The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-05-12
CHAPPAOUA DAYS.
HINTS FROM GREELEY's HoMl

HINTS FROM GREELEY'S HOME.
'THE STORY OF sUMMER"-A NIECE OF
THE GREAT EDITOR GoSsIPs ABOUT His
HOME LIFE.
"The story of summer" is an artless and
entertaining series of every day pictures OF
domestic lie at Chappaqua, the home OF
Horace Greeley, by his sisters daughter,
Miss Cecilia Cleveland. The author is a
of rare gifts OF beauty and culture,
and she throws into the sketches OF
her uncle's favorite retreat. all the
sentiment OF girlhood, sobered by the skill
full touch Of mature discrimination. The
surroundings of the place, the every days DO
ings of the Misses Greeley, the strange let
tiers which they received from utter strangers
from all parts of the country containing
offers of marriage, requests for pecuniary as
sistance and iDnumerable other messages;
the people who came to see the family, in
cidents in the lite of Mr.. Greeley, as related
by his sister; all these are described with the
utmost minuteness. The book is written In
almost too simple style and it's perusal
seems very much like reading another per-
sons letters. One good effect of the volume
will be the dispelling of vast number of
myths which have been built up on the boy
hood and personal manners of Mr.. Greeley.
To the great army of admirers of Mr.. Gree
ley, the little book will be of great interest,
and to those who care to read it, some
sketches will be a better introduction than
columns of criticism. Here is a picture of
the day at Chappaqua: At half past lit
tie hand bell, silver in material and tone,
summons us to the breakfast room. This
room is on the ground floor, and is one of
the prettiest in the house. -Four windows
give US an extended view of our Dame
cd
hills. and the carriage read winding off to-
ward the pine grove and the house in the
woods. We have several pictures on
the walls-frst a portrait, of my dear
uncle; a boyish face, with fair hair.
deep blue ewes. and an expression angelic
in sweetness. No one would imagine it TO
be the face of married man, but it was
painted, mamma says, when he was thirty
years old. Two large and admirable photo
graphs, taken early last summer, hang OPP
posite it. A striking contrast they are TO
the pensive, fragile blonde boy; these are
impressed with the vigor and mental and
physical activity OF his busy life, but the
broad, intellectual brow, and the almost
divine expression that plays about the
mouth, are the same in each. Breakfast is
followed by turn upon the piazza. a little
stroll to the spring, near which delicious
wild strawberries nestle in a background of
sweet clover, bright buttercups and field
daisies, or a game OF croquet under the
grand old oak trees
"After the sun has dried The dew"
Then we separate, each to our own room aud
our different occupations.
But il is already o'clock and dinner hour.
The afternoon passes much like the morn
ing. We have letters to write, and much
reading aloud. l have two books in pro-
gress-Plato's Dialogues" and Madame
de Stael's Incompatible "Germany;" the
latter l read aloud while in Munich, but it is
a work that can not be too often studied. At
half-past six we dress and go down to the
post-office (about hundred yards distant)
for the evening mail Halt an hour later
we sup, and then follows, as l.. l.. l.. would
say struggle and a sacrifice" What
could be more delicious than a game of crO-
quet, drive in the cool twilight? But
Chappaqua, lovely though it is, possesses a
malaria that IS dangerous after sunset, they
say, and much as | love to drive when ma
ture is bathed in the last ruddy flush of day,
and during the soft gray hour that succeeds
it, l must heed the prediction of
chills to all who induIke. The
evening is always devoted to music 30: n
Ida and Gabrielle are very fond of the piano,
and Ida is rapidly becoming quite proficient
i'm The divine art. She commenced the stddy
of music when a little child under an excel
lent teacher: and also took lessons while in
boarding school; but one studies the piano
under difficulties while in the routine of a
pensionnat, for the hour devoted to it must
be taken from ones recreation time or from
some other lessons. Our friends will re-
member, too, that dear Ida was taken out OF
school while yet very young, to become the
devoted nurse that she has since shown her.
self TO her mother, and from the time she left