Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1877-01-12

she lived. for fear Of her mother. She
sold her house and farm, left that part
of the country, bought the Golden Sheaf,
and set herself up where nobody knew
of her family or history, and she bad
been doing well for many year,
Stern as as she looked, Mrs. Williams
was kind to me, and | did my best to
please her. There was a good deal of
novelty and life to be seen about the inn.
| soon got over the parting with my
mother and sister, and was trying hard
to think no more of Harry, though | had
made up my mind-minds are easily
made up at seventeenth live unmar-
ried for his sake. Thus the summer
wore away, the harvest passed, and the
dull days of November came on had
got accustomed to the ways of the
house. Though good, it was an old
one. There was the best parlor and the
best kitchen opening from it; num-
bers of pantries, closets and cup
boards, and stair behind the old dresser,
leading right up to Mrs. Williams own
room. 1t was over the porch. and had
windows on three sides, which gave her
view of all who came or went. Her
accounts were kept there in an old
fashioned ash desk /; SO were her choice
receipts, and she had them for making
everything.
There was cupboard set in the thick
walls, its doors not to be distinguished
from the rest of the waistcoet, in which
Mrs. Williams kept the most rare and
curious of her stories. | was once permit
ted to see them as great privilege for she
never trusted the key to any hand but
her own. There were spices and essences,
costly at the time Of my story, but not
common yet, old China which had been
brought BY the first India Company's
ships mixtures for taking out stains,
powders for destroying moths, and u
poison for rats invented long ago by
some of the Cornish people, and of such
u terrible nature So Mrs. Williams
told me, and | can remember now that
the poison rcsembled nothing that
ever saw but red pepper, which was an
expensive luxury at that time, and kept
in the cupboard also.
1t may be believed that | was in
great favor, for not only were her
treasures shown to me, but had tea
with Mrs. Williams in the porch-room
every evening. She took kindly to me
from the first, because ] exerted myself
to learn housekeeping, which my mother
said was the principal thing for "A young
woman expecting to have u home of her
own, and still more because kept quiet
and sober. and had no looks of lcvity
Nothing of that kind would have been
allowed at the Golden Sheaf inn through
it was, the house being kept with the
greatest propriety. There were no jokes,
and very little gossiping, plenty Of work,
for almost everything vas made at home,
and great deal of coming and going
Our quietest time was about the middle
of November, just before the winter
fairly begun. Then Mrs. Williams got
her cattle killed, and her meat sailed,
and most Of the servants were busy
about the work in the yard aud buttcry
One c'ose, cloudy day. such as come
80 often at the Martinmas time, | was
sitting in the best kitchen, close by the
window, doing some needle work, and
Mrs. Williams was in her own room
settling the accounts, for it was in the
afternoon. The sound of horses hoofs
upon the road made me look out, and
there was gentleman handsomely
mounted, with servant after him, as
gentlemen did in those days They look
ed as if they had Travelled far. and were
coming to rest at the inn.
When the gentleman alighted saw
he was tall handsome, somewhere about
thirty five, and had jovial, good -natured
look, like one who was wcll-pleascd with
himself and everything about him. lie
walked in not at all strange-like, and
asked me in the most civil manner il
Mrs. Williams lived here, and if he and
his servant could have dinner. The
first question was in low tone, the see.
ond in louder key, and before ! could
, answer it Mrs. Williams came down
} Judging from her look, he was new
conner. thought the gentleman glanced
, curiously at her at FIRST and then seem
, ing satisfied that all was right. repeated
$ his question about the dinner, saying
that he was a stranger in that part o
; the country, but that be had heard 50
, much of the Golden Sheaf that be
wished to stop and dine at tha house.
3 | never saw Mrs. Williams receive
+ any gentleman with more respect and
ceremony. She courtesied him into her
best parlor called her hostlcrs to hclr
his servant with the horses, took bis
orders for his dinner and set about
! cooking it herself, for the cook was hard
at work in the buttery. My first notion
was that she had discovered him to be
some great person travelling in disguise,
and | halfexpected TO be told Of it. Mrs.
Williams used TO talk TO me good deal
when we were alone 10 the quiet after
moons; but now she went on cooking
and making things ready without saying
word, and there was n queer, Fixed
look in her face which could not un-
derstand, but it kept me from talking
laid down my work aud rose to make
the eel soup; il was one Of the dishes
for which tho house was famous
Cornwall dish. | belioye-and | had
been trusted with the making Of it Of
late to my great exultaton, bat now she
stopped me. mo, Mary: finish your
sewing those linens will be wanted. I'll
make the soup myself"
| sewed away, wondering who the
gentleman could bc and what had not ovpt