The Van Buren press., 1877-01-09
MISCELLANY.
The FEC, ct Door.
A Story Of TweaHundrcd Years
Ago.

knowle, in Kent, is an ancient manor
house at stands knee deep in rich gar.
den and pasture linIds, with hayheas
and apple orchards stretching beyond,
and solemn oak words which whisper
and shake their wfse heads when the
winds blow, as tbpugh possessed of Sc
crets which mul ,ftf he spoken
Very much "s s.Aghs to-deYs itlooke,'
tive 8unalt3 ana s,@fk, years ago, when
Charles the First v king Of England
That was the Charoh ohlwho had his head
cut off, you may rert.,1ber, Blue Christ
mas smohes cnrIeI' from the twisted
chimneys in 1915 JUL rs this year. The
same dnnery fragrance filed the air, for
good cheer smells rietty much alike in
all ages and the world over, A few
changes there may bc-thicker trees, beds
ofray flowers which were not known in
that day and where once the moat-a
ditch like stream Of green water covered
with weeds and scum--ran round the
walls, is now a trinity cut border OF yer
dan turf, Bat these changes are i'm
provements, and in all important respects
the house kee $ lis old look, undisturb
ed by modern times and WAYS.
In the same nursery where modern
boys aud girls eat, s}.ep and learn their
A b, c to day two children lived-lijte
Ralph Tresham and his sister Henrietta
Quaint, old fashioned creatures they
would look to US now; but in spite of
their formal dresses and speech, they
were bright and merry and happy as any
children you can find among your ac
quaintances. Ralph's name was pro-
nouueed "Rafe,' and he always called
his sister "HeXie."
Christmas did not come to Knowle in
its usual bright shape in l645. Gloom
and sadness and anxiety ovelshadowed
the house; and though the llttle ones did
not understand what the cause of the
anxiety was, they telt something wrong,
and went about quietly whispering to
each other in corners, instead Of whoop.
ing and laughing, as had been their want
They had eaten their Christmas beef and
toasted the king as usual, but their moth.
er cried when they did so and Joyce,
the old butler, had carried off the pud
ding with face like funeral. SO, af-
ter dinner, they crept away to the nur-
sery, and there, by the window, begun q
long whispering talk. Hexle had some
thing very exciting to FELL
Nurse thought vas asleep" she
said "but | wasn't quit and when they
begun to talk l woke up, That wasn't
wrong, was it, Rafe ? l couldn't sleep
wban | a1alln't apull | rr
Il suppose not; but you needn't have
listened, y said Rafe, whose notions about
honor were very strict.
Il did pull the pillow over my ear,
but the words would get in," went on
Henrietta. piteously. "And it was so in
teresting. Did you know that there
were such creatures as Bogies, Raic
Dorothy thinks that we have got one in
our house, and that its hole is in the
great gallery, because once when She was
there busting the armer, she heard
queer noise in the wall, and what else
could.it be? Il eats a great deal, does
the Bogie. That's the reason nurse is
sure we have got one. 1t ate all the cold
sleeps head yesterday, and the day be
fore half the big pastry. No yicmal is
safe id the larder, the Bogie has ssch
big appetite, nurse says
II remember about the Sleeps head
said Rafe, mcdtatively. "Almost all OF
it was left, and looked to see it come
in cold but when | asked, Joyce said
there was none. Cold sleeps head is
very good DO you remember how
much Humphrey used to like it >"
Il don't remember exactly, it is so
long ago" replied II xie. How long is
it, brother ?--since Humphrey went away.
! mean. Wont he ever come back 2"
81 asked Winifred once, but, she only
said, God knew. that nothing hnd been
heard of him since the battle when the
king was taken He might be dead, or