debris Of what was once the house
Of some bluff, scafaring man--timbcrs that
were shivered rs hc had no doubt often re-
quested that they should be, doors, windows,
shingles, pieces Of roof, floor boards, posts.
mOuldings and thousand other Odds ends,
bits and pieces, in the most admired conftl-
sion--and deposited them upon my entire
FIVE acres, scattered hither and thither, as
though they were component parts Of five
houses instead Of one.
As Mr. Sille had not come with the house
but was to arrive next day-for it appears
he had been storm bound in some Of the nu-
merous s'bights," Is the Yankees call them,
oe bat MAJ tIoso I'D hn