The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1871-08-12
Story OF a DuCal Mansion.


horseback, his eye was attracted by
the figure of anold soldierresting Oh
bench at the foot of the Cromwell
Oak, that still stands i'll vigorous
age close by the Achilles Statue.
The King, whose memory Of faces
was remarkable, recognized him as
a veteran who had fought bravely at
his side in the continental battles;
and kindly accosting him, the old
man, who was lame, hobbled toward
him.
"Well, my friend," said the mon
arch, cit is now some years since
we heard the bullets whistle at the
battle of Dettingen; tell me what
has befallen you since.'
II was wounded in the leg, please
your Majesty, and received my dis
charge. My wife and [ are living Oh
the pension I received, and trying
to bring up our only SON"
" Are you comfortable Is there
anything you particularly wish for"
''Please your Majesty, if | may
make bold to speak, there is one
thing that would make my wife,
poor woman, as happy as a queen, if
I could only get it. George, our
son-we named it after your Ma
jesty-is a bright boy, and as we
are anxious to give him a good edu-
cation, we try every means to earn
an honest penny; so my wife keeps
an apple stand outside the Park
gate. But it is very hard-the sun
and dust spoil the fruit, the rain
keeps her home, the Park guards
sometimes drive her away, and the
Ranger says we have no right to be
here. Now, please your Majesty, if
YOU would have the goodness to
Give her the waste bit of ground out
side the Park gate, we could build a
shed for her uit-stall, and it would
be. 7 may say, an estate to u.s.
The good -natlmed King smiled,
and said, "You shall have it, my
friend" and rode on.
Of course, the King had no more
constitutional power to bestow a
rood Of Hyde Park upon peer or
peasant. at that day, than the Queen
has now. But the Second George
was arbitrary. Pelham, his Prime
Minister. was tool of the crown.
Parliament seldom failed to do the
bidding Of the King; and thepeople,.
though Jealous of their liberties, for
gave and forgot uslrpations in the
spIendid successes which crowned
the British arms by sea and land
during the thirty-tllree years, reign
of GEORGE II. Whatever scruples,
therefore, may have been suggested
TO the monarch's parting with any
norton of the public domain, did not
stand long in the way: The Kings
word had been given to the old
soldier It was the Minister'S duty
to see it kept. In a few days for
NAL CONVEYANCE of the bit of ground
to James Allen, his wife and their
heirs forever was forwarded to their
humble dwelling.
One morning of the summer of
1769--nineteen years after good King
George had made the old soldiers
Young wife "happy as a queen" by
| his gift-Aunt Betsy, arriving from
market, as usual, at her place of
merchandise, was startled to per
ceive the space round her fruit-stall
aud cottage filed with workmen and
teams. Excavations were being made
| in the ground; blocks of under
pinning stone were being unladen !;
bricks and material for mortar almost
hindered her approach; and carpen-
ters, with axes and saws, were ready
to demolish the apple=stall and cot
tage,
| "Come, old woman," said the
foreman, "moye your things out of
this Look sharp! We can't wait
all day for you! The men can do
nothing till the shed is down."
"My house and stall, that good
King George gave me nigh twenty
wears ago! Tear down my cottage
and shed! No, no; there's no law
In the land can do that! Who sent
you here to destroy my property"
"Well, well, my good woman"
said the first speaker, "you must
settle that with the Lord Chancellor.
If you are wronged he'll see you
righted, Earl Bathurst is no tyrant.
But your house must come down
SO move your things out as fast as
you can. There is palace to be
built here, somewhat grander than
your apple-stall."
The poor woman's tears and la
mentations were in vain; her assev-
erations of ownership we're treated
with ridicule. The little house and
shed were leveled to the ground,
and Aunt Betsy returned home
heart-sick and desponding.
Misfortunes, it is said, never come
single. That evening George Allen
entered his mothers dwelling wear,
ing countenance almost as detected
as her own. He threw himself on a
chair, and, without noticing he1
gloom, said: ...:
90, mother, I fear we are ruined
Mr.. Elliot has failed for an immense
sum; there is an execution. on his
house and goods, and all tile clerks
are turned adrift. Besides, he has
all the money you have laid up, and
T fear can never repay a shilling Of
1 it. Nor is that the worst; for how