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

again publicly to thank my friends.
While Illuminating over these statements,
and my various different projects, | was
struck with the appearance Of neat little
house in one Of the streets Of the village. II
was parsllelogram, which is the most prac
tical and economical shape for house, and
had modest little piazza in front, and 4
| pretty French roof above. The internal ar
| rangement with such notifications as my
superior experience Immediately Dictated
was absolute perfection. The building was
only twenty four feet by thirty-six, yet there
would be seven comfortable rooms on the
first and second floors, the parlor moderate
ly large, the dining room long and narrow to
suit dinner table. and the bedrooms Of ad-
mirable proportion. I determined At once,
| with the heroism of sclf-control, to abandon
my own fancies, and TO look and think no
farther; but having completed my modifca-
tons, gave them to draughtsman to OK
press in builders signs, and to particularize
| with specifications. This event suggested the
following beautiful sentiment: 1t often hap
pens that while we nre roaming the world to
crafty our desires, the precise article for the
purpose is at our very doors.
The drawings and specifications were soon
made out in gorgeous style; there was a
beautiful picture Of what the house would
look like, with an amount Of moulding and
finish that did the draughtsman great credit
showing the inside and outside sections, and
ground plans, stairs and closets; and the
specifications provided how every nail was
to be driven, and were completed with mi
nuteness that would set imposition at def
ance when finished, they were submitted to
several builders for estimates.
This happened at q time when, although
the initiation Of gold had passed its culminat-
ing point, labor and material were ut their
highest. The builders, smarting under the
recollection Of Improbable contracts made
ON a rising market, were deaf TO my eloquent
observations ON the certainty Of q rapid fall
in the value of the articles when the war was
80 manifestly drawing to . close. They had
lost faith, not only in the ninety days theory
of our leading modern statesmen, but that
the rebellion would die other than linger-
ing death, and resolutely refused to be con-
WINGED. Some of them offered 10 oversee the
work on commission, by which ingenious
arrangement, the more they wasted, the more
they would make. Others charged nearly
double what was fair price, insisting on
making allowance for a further rise in pri-
ces. One man was SO entirely overcome that
after keeping the plans month, he returned
,
Of afterwards.
New York being pretty nearly exhausted
by this time, application was made to the
carpenters at Flushing. With one exception
they declined the job, rs they called it, en-
tirely; this one put in the lowest estimate
that had yet been made; so that the reader
will perceive that Flushing contains not only
the finest building lots and the gentlest cows
L,,AS
penters. There was one difficulty in closing
with this proposal and that was, as he cool
ly informed me, that he could not finish the
house till next winter. Now | wanted
summer residence, not winter one. The
city is a sane mans home in the winter, but
in the summer the green fields and fragrant
pastures, limpii brooks and shady trees,
tempt an equally sane man (meaning my
self, Of course) into the country. Il is true,
much time had been wasted away over speci-
fications and estimates, especially by the
man who ran away, and the spring was pref
~ well advanced, but the house had to be
done by July. So, as il was impossible to
accept the services of the intelligent Flush
ing mechanic or to make use of the admira-
bly, planned Flushing house, it became ne
cessary to cast about for some other means
Of accomplishing the object.
Over against the eastern end Of that bar
rem and crooked point Of land known as Cape
Cod, which projecting into the ocean. con-
siders the object of its being accomplished
when it protects and shelters the club Of the
Universe, lie three islands that were in early
days. according to unquestionable t,-os'ition,
the property Of m elderly gcntlcn who
was blessed with three daughters. his
death, the ladies are supposed to ha, diyi-
ded the property among them. The daugh-
ters' names were Anna, Martha, and Naomi,
and their names appertan TO the islands still.
The largest is called Martha's Vineyard,
showing that Martha had the good sense to
cultivate the luscious fruit. though the strict.
Puritan customs Of those times, mag have
forbidden her enjoying the juice, except, per-
haps, in the Puritan wagon the sly. Anna
took the next largest island, which from that
day has been called Nantookit or Nantucket,
the graceful Anna being vulgarized into the
familiar Nan. Naomis Island has since been
converted into Nomansland; and we'll it
might. for no man would be contented with
such portion, while his brothers carried off
the broad acres Of the neighboring islands,
and no woman either, unless she were sub
missivc creature, such AS Naomis and Gin
derellas are supposed to be.
Or this group. Nantucket was once flour
ishing and populous, with large tonnage Of
whalemen, and goodly population of whal
ing men, where money was 80 plenty and
morals 50 pure that theft was unknown, and
hackmen charged fair prices. This modern
Arcadia however, was sadly affected by the
diminution Of whales, was injured by the
invention Of kerosene and ruined by the
discovery Of petroleum. the barbarous names
of which had been until lately unknown in
all that country Whales tried for time to
compete with these innovations, but finding
the attempt useless, they gave up in disgust,
and retired to their northern homes, beyond
the reach Of man. That would have made
but little difference if ships were used in OBJ
tanning petroleum: but, although enthusiasts
supposed il came from the decayed bones of
whales that existed when this world was
young, they had been buried 'sdeeper than
ever plummct sounded beneath tho accumu-
lations Of modern dust. So the whalcmen
being useless, were sunk in Charleston har-
Dor, and the whaling mon sought "green
fields and pastures new" in California. Mans
inheritance went to decay, and her people
became our people--that is, they learned to
cheat, and the hackmen initiated their fell
lows. Population diminished, building lots
were worthless, and one half the houses
were vacant. But they were scriptural
people, and remembering how the patriarcha)
tribes when water and grass became scarce,
struck their tents and struck out for better
quarters, they pulled down every man his
house-and not only that but every woman
her house--and carried Thorn over to the
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