Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-11-04


| laughter past our sylvan home, and hid
ing itself in the shady woodland depths.
"Walden" was scarcely quarter of 6
mile from the house, but, owing to the
fact that one was obliged to ascend g
considerable rise of ground, and descend
its opposite slope before reaching it,
gave it an air of complete seclusion.
Jessie. taking command at once. de-
| tected the latent capabilities of our
| newly acquired possession and issued
| her orders with the air of General to
the "neat-handed PhilIs," our attend
ant.
"Oh, it will be just perfect, Nan,
when the floor is cleaned and the win
dows washed r cried she, standing in
the doorway, wreathed about with wood
bine tendrils, as pretty picture as need
be seen, adding, as one spray, more dar-
ing than the rest, tangled itself in her
! fluffy crimps, q" I must have John come
down and trim those vines away"
The next day was given by the SER
wants to the cleansing of the little cot
tage, and by us to the ransacking of the
wide, roomy garret for suitable furnish
ings therefor. Wide, dim and low-raft-
cred was the Beechwood's garret, and
filed with relics of by-gone days-a
very treasure trove, where one might
while away the hours.
There was many an old armchair,
with moth-eaten cushions and carved
frame work, that I would fain have tax
en-, but Jessie was a stern disciplinarian,
and met all my proposals with
"Simplify simplify Nan, remem-
Der Thoreau p until our outfit at the
last was limited enough to suit even our
oracle. The bedstead was of ancient
device, and was to be graced by most
amazing patchwork quilt of the pattern
yclept by our grandmothers, the "risine
sun, }" wherein that luminary is seen dis
played In the most gorgeous reds and
yellows. This Jessie had unearthed
from an old chest, saying
This will brighten the room up, as
well as being more primitive.
Then there were the two rockers
Windsor one, with ragged patchwork
cushions, and somewhat treacherous
"cane seat, which two were respective.
ly christened for "solitude and friend
Ship" while the third, a relentlessly
straight backed affair, was unanimously
dedicated to society,"" But the tri-
umph of our "setting out T" was to be
found in "the three-legged table, -
which we persuaded ourselves to be an
exact counterpart of the one possessed
by our prototype at the other, and more
famous, walden" and priced accord
ingly.
1t was somewhat late hour that af-
ternoon that found us en- route for our
new home. Before us, down the shaded
path, went faithful John, driving the
wagon, loaded high with oar household
possessions, while Jessie and followed
after, heavily laden with the numerous
books of reference that we proposed
consulting during our retirement.
Truly, JESSIE" quoth I, with my
eyes fastened upon the shabby outfit
before US, "Thoreau was right when he
said, 'The more man has of such
things, the poorer he is
To which Jessie assented as well as
might be consistent with the united en-
deavor she was bravely making to carry
the numerous volumes wherewith she
was laden, and at the same time keep
those sunny, wind-tossed crimps from
quite binding her.
But our journey was soon ended, and
all our possessions heaped upon the
grass, "like the contents OF gypsy's
pack" Nor was it long before order
was brought out of chaos, and the faith
full John departed, leaving we two girls
alone in the forest-shadowed dell, with
the echo of his lusty singing floating
rlll M 11oo 41 low f%nr-
noon lights that flooded the spot.
Very cozy the little room looked with
its plain, dark curtains at either win
dow, for we were not quite up to oval
den" P" usage yet; its table and chairs,
and the neatly-made bed, with its
brilliant covering, and very well con-
tent were we as we drew forward that
self-same table and proceeded to spread
upon-a half newspaper the daintiest of
lunches, and with quickened appetites
to discuss the same.
Make the most of this, Man."
laughed Jessie, "for tomorrow we bid
farewell to the 'fesh-pots of Egypt,
and return to life pure and simple"
1t was growing late, and two very
tired girls resolved to defer all senti-
mentalizing in the moonlight until some
future occasion, as they locked the door
and fastened the windows, thereby dis
obeying one of the first tenets of oval
den " law, but obeying Aunt Kate, who,
utterly oblivious to our reiterated assur-
ances Of ample courage, saw to it with
her own eyes that locks and "catches
of modern contrivance rendered our little
domicile safe, and retired for the night.
Weary as we were, however, we were
long In wooing slumber to our eyelids,
for the sounds of the night were about
us, all, from the chance cracking of
dry twig to the rippling of the little
stream, sounding strange to our unac-
customed ears. We were aroused next
morning by full food Of sunlight strik-
ing across our closed eyelids and awoke
at once to the fact that we were too late
for spectators of the regal advent of the
king of day-that one scene of our lit
tie theater had been played to the music
of bird songs while we slept. Regrets
were unavailing, SO we made a hasty
toilet, and Jessie, standing In the open
door, cried impulsively:
"Oh, Nan this is delightful; come
on /" and the little rogue, killing still
shorter her short gray skirts, sprung
down the messy bank to dip her fingers
in the sparkling waters of Clear brook.
was not long In following her example,
and, as we wandered up the smooth
green slope again hand in hand, Jessie
said:
"No wonder Thoreau came out in the
woods to find what life had to teach
Nowhere else, am sure, can one front
the essential facts of life. >"