, 1874-05-30
BEEOHWOOD REvELi.
" onArTE1.;X.
NEEduMQnnt OAHTLH,

hEEouwooD' oAHTLB,
The country sronnd Dooohwood Castle ls
doad level; sud underlying tho thin crust Of
mandy soil aro 'roh bods OF mari; which tho ptow
etirs up to tnlngl6 kindly With tho sutface and
mako tho grass grow rank and groon for tho
steers and hoiforB WHO nsand lu 1t knuc.detp nnd
contonted, and %
TIE NEE:on. TREES,
which lovo this limy soil, toiEin their tall smooth!
barkcd trunks, their great outsprcad branohos,'
and tlioir oloae-grown loavos, how Wide and how
doop theLr roots hAyc atruok into Tho noutishing
soil below
Thero aro nd other treos than beoches;in this
traot Of country, but no ono who knows tho true
beauty and variety Of this trec where II grows to
perfection would regret this. They woro horo Of
every aRo and kind; thero woro anpllng' troos,
with thin, delicate stons and loaves older trees
fcathering their branches gracefully to the
earth; like the widespread wings OF aofho great;
birdi there wore tho great forest giants. round
whose hugo trunks mon walked admirlngly, and
whoHo bonghs held 'nloft in summer-timo.
clouds Of groom leaves, .nnd lookod like great
ahlpn sailing under prosa OF canvas and thoro
wore tho nioiont moaa a-covcr6d trooB-1noat
beautiful OF all-witll liolien.stained trunks;
With ferris growing In tho 'cleftg and oranniou Of
tho wood and on thoir Hmooth bark a hundred
names written of lovora dead and gonb long gon-
eratious ago-trech that, slozn by titno ot half
thor branunos, Btill put forth thofr dolioatd'
green loafagoin SPRING. and changed It to rod
and gold Id tho Autumn: This wholo district
waa' forest of" thoso trucs kHowd as Deccll-
woods and tho groat house set IN tho midst of'i
WAS:
DEEonwooD CASTLE,
whore lived Sir Philip and Lady sandon, md
MiaB Etgonia eanuon, their only child.
Docchwood Castlo waB in nanno aid III faot reai
medieval castle, with moat, turret, and project
ing bartizand, and Sir Philip Bandon waa inan
worthy to have inheritod such D monument OF
tho old time. Il eyory individual Of TIE genera:
nleuts built In ancient days have come to us had
preserved lbs precious AoirloomB as Sir Philip
had dono, tho England OF to-day would DO full
Of buildings ereote0 by men who know the art Of ;,
building churches, housea. and halls as re ahal
Sir Philip hid boon at pains to restoT:oe Ills
house to It's pristine condition.. He lad thrown
down q wing addol in tho E]izabothan period !;
he had, with loss hesitation, removed an Italian
iconoclaBt bio had ruth1essly demolished a hid
oous facalo. which had dolnced ono sldo Of tho
house since the timo of the second George. The
same tastoleBs period had filled in tho moat ho
duccii not to rcplonsh It with stagnant vator.
Tho house now stood as it stood in
THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY,
when 1t was built - dwe1liug-ho and q strong-
hold. Eycry atouo was as the medieval builders
had loft 1t. 6omo mon love nnoiont buildings
not 80 much for WhRt thoy wore once nj for what
they are now; love tho moss TINT time has gath
ered urou thom, the Weathered stone surfacos
that tic lolens stain gray and yolow, md tho
ivy--nbotlor in tue ruinous work Of tlmo-whioh
t1nIs sko1a
tho atonoB in Its grasp to drag thom down but
Sir Philip WAS far Loo logical and uncompromis-
ing an antiquarian TO give In to the mild Wateti-
cism OF such lilings. He treated his residonco
as it's first castollan would have used it-kept it
clean and neat. 1f'lichonB or moss showed on
the walls. they wero seraped off; il q stono
mo!derad away. it was replaced by one similar in;
shape, and taken from tho quarry whoneo the old
builders bud hown out its prodecessor: Nothing
hotter pleasod tho poasesaorof Deochwool Castle
thnn to hear stranger say it looked "a II Il had
boon built yesterday.
30 it was that il on this bright Juno day any
ono had trayolod BY tho atraight avenue Of great
trees; and had caught ghmpaos Of tho castle.
light through tho vistas Of. Bhis aweet T. woodiand
Bconery, tho moat-surrounded outer wall, the
portoullis cllaina in their places, and tho draw
bridge lot down, he might almoHt forget the four
Or nyo hundred yeara that had passed., aud
he was in real truth knight or bu1gher Of tho
old times, coming to seek hospitality at q
medimval castle.
Such d traveller, possosged with Euch fancy
i he had happened to be coming to Beechwool
Castle on this particular June afternoon Of my
story. might indeed have thought himself
-. DRAINING WITH his EYES opEN.
Under the walls OF tho castle, standing about
In groupa on the broad o1panHe Of turf which
ntrotchel from tho moat. to where the leafage Of
the woods roao up like huge wall against tho
aky, was an aHHetnblaBe Of ladies' and gentlemen;
dressed not as We expeoti in these days to geo our
countrymen attred, but in tho strange costume
OF a long past~age. There were ladies' with tall
erectlona Of stlfenea silk upon their hoads. in
mon Of Franco and Germany, and wearing bright
colorod drossos with long. trains that :trailed,
behind tlom upon the: closo-shaved lawn. The
younger mon wore ,dresaod more brightly
or yellow and jorkins Of rich silk With sceyes OF
different color. quilted padded, and trimmed
With vnriouH.hucd silk and yolvet,, thoir heads:
baro, or coyerea by the small, velvet, plumed:
caps that wore worn in tho early part OF tho fl.
teonth century. Thore woro but. d few elderly
ported with their yoarB,-looso, fur-trimmed
gowns With hoods.
It Was masquerade at Doochwood Castle, and
aa tho fashion OF to-day sets strongly toward
fanoy-dross bulls, and Us strongly; 10 tie coul-
try;%towarsl day entertainments, 1T had been Lady
Bandon'a whim and pleasure to
COMBINE THESE Two THINGS INTO ONE
There was to be dancing, but it Was to be in the
rarlly laid in q sylvan glade. There were to be
fancy dresses. but they must bo Of ono'periol--.
OF the'age when chivalry waa floiirishirg, and
when troubadours' still sang tho proweas Of
knights and tho beauty Of higl-born ladies'.
This had been Lady Bandona cllot, and It Ind
been cheorfully obeyod by IL noighborhood who
took ali their fashions and "mnny OF their ilens
from tile Indy of Boeohwuod Castle,
During the whole previous spring, little elao
had baen talked about, and tile antiquarian
knowledge Of Sir Philip 6andon had noyor boon
so highly priced in tho county. Tho. choosing
of their dresaos was lesaon in history toa groat
mnny ladies and gentlemen who hat seldom
troubled themselves to read a page:of 1t, and
most learned talk prevailed as to esceDions and
0atand'ans,, rair md niniue,, among people
who had looked out those words IN the dioton-
ary ali hour before.
Tho day ,camo, tho people asacmbled and tho
masquerade was q succoss. There was somo-
thing for tho stupidest guests to talk about, a
good deal to admire and, most delightful Of all,
very great deal to laugh at. II is not eyorY
Ind Sr4,. %.n{r ~