Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1865-10-12

uOuBD III UIlc Vi Tue bbrtcl5 vi the fliidRe. II
was parallelogram, which is the most prae-
teal and economical shape for house, and
had modest little piazza in front, and a
pretty French roof above. The internal ar
rangement with such notifications as my
superior experience Immediately dictated,
Yves absolute perfection. The building was
only twenty-fou feet by thirty-six, yet there
would be seven comfortable rooms on the
frat and second floors, the parlor moderate
ly large, the dining groom long and narrow to
suit dinner table, and the bedrooms of adj
| mirable proportion. | determined at once,
with the her0ism of self-control, to abandon
my own fancies, and to look and think no
farther; but having completed my modifica-
tions, gave them to a draughtsman to ex-
press in builders signs, and to partlcular1ze
with specifications. This event suggested the
following beautiful sentiment: 1t often hap
pens that while we are roaming the world to
crafty our desires, the precise article forthe
purpose is at our very doors.
The drawings and specifications were soon
made out in gorgeous style; thereaYas 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 time when, although
the imitation of gold had passed its eulminat-
ing point, labor and material were at their
highest. The builders, smarting under the
recollection of improbable contracts made
on rising market, were deaf to my eloquent
observations on the certainty Of rapid fall
in the value of the articles when the war was
SO 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-
vinced Some of them offered to 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
them secretly, ran away, and was never heard
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 as 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
but the most intelligent and enterprising car
penters. There was one difficulty in closing
with this proposal, and that was, as he cool
" informed me, that he could not finish the
house till next winter. Now | wanted a
summer residence, not a winter one. The
city is a sane mans home in the winter, but
in the summer the green fields and fragrant
pastures, limpid brooks and shady trees,
tempt an equally sane man meaning my
self, Of course) into the country. 1t is true,
much time had been wasted away over speci
fcations and estimates, especially by the
man who ran away, and the spring was pref
ty we'll advanced, but the house had to be
done by July So, as it 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 me-
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 tradition,
the property of an elderly gentleman who
was blessed with three daughters. On his
death, the ladies are supposed to have divi-
ded the property among them. The daugh-
ters' names were Anna, Martha, and Naomi,
and their names appertain 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, may 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
missiye creature, such as Naomis and Gin
derellas are supposed to be.
OF this group, Nantucket was once -four
X
whalemen, and goodly population of whal-
ing men, where money was so plenty and
morals so 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 it came from the decayed bones of
whales that existed when this world was
young, they had been buried .'deeper than
ever plummet sounded" beneath the accumu-
lations of modern dust SO the whalemen
beinguseless, were sunk in Charleston har-
Dor, and the whaling men sought s'green
fields and pastures new" in California. Mans
inheritance went to decay, and her people
became our people-that is, they learned to
chest, and the hackmen initiated their fell
lows. Population diminished, building lots
were worthless, and one half the houses
were vacant. But they were a scriptural
people, and remembering how the patriarchal
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 them over to the
main land 1t was at The zenith of this exc
dus that my troubles eliminated, and hearing
of spot where the inhabitants had each a
| ba rfSa al ,,ouCa1f
without more ado, l ordered one to be deliv-
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