The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1882-06-14
ing extract from his Flight of Years." wi

| Do Sumclents
Where now is proud ambition?
And made his throne pyramid OF bones amid 8
He too. is gone; his mighty voice is mute;
His very name is but a meteor In the hight Of
years.
When the War came ne suffered another
pang. His eldest son, CORTLAND, the JOY
and pride of his old age, q brilliant, promis-
ing young man, enlisted in the Confederate
army. Confederate sentiment was rite in
his family. He himself stuck to the Union
with passionate fidelity.
WIFE WORTH HAVING.
"He met me one day just at the beginning
of the War" said Mr.. Robert Baird, sand
asked me to go over TO Walkers 10 take a
drink, as he had something of importance to
tell me. / went over with him and he said ::
"a few days ago 1 was waited upon by a
Committee of Confederates who made q
proposition to give me S250,000 for myself
and my paper. The proposition staggered
me; startled me. 1 told them to wait and
would consider il. 1 went home 70 my
wife and told her. She listened to me in
silence. 1t means much to u.s. said, 1t
means rest and afiuence the remainder of
our days; with $250,000 we can go abroad
and enjoy life.' 1 shall never forget her
reply. She sprang into the middle of the
room, clenched her hands till the finger
nails drew blood, and with the look of a
Pytnoness Kissed out: Stick to your paper;
stick to your principles; stick to your coun-
try; don't let it go abroad that all the
wealth eff the Indies could move George ID.
Prentice hairs breadth Il never before
continued Mr.. Prentice to me, felt so proud
Of 1ox- toll fho Cor,o /
could not agree to the bargain"
One day the news reached the darkened
home that CORTLAND their pride, was dead
killed by Northern ball. 1t was but an
other link in chain of destiny. Clarence,
tie younger son, sickened Of the house and
all about it, gathered little money and
left for Europe. He was his fathers SON
witty, accomplished, eloquent. During his
absence Prentice sougRt to change the
place by extensive remodeling. Another
story was added to it. An immense addi-
ton was put up in the rear. Ellis were
thrown out. He bought library and
sought solace in books. One morning
Clarence knocked at the door and intro
duced
A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN
by his side to the family as his wife. He
had gone abroad, and at one of the springs
in Germany had married her. She was of
noble family-the daughter of German
Pnnce-and womsr Of singular ability
and beauty. From the time she entered the
house the discord and the strange misfor
tunes which now seemed to follow the
do med man continued. A scandal, the
true secret which never has leaked out
arose. The result of it was that Clarence
agreed to give up his beautiful German
Princess, and old man Prentice took her to
New York and saw her safely on her way
to her friends. Then disaster followed fast
and followed fasterp A peculiar disease,
which bsffled the best medical talent of the
| land. afflicted Prentice His hand became
useless; he could not handle his pen. His
son Clarence became incorporate. The
old man became little more than a com.
mon drunksrd. The intellect that had daz.
zled the whole Nation seemed fast going
70 pieces. His clothes were as seedy as those
of tramp. He wrote little for his paper.
A new generation, having nothing in COM
mon with the generation fast passing away,
was growing up All his old friends were
dying away. His nerves were shattered,
and he might be seen any day lounging
around the newspaper offices, the merest
wreck of mis- former self.
Then his wife died and another link was
added He now feared to enter the forbid
ding old house. with its rambling rooms
and evil memories. 1t seemed to him to be
conscious of his Utmost thoughts, and TO
watch over him with sullen malevolence.
He remained there less and less. In 1868
he said "I am growing old. Pain an SICK
ness and trouble and sorrow have laid their
corroding fingers upon my brow"
THE DEATH OF PRENTICE.
Another year and he was on his death-bed
not in the old house for fear that ne would
die there, but down on his farm few miles
below the river. There, one stormy night
while the waters Of the Ohio, were raging
around the house and all nature seemed to
sympathize with the grea. mans taking of
he went to his fathers. A few years latter
Clarence was thrown from his buggy and
killed, and to-day son of Clarence, by his
German Princess wife, is tn only living
creature that bears the name of Prentice
About ii o'clock the night before last a
Commercial reporter stood before the gate
of the historic old house. All about it we're
young and gsudier houses. But there it
stood in the pale moonlight most singu-
lar and terrible looking house. Opening
the gate and going pack over the moss
grown pavement to the end, and trying a
door which opened readily, the reporter
stood at the foot of long winding STAIR
case. This led to the upper part of the rear
of the house. Going up the staircase and
each instant expecting to see some sheet
ed fantom of the buried past rise
up at the intrLdlng footstep, he
walked on, entering room after room. A
heavy atmosphere seemed to hang about
the whole place. Stern, deep, irredeemsble
gloom hung over and prevailed everything
! within those fatal walls. Shaddowy super
stition made every CLEAN of moonlight that
lay upon the floor or hung about the walls a
spirit of the past. Every creaking door and
banging shutter caused shudder. The
very physique of the house caused its pecu-
liar gloom. The rambling rooms, the wind
ing stairs, the general air of desolation and
desertion all went to make it up. 1t would
be An extraordinary house even without its
history. Darkness seems to be in IL an in
herent positive quality, ana it pours fourth
a radiation of unceasing gloom. The va
can't eyeless windows, the bleak walls caused
an iciness, sickening of the heart sltogeth
er inexplicable- Why these bare bricks
and morter should call up such feelings il
most sirange-s mystery all insoluble. II
is a mansion of gloom, and the forms and
faces of its dead inmates seem to be contin.
ually stalking about in mournful and eter