Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1876-09-13
From Harper's Magazine.
LIEUT.. BOYLES DUEL

Many years ago was spending the
summer at a fine old mansion in New
Jersey, full of historical souvenirs, for
it had once been the headquarters Of
Gen. Washington.
At the time about which am writing
the estate was In litigation, and some
circumlocutery delay of the law rem
dered it necessary or convenient to
rent the mansion for a while as sum-
mer clearinghouse, with all the beau
tiful old-carved furniture and other
belongings. Even the valuable paint
ings were left on the walls of the draw
ing-room, and a picture gallery re-
manned intact, doing unwonted service
as dining and dancing hall for us in
trudiDg Cloths and Vandals.
A belt of grand old trees described a
semi-circle on the beautiful lawn just
in front of the house. Beneath each
tree was a marble statue tie size Of
life. They represented the nine Muses.;
Isis, the Goddess of Immortality; Jupi-
ter Piuvius, the deity of the watering
pot, and other heather worthless. Their
sculptors were certainly neither Canova,
nor Hiram Powers, nor yet that auda-
cious but exceedingly pretty Winnie
Ream, who has rendered herself i'm
mortal by carving and cutting our
grand martyred President. Still, seen
at the proper enchanted" distance,
and bathed in soft, sweet moonlight,
Canova's 'sVenus," the "Greek Slave"
or he who prayed for " charity for all, %
could not have awakened more pleas
ing emotions.
But, alas! our JOY was not forever
in these things of distant enchantment
and moonlight beauty. The mansion
had not been opened two weeks when
those small but terrible bandits in jack
cts and Knickerbockers, the dear afro
cious little sons and scamps of the diff
ferent families, cherubs who had left
their wings in heaven, those dear lit
tie boys, say, all rushed in body to
their respective mammas and clamored
for money. Getting it, of course, they
all rushed in O. body to "the store"
and, with business-like vigor worthy
of a better cause, demanded bows and
arrows. Then enrolling themselves in
to an independent. target company,
they diligently practiced shooting at the
statues, until the noses Of two of the
MUSES. were triumphantly shot away.
Naturally enough, after their per-
Torrance the heather deities were re-
moved in blast of Indignation by
their raging proprietor; the small
Christians or "little dem ons," as he
called hem-joyfully assisting, cavort-
ing wildly around each "stone boy and
girl" as their foundations were dug up,
clapping their dirty little hands, blow
ing their discordant little tin trumpets,
beating their horrible little drums, gall
Looping in front of the horses as they
went with their burdens out of the
great gates, squealing like cat with a
bone its throat, and otherwise dispOrt-
ing themselves in honor of the ghostly
secession, after the utterly inexhausti-
BILE and intolerable manner of small
boys.
The late Com. Kearney, the bluff and
brave, lived In a picturesque cottage
adjoining the grounds of the Brighton
House." as it was and is now called.
His presence attracted to the place
other officers of the navy and army.
Among them was Capt. (now Admiral)
Porter, Capt (now Vice-Admiral) Row
an, the late brave and honored Capt.
.Hartstein, ard number Of army
officers, with their families. You may
believe that the presence of 80 many
brave and gallant men made carnival
the whole of the time for whose hero
worshipers, the fair women and lovely
girls who were gypsying there for the
summer.
Such devoted knights as they were!
Riding, boating, fishing, swimming,
dancing: military drills with canes and
broomsticks for the children, and i'm
promptu operas and plays for the other
children. We were all children in those
halcyon days-as witness oar playing at
blind mans buff. But this was when