Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1878-12-21
FAIR AGNES.
A Romantic Legend Of New England
The Chamber-maid Of Marblehead who
Became q a. I.ady.'s

Sir Charles Henry Frankland, son oil
a former Governor of Bengal, and de-
scended from family of England trac-
ing its lineage backward to the Norman
conquest, had visited America long
previous to the War of the Revolution,
and was holding the office of Collector
of his Majesty's customs in Boston I'M
der the ROYAL Government of Massa-
chusetts. Unhappily the gay manners
and licentious principles OF the young
knight were better accommodated to
the prohigate circles of the Old World
courts, in which he had moved, than to
the severe morality of Puritan New Eng
land society.
On some occasions, in pursuit either
of business or pleasure, it would appear
that this nobleman CHANGED to visit the
village of Marblehead (some traditions
say Gloucester), where, at the village
inn, he found a damsel of "sweet six
teen," without shoes or stockings, and
engaged in the very unromantic en-
ployment of scrubbing the staircase.
Attracted, however, by her appearance,
for, notwithstanding her desbabille, she
was yet evidently possessed OF an un-
usually comely face and form, the
gallant youth went up and then
he came down again, until at length he
had quite fallen in love with the young
bare-footed beauty. Meanwhile, the
grace of her attendance upon the tea
table materially aided a conquest which,
when our hero ascertained that to he
charms of personal loneliness, were
united withal a lively wit and strong,
though uncultivated mind, became COM
plete. The "noble I" adventurer i'm
proved his earliest opportunity to make
known to the fair maid his feelings to-
ward her. He did not feel at liberty at
present, in view of the immense social
disparity between them, to offer her his
hand in marriage. But if she was dis
posed, she should become his compan-
ion for life. On their return to Boston
she should at once be put in the way of
acquiring all the accomplishments in the
way of education, which the best in
structors of the time could bestow. This
achieved, she should be installed the
permanent and sole mistress of his man
sion, as she was already the undisputed
mistress Of his heart. Bewildered BY
this sudden and most unexpected stroke
of seeming good fortune, the rustic and
penniless beauty yielded to the. ardent
and persuasive protestations of her ''no-
BILE" lover, and consented forthwith to
return with him to Boston.
The vigorous tone of moral sentiment
existing from the earliest day here in
New England, it needs hardly be said,
was grossly outraged and scandalized
by such connection as this, all un
blessed as it was by any pretense of
matrimonial rites, and especially by one
so conspieuously paraded before the
eyes of all as was this of Sir Charles
Henry FARMLAND New England was
as yet hardly prepared for the advent OF
the free-lover and was particularly ad-
verse to tolerating such conduct in one
of Frankland's nigh social position and
commanding influence. Such behavior
might possibly be allowed in the lax
and profligate circles in the old world.
But New England society would admit
of nothing Of the kind, even though the
offender was possessed of untold wealth,
was royal official and an English no.
bleman
So it happened that, while the COM
panion OF Sir Henry was surrounded by
all graces and luxuries and accomplish
ments, she was get insulated amid a vir-
tuous community. The knight himself
was made to feel keenly the disgrace me
was bringing upon himself and house.
At length driven by the stern reproba-
ton OF an interrupted public opinion
to seek a retreat beyond lis censure for
himself and his frail and comparatively
unoffending associate, he purchased .
wide domain in Hopkinton and erected
within its bounds one of the most
splendid mansions il the coun-
try. The approach to it was
through noble avenues, hewn out of the
deep primeval forest, and overshadow-
ed by the most ancient of trees. And
thor.e in fhar o,1iet VET Dalatiai retreat.