The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1882-02-16
lFrom Blackwood's Nagazine.1
THE OPEN DOOR.

INSCRIBED to q dear and happy Memory.
L took the house of Brentwood Oh
my return from India in 18-, for the
| temporary accommodation of my
family, until could find permanent
home for them. 1t had many advan-
tages which made it peculiarly appro-
pirate. 1t was within reach of Edin-
burgh, and my boy Roland, whose
education had been considerably neg
lected, could go in and out of school,
which was thought to be better for
him than either leaving home alto
gether or staying there always with a
tutor. The first Of these expedients
would have seemed preferable to me.
the second commended itself to his
mother. The doctor like judicious
man, took the midway between. Put
him on his pony and let him ride in
to the Academy every morning; it
will do him all the good in the world, -
DR.. Simson said; land when it is bad
weather there is the train His
mother accepted this solution of the
difficulty more, easily than | could
have hoped; and our pale-faced boy,
who had never known anything more
invigorating than Simla, began to en-
counter the brisk breezes Of the north
in the subdued severity Of the month
of May. Before The tirne of the vaca-
ton in July we had the satisfaction
of seeing him begin to acquire some
thing Of the brown and ruddy COM
plexion Of his schoolfellows. The
English system did not commend
itself to Scotland in these days. There.
was no little Eton or Fettes, nor do |
think, if there had been, that a gen.
teel exotic of that class would have
tempted either my wife or me. The
lad was doubly precious to us, being
the only one left us of many; and he
was fragilesin body, we believed, and
deeply sensitive in mind. To keep
him at home, and yet to send him to
school-so combine the advantages Of
the two systems-seemed to be every
thing that could be desired. The
two girls also found at Brentwood
everything they wanted. They were
near enough to Edinburgh to have
masters and lessons as many as they
required for completing that never
ending education which the young
people seem to require nowadays
Their mother married me when she
was younger than Agatha, and |
should like to see them improve upon
their mother! | myself was then no
more than twenty-fve-an age at
which see the young fellows now
cropping about them, with no notion
what they are going to do with their
lives. However, suppose every gem
Grafton has conceit of itself which
elevates it, in its own opinion, above
that which comes after it. Brent
wood stands on that fine and wealthy
slope of country, one Of the rishest in
Scotland, which lies between the
Pentland Hills and the Firth. In
clear weather you could see the blue
a bow, embracing the
wealthy fields and scattered houses
the great estuary on one side of you;
and on the other the blue heights, not
gigantic like those we had been used
to, but Just high enough for all the
glories of the atmosphere, the play of
clouds, and sweet reflections, which
nothing else can emulate. Edinburgh,
with its ty, o lesser ghts-the Cas-
tie and the Calton Hill-its spires and
towers piercing through the smoke,
and Arthurs Seat, lying crouched be-
hind, like a guardian no longer very
needful, taking his repose beside the
we'll beloved charge, which is now, so
TO speak, able to take care of itself
without him-lay at our right hand.
From the lawn and the drawing-room
windows we could see all these varie-
ties of landscape The color was
sometimes little chilly, but some
times, also, as animated and full of
vicissitude as drama. | was never
tired of it. Its color and freshness
revived the eyes which had grown
weary of arid plains and blazing skies;
1t was always CHEEKY, and fresh, and
full Of repose.
The village of Brentwood lay al
most under the house, on the other
side of the deep little ravine, down
which a stream.which ought to have
been a lovely, wild. and frolicsome
little river-howed between its rocks
and trees. The river, like so many in
that district, had, however, in its