Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1866-02-21
STAPLEFOHD GRANGE

| heard the following narrative e ut a dir
ner party in a country house about fiv
miles from the place where the events re
ferred 10 occurred, and ii WAS related I
me ty the chief actress in it,-a pretty
Itiy-hke glri OF twenty, the daughter o
tue rector of the perish in which Staple
0 lord Grange II situated | had spraine,
, my ankle IN the morning, and instead o
= g"InE IN to dinner with the rest of tn,
@ party, was made TO lie on sofa in the
i. ara" inS-room and it was after the ladie
came IN the dInin@-ro0m that pretty Ciss1
,hHeS ut her hostess. urgent request, re.
lated It to me give il, as nearly as
can remember in her own words
IT As the Saturday afternoon before
: rIstmas day. nearly two years ago when
my SIX brothers. all Younger than myself
ana ! were skating on our squares fish
pond w had been skating since dinner
ana II was rot till the wintrv daylight was
J GeGinnIng to wnne that the recollection
rushed across me that had entirely for
gotten TO do commission my mother had
gwen to me IN the morning This com
mission was 10 walk to the Grange, a big
ihrm house, and hrspeak some geese for
dinner on New Yenrs day. NV mother
had said decidedly. those geese must he
ordered to- day, Cissv," SO knew that
should have to 90; although the Grange
was mile off, although it was verv cold
and darkness was coming on. and although
+ ! was terribly afraid Of biz Hack dny
+ winch was chained up just in front Of the
/ Grange hack door
w b." u go with me 10 Granrer' called
out quickly. as this remoml lcranca occur
red to me sitting down and he rinninn to
un-trnp my skates. I've forgotten al
about the geese. and mamma said was to
order them to dav."
No one answered The next dav was
Sunday, and it M ;.ht thaw be fore Monday.
Every boy. big or little. seemed laudahlv
d"sirons Of making the most of present
pnrtnnificS
Il darcn't 70 hv myself" I called outin
4 pathetic tone, 1T would lie quite dark
before Get home again.
Tell the truth, Cis." called ont Charlie
4 quick good>notured hoy Of fifteen. 'and
say you're afraid of .Jin Ne er mind TT I.
come with vou. if Won must 60" And h-
l"toed me on the nank, and proceeded To !
take ofT his skrteS
"WhatI YOU bet, Jim" he called ont.
during his operation. fhat we ain't NJ
home ty a quarter to five? Its exactly
four now"
= 'NSF N'S At4t iflS"eTr hs y tlH NtGieu {
ny
Done; and remember vou dub up
Now. Cie come along, and l can tell you
Won u have 10 run
Thanks TO all NV brothers, I was a .
pretty good runner. and we sped across
the sqn'ro's fields and through the narrow
iane towards 1 thc Crane ,as qs fost rs Rqsti7
fnfncd thc farm, ward ,-e sIackencd rare
n lif.le and when We cot into the big
..nYrt-varl itself We were valk;na almost
slowly
How areaHruIIv lonely II looks Char
Iia j" Said almost with a 81 ivcr Mt tho
apsolate aspect of the rIacc. which he'd .
ben Grand .~art'crnan'e house FORTY wears f
AERO Iut had been suffered "a fal almost I
into ruins u am clad / m not Mrs John .
son. particularly - she has no children .
nor anyhodv to keen her company when .
Mr. johnson i avav."
We'll. DON'T VIM ston and prose 10 hcr
fnr ever surh time. Cis do Won hear
returned Charlie good -humoredlv.
want thnt loh Of Jim's. and we've on'v
five ani-twoutv minutes TO do the Jaw, ami
cot tomn in
Al rjchr | said, and we went up to
tho lack door.
must try and describe a little OF the
-eGFr3F F'iN of the trrAn~N now
The rourt-vnri WINS hic square place,
much higrer than tnrm var.iS usually are.
-ni Il must have been an imposing on
trance IN the old Conc~hv DAYS. Their"
were r,yo entrnurrs TO n. tho ono wr had
come IN ~. LEADING 10 our village. he
other nXactlv ornositn on the other side Of
tho court-v RI. leading OF p quarter q
F ME of fields into tie road 70 our market
town of u 'ls tho left hand ct the court
ward was long ~tr1ight line Of what hA-
: Nuce loen stables. hut wore now farm
buildings, and ~ the right tho north side
-a Ianr straight line aIs0-of the house
itself
The front door. which was exactly in
+. tie middle &c rho straight line. and which
was fanked on either side Hv several win
Gnvs WIS uow never anencd hut the
I hack door. which was the entry 10 n little
biz Of Iuf1iinr stan ling tack from the
line az house. and which looked almost 9.
Fl ifLqd been stuck on 10 the lilo square
mansion as IN afterthourht wrs on this
saturday afternoon standing little aiar
.Iip all NOT erect Us with his usual nois '
welcome. and there was no sound Of any
sort about the place exccpt the gahhling
Of some turkeys IN the rear Of the farm
buildings I don't know thRt ] felt any
particular far. but n we followed the
path under the shadow Of the old elm-trNe
t. the half open door, q sort Of oppressed