Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-04-07
An Old Mans story.

had travelled far. The day was dark
and lowering; black November ruled the
season, and, bowling through the forest
and glen, wild winds sang drear anthem
to the departing year. There is some
thing in the mournful wailing of autumn
winds which strikes drearily through my
spirit. Almc3t every calamity of my life
has fallen on me at this period of the
year, and, almost without exception,
those who are now angels in this viewless
world fed from time and me, when far
along denuded forests the careering gale
swept, and now, with ftful and sobbing
gusts.
But my lodging was in country inn.
[ entered. The room was unfinished
and unfinished. Rough pine boards were
its flooring its walls Imprinted, presented
only pine boards nailed between logs of
the same material, and the ceiling cor
responded to floor and wall. There was a
spinning-wheel near the door what a
door it was! wide, rickety, and gaping,
with many a seam. An old tin candle
stick stood on a bare pine table; hanks of
yarn hung from nails innumerable around
the room. Coarse and garrish prints We're
tackled above the mantle, and a wretched
plaster cast of some defunet American
statesman rose above the centre of the
same mantle.
The fireplace below was oapacious
enough to roast an offering to the gods,
when such oblation, in ancient times,
called for ample room and widespread
flames. A great fire was blazing on the
rough, stone-paved hearth, and its genial
heat was grateful as it dispelled the chill
dampness of heavy air, and rejuvenated
the half frozen musketees clinging to
walls, where resin, exuded from pine
boards, had become indented, and stood
out, hardened by the atmosphere, like
yellow gum on orchard trees.
The chairs were of fashion peculiar
and primeval; tough hide undressed,
formed the seat of each, its framework
rudely turned, was wrought from white
oak, strongly grained, and put together
with little artistic skill.
These things struck the stranger in an
instant at a glance, though describing
them, even briefly, occupies more time
than L am willing to spare for the task !;
yet, on the autumn eve, when | entered
this same hall, they were indeliby i'm
pressed on my mind, and, by some strange
presentiment, felt that here, almost out
of the pale of civilization, and remote
from refinement, some inexplicable link
in the chain of destiny would develop it
self
L sat down by the blazing fire. The
host was man more toil-worn than aged ::
his brow was square, his nose far to small
for symmetry as regarded the rest of his
features; his ears were hanging, and of
size denoting vulgarity. His hair, in
tensely black, chung round his brow, like
sable moss on bare cypress tree his
mouth was wide his under Jaw heavy
and villainous; his neck was thick-set.
and of crab-like hue. But the eve,
after all, the grandest exponent in mans
countenance, was, in his case, evil-omened,
wild and wandering. His garb was
coarse home-spun, home-dyed and i'll
fitting. But what is raiment? The SER
pent has its scaly coat-the bedizened
woman of fashion, high or low, has her
rich dresses. But this man was nv evil
genius. Ever as the blinking blaze rose
and fell, by some strange fascination he
attracted me. Long years after, 1 knew
the reason why.
Our supper was announced IT'S a
goodly thing when fragrant coffee, with
out admixture, snow-white piles of deli
cately boiled rice, chicken, plump, tender,
and broiled as only country cooks can
serve their own bantlings of the barn
yard, to say nothing of milk on which
Jove might luxuriate, and cream suggest
i've of Arcadia, furnishes board, clean
though coarse. Such was our fare in this
wild country inn. feasted with the well
earned appetite of traveller who had
snuffed free and healthful air since day
dawned, aad was oppressed by no cares
save those of wandering fancy, and mex.
plicable anticipation, vague but troublous
X
Two years elapsed; my home was in a
pleasant village, many many miles from
the inn above described. Perhaps the in
habitants Of large cities cannot compre-
bend the interest which attaches 10 indi-
viduais In one of these towns in miniature
Our village might defy comparison with
Goldsmith's in its prosperous days though
the tau bay trees, pride of India, and
privet hedges belonged to different and
more tropical cline than that described
BY him who touched, with his own mental
beauty, all things traced by his natural
and gifted pen. The golden-belled jasmine
there hung fragrant and rejoicing in yell
low sunlight; there the wild olematis and
y E#f g8d3 s9w - v--e-{ -. 49,