, 1865-06-09
UI)tfoQo Gril)ulle.
FRIDAY. JUNE .. 1S95.
ALETTER FROM tsTHE GR0TE.'


<%AAtV43
In many Of your papers notice letters
from WomCn's pen upon some particular sub.
ject, which each may consider 1t her duty to
contribute her mite to. So the thought oc,
CURED to me that I might, perhaps, pen q
few haes worthy the occupancy Of d corne.
in your especially priced TE-weckly. To no
single theme. though, shall conflne my srn-
timcnts; but, 10 while away the hour of twl.
lights almost somber shades, will these words
b. written. Aud then, too, wish to be the
medium through which the thanks Of our en-.
tire little community may be conveyed to
you for the choice morsels Of gossip, foreign
and local, which ever find their way into the
TRIBUNE, that thrice each week gladdens OIL
hearts By the sunshine its presence affords.
Methinks you will speculate whence comes
his precious 1nissiyes The Grorc! The
namc is certainly unfamiliar get, On second
hought, you tc,pt1nbcr that such place
does exist, as the To1umlnous book con.
teinipg the record Of your subscribers
names can testify. Let me tell you whence
.oinc these pages. Some twenty five 5ears
60 two brothers, prominent citizens Of Chi
cago, purchased wild tract Of land, eighteen
mi!es fIom the city, where each erected 9
pretty cottagc, intending them as summer
Residences. AS yesrs rolled On, many i'm.
nroyements we,e made, and the grounds be.
came noted for their beauty. Both brothers
Lad eonjointly named lleir homes s'1nc
Crorv," asa heavy growth Of timber sheltered
tic houses. Since then,- buildings hare
afcw years since, two solitary dwellings. is
now a thriving glorious country, settled
thick1y by. thrifty, energetic people, who
beast 4 postef1icc, &C., independent Of Brick
ton, cur nearest town.
Sc yon see, proud Of the so-a. .heaaitiVeness
Of The G:oTe, determined 70 give It notorie-
II by informing the editor Of the representa-
tive Journal or the West, that Its growing I'M
portancc demanded the niche which record
81 Its existence would necessitatc.
All around lis are well stocked farms, and
as write, dlmly shsdowcd 10 the gathering
darknsas, stand forth the grim ssuafdiaus Of
our little set.lement, the fail oaks md pop
1als. 70 giant In their protection Of tic cot
tnges nestled 20 costly amid them. How low
ipEly our homes are sheltered by ihctr senti-
reia, waIdins of the pitIless fury Of winters
blast and summers storm, catching the ltful
arTow:like lightning as it descenas, guiding 1t
as conductor to the earth where It may bu-
rs It's malevoleut fury in spassnodic clutch
lngs ard uphcaviues of the SOD. Hive yau
.vcr, Mr.. Euitor. Witnessed the venting, lin
the country, Of that accumulated wrath de-
pIcted in q thunderstorm: II not, you
should stand where once ], With another,
stood, compelled, however unwlli!ngly, to
gaze upon spectacle which would strike
awe iulo an adamantine breast. TIE, {my
cousin and j, lad eall1td forth in obe-
dltnce 10 the eutreaty Of child who,
said bis grandmother lay suffering from the
terrible Effects Of raralytic stroke, with
none near her OF course, we went ut once,
gathering together such articles rs We might
nccd. Il WIS beautiful evening, just such
a halmy, still ene as should tit / wc-c
roct} exratlatc on; ard az the distance was
but mile, VIC dctcEmincd to proceed With
cut m escort. fully expecting to return be-
fore dark, However, 80 many little Offices
hsd to be performed, that ten O'Clock ch!rncd
tiem the Iendnlc before we were Prepared TO
peshbor, who promised TO remain till
morning. Our way home lay through thick
woods, with here and there IN opening,
Hhctc The deserted hut Of some departed
squattcr testified to tic land being s'taken,"
Alice (my c0rsin) was eyer q tn!d, doye.iikc
girl. 50 extremely fearful that nothing woald
induce her 10 walder twenty yards from thc
house after dark. OF course, the impcnstra-
bic darkness which met us at tie very
th1cshhold Of tue woods, caused Atr to quake
with ind, htlabe dread. "Wny not wa!t.''
she mscd. ''They would surely send
Msrk for us" Bat I reasoned
w1;h her, that no one knew wh1ther
the starch, It would probably. prove unsuc-
ress:nl. So wc went ou, and had accom-
fliEted half the journey When large, heavy
drops lartd our heated faces. Then NUT
te'td runbltng gscettd us, followed BY dull
fash OF luria Hnnc succeeded quickly By
thuudsrs, which seemed TO NE Ike terrific
Toars and oil . the lightning accomp ny ing
have seen ought Ike 1t. How poor
Alice cluns to my arm in the agony Of
terror assailing her.
Nadiy We pushed on ultIl one Of the dis.
mantled huts, before ineutorcd, was reached,
wAtn pushing open the door, NE gladly found
Ourselves in comparative safety. We
brrnIhed frccr, and experienced that comfort
able sensation ono icets on ! rainy btustery
evening when the bright hone fitcside vel
comes us from lie luc.e,arnt aud inhospitable
| el, ,ment6 outside.
1t WIS rot long however, before the hursi-
cane increased to such violence, that our traii
shelter shook before 1t, *hlle We could hear
hy their very toote, as tkcy were sulitten with
the fiery nnfd. Only small o{,eElng, origin
ally intended for window, allowed Us view
OF tho exterior, Which must admit, {g;orsing
Us was wont TO do In my admiration and fear
kszneks Of thundcrstorm,l ! did not avail
clasp which Alice favored me vi b, aud ir-
| &nlicntly bestow my head on her shoulder, to
| looking on sight, the vcrJ remembrance Of
which Ca1ilitd me for mouths after. About
taH an hour e1aIscd, the storm seemingly iu-
c1taslng in force. when clattesing over bead
1nsde nj. tllhk that gigantic hailst1nes were
| lu1,tns the scene. 4 few 1no:e dis;Inc:
tlun: on the roof, together with the rapid
dtscrnt through the fireplace, Ct some large
msEses, scun convinced me that the
CHIMNEY lad given way. While yet
VIC lacked, the mc6t terrible clap ever
| heard, broke over Us, aimsst stunning me,
ard a! the same moment, a vivid fork OF lame,
which nc could just zee, blazed tornd, enytl.
oping us in cloud Of su1pharous smc axe, Ger
ta!nly not Inferior 10 either quality OF quantity
to that cxhaicd from the lower reg ous. Such
a crash when crack, crack went the boards,
snd huge b.oT on NY head aud arm told
me We were lying in the ruins Of our former
ment6, awakening TO find Alice beneath me,
either sEoon.d VI dead, and mrsclf bruised
dizzy and stretched across her The dtcuct.
ing from tie leayy min Lad ruu.el nc, auti
fearing les: another visit from the busnln.
fuzzy should completely annihilata Us, raised
myself, dcaliy- Succeeding in restoring, acd
eseorting Alice to the refuge OF a large lime.
the house. Poor girl shall never forget
her appea. .cnce-tcut torHnsd In surpltaus
attitude, features rigid IS II death had indeed
bseo there, The up.ifted hand and
mute, white llrs, speaking the prayer
which her tongue In Vain cssaycd to
articulate. The neavi1y leayed b3ughs eiTec.
trasly sheltered lis from the cataract OF
sp!sshiDg water around, md there we re-
ntalued Ior three weary hours, trembling in.
significant witnesses OF the power of 0mu.p-
otenee. Ourselves the almost only uascat thcd
| partlci7ator8 in the terrible tornado, which
was long remembered BY all dwelling IN that
scctipn Of The country, as the ut u-nish tota!
destruction OF creps, ard partia. demolition
| OF hnuses. inauguratcd season u want and
misery In the then new settlement. But |
begau this epistle with The intention OF f..
wiring YOU with description of the Grove,
for concluding, aSi indeed dcyotiur nos: I1o Il
lsto depicting wAat you bare otter brheld-