Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-05-23
NO. 81.
Jefferson Davis at Home.

Alightng from the train at Beauvoir sta
ton, Miss, you see two or three small brown
structures, grove Of pines and the white
vista of vanishing railway track, gttering
with millions of minute rcfraCtions of the
bright sunshine for miles along its sandy way.
Taking the half-perceptible roadway to your
right, 10 or - minutes walk through the
pines brings you to the beach. Here you sec
Il house built in the airy fashion of this re-
gion Of perpetual sunshine. This is the resi-
dence Of Rev. DR.. Lacock an aged Episco-
palian clergyman, once chaplain to the duke
of Cambridge. Beyond the reverend gentle
mans estate, you see, fronting the beach,
another estate, the residence Of Mr.. Davis.
Entering the gate you pass across a lawn dot
ted with live oak and other trees, fcstooned
with the picturesque Spanish moss. Before
you Is low and spacious mansion, painted
white, with broad verandas At either side,
a trfe nearer the fence is small building,
a sort of pavilion. While resting on the We
randa, waiting for your letter of introduction
to be handed to the master, your eye takes in
the hospitable provisions for ease afforded by
several comfortable rocking chairs a table
and a settee. Life here is al fresco The
broad hall which goes through the house is
open to the breeze, but not to the ardent sun,
whose rays are intercepted by the yeranda.
Here, on the front veranda, sits of a morning
lIG CA lIGh4ucul Ol llG OOulu. IN Iull Wow
is the Gulf of Mexico, that dazzling, radiant
expanse of shimmering blue. Its summer
waves glide softly to break in lulling sound
upon the white and sparkling sand. The
breeze Is laden with the strange perfume of
the sea. 1t is the land of the lotus-eat,rs,
where tits always afternoon. Sitting on this
veranda, into what reveries may not the con-
federate ex-president fall as lie gazes out up
on this Mexican gulf, which, had the dreams
of the southern statesman been realized,
would have been the inland sea of mighty
empire, stretching to the tropics. was soon
summoned to the little pavilion to the right
Of the mansion This building is divided into
two parts. The rearward is occupied by an
ancient and fayorite negro servant, whose
idea of housekeeping is to display his furni-
ture and tools on his little veranda He has
a notion of raising vegetable odds and ends
III boxes and has yagarics excite but n smile.
No one dreams of interfering. even for the
sake of order, with the privileges of this an
cient servtor The front portion of the pa
yilion is occupied by Mr.. Davis rs a library
and study. Here | found him. slightly iuds-
posed and lying upon a lounge. His manner
is genial and very kindly, with that charm
ing courtesy characteristic of the high-brcd
southern gentleman. Seventy years of age
Mr. Davis has yet a fresh and vigorous look.
His hair, mustache and whiskers ARE white in
part, but his eye is bright and cheerful. His
face, in repose, is almost severely intellectu-
al, but the smile which lights up his mouth
and his quietly cheerful laugh dispel the first
impression of coldness. Few of our public
men have the quiet fascination of manner,
the oldfashioned grace and the charming
conversational powers of jefferson Davis.
His memory is oapacious and rctentiye. One
might with facile Photographic pen col
lect great stores of reminiscence from his
lips - CO1reSpOHdeHt BoStOp Herdd