Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-10-19
DAILY LEADER.
sunnyside and irving.

d II was an odd affair of steep roofs, gabl
: ends, and decorated eaves-a sort of co
4 tage half covered with flowers and climl
ing vines, upon the summit of which stoo
: a queer looking weather-cock. which
d understood to be an old Dutch relic frol
7 Albany. On the left was a p~ortieo, frol
which You had a fine glimpse of the HuC
; son; winding walks led in and out of th
shrubbery, and the place resembled a sol
r OF Dutch paradise-al grass, birds, flow
ers and sunshine. Hither, within a fe,
miles of Sleepy Hollow, scene of the ad
venture Of lchabod Crane, and not ia
from the Catskills, immortalized bv tn
mishaps Of Rip Van Wrinkle, the create
of those personages had come to spend hi
tranquil and happy old age-proclaimin,
to the world in his very house. and tn,
choice of its site, those odd, humorous, hal
Dutch peculiarities which had communi
Gated snch a charm to his writings, anC
made the author so famous.
l was looking curiously at the origina
structure, when my eyes fell upon the fig.
ure of a man standing upon a knoll to the
left of the house, his face turned studiously
away from US. My friend directed hi.
steps in that direction. 1 followed, and
How do you do, Mr.. Irving? ?" caused
the figure to wheel round, walking-stick
IN hand. It was of a short, rather " dunn
Ply" person, dressed in black and very
plainly. There was absolutely nothing to
Indicate taste or character in the costume,
nor was there much, at first sight, in the
face. A plain, elderly gentleman, taking
a walk in his grounds, and enjoying the
sunshine-such was the face and figure of
Irving. But over this calm face there
passed all at once a smile which seemed to
change its whole character he advanced
quickly and greeted us with the greatest
cordiality, inquiring with the most affec-
tomato solicitude after his friends in Vir-
GINA. A sly smile then fitted over his
face, and with a short laugh, he said to
D.:
81 saw you coming, but 1 thought YOU
were some of the people from New York.
They are always coming to see me-entire
strangers-and annoy me-"
In fact as | afterwards learned, this was
a severe infection; and Irving complained
Of it with comic pathos. "They come at
all hours, without ceremony" he said,
people whom l never saw nor heard of.
Mr.. Smith, of Texas, walks in, sends up
his compliments, and when l shake hands
L find myself gazed at like a show. Mr..
Smith, of Texas, evidently expects me to
say something brilliant, and when l don't,
considers himself defrauded." A friend,
one day in a bookstore, was accosted by a
stranger, who took up volumeo of Irving's
works and said: "a great author, sir, a
very great authorI l consider him ma
6onal property, and being near Sunnyside
I called 10 get my dicidend."
L can fancy the quiet, shy, retiring Geof-
frey Crayon, summoned from his literary
to see the gentlemen intent upon
securing his dividend.
We spent the whole day with Irving,
and it would be impossible to imagine
anything more charming than the CONVEX
1t was not brilliant or "strik-
or any other commonplace adiec-
tive, but perfectly natural, original and
The first impression produced
by the individual was not pleasant. You
would have said that a plain, rather dull,
stood before you, with no ideas be-
yond the price Of wheat, and no ambition
than to raise the most gigantic
pumpkins. But this theory of the man
ioon disappeared from the mind. 1t was
evidently IA scholar, and a ripe one" who
vas walking beside you with his pleasant
-oiee his sweet smile, his queer little fig
the very sight of which put you in
,ood humor. And this scholar, as you
Don found, hadnot studied human nature
n books only, but in men. From his
nance allusions-and no man talked less
or effect, or SO little thought of making
impression'-you discovered that he
lad not only seen many countries, but had
nown personally some of the most cele-
rated men of modern times. Scott, Les
ie the painter, Louis Napoleon, the En-
lress Eugenie-some allusion brought up
hese personages and Irving strolled on
mid his flowers, talking of them with the
and q~uietest humor, and from
me to time a touch of feeling for all the
'orld like his books. His talk was an
Lpril day-drifting clouds and sunshine,
ut the sunshine predominant. His short, =
~ laugh was the perfection of
MET enjoyment; and there was a
larm in the sad, memorial tones of !
is voice as he spoke of Scott and others,
-hich can not easily be described. He
as he told of the painter, Leslie, 1
link, who went to Abbotsford to paint
portrait, and found the house full
: company. The company having de-
arted, Leslie thought, "Now for my :
but Scott, starting up from the ]
table, exclaimed, "Now for a
the remainder of the day being
1ent in hunting, though at this time the
were waiting for -" copy" of one
+ the greatest novels. Irving's account !
E Scott was delightful, and his anecdotes
: Leslie, then Just dead, l believe, full of
They had travelled to Stratford
he said, and he wanted Leslie to
amt shakespeare before Sir Thomas
but the great artist did not get the
SEPARATION, and never made the picture. !
Speaking ofthe present Emperor of the
rench, Irving said: |
ayes, he is a remarkable man. 1 knew
i'm when he was in America, and he used
travel up from New York to look at
Vest Point, which seemed to interest him
cry much. He dined with me here, one
ny, and sat just where you do now, Ito
we were at dinner.) He was grave
nd silent, scarcely opening his lips while
ere; but a young French Count who ac- :
Dmpanied him was more agreeable, and
much greater favorite with the girls 4
D spoke Of the Empress Eugene,
nd Irving saidi
al knew her very well in Spain, when
he was little EUGENE de Montijo, daugh-
r of the Count de Teba. She was a fine
girl, a beautiful figure; and at the
alls dressed as a mosquetaire-female. 1
ave often had her on my knee, and now
, think she is an empressl Old Calderon
De la Barca, Spanish minister) said to me
t Washington when 1 was there: "Good
eavensl Irving, just to think / Little Eu-
enie Montijo empress of France-hum
UNI huml
What was the most delightful about this
ranquil, smiling talk of the great writer,
over the summer sward, beneath
is trees, was the genuine simplicity
nd naturalness of his tone and ]
1t was the spontaneous over 4
of the genial fountain of 4,
and humor in the bosom of the
nan. If there had been something Of ]
he shy reserve of the student in his man
when we were regarded as Gsome of /