Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1884-05-30
THE OLD TREES SECRET.

IllI OLD I1CDL y DLOlCEl .
"We will take the ehouse-shall we not,
Charlie3" We had gone al over the
roomy, oldfashioned house, my little
wife and l, from the dusty, cobwebbed
garret to the neglected cellars, and we
now stood together at the back of the
garden, critically surveying its appear
ance.
1t was q low two-story house, built in
the shape of T, with a cluster of tall
chimneys in the middle and the three
gables hidden in ivy. 1t had once stood
quite out of the town, which had since
gradually crept toward it, until what had
been road was now become street of
struggling cottages and villas, extending
to the high wall inclosing the grounds.
The lawn was shaded with old trees, and
the garden choked up with thickets of
lilac and SNOWFALL. The old lady, Mrs.
Gage, who had for forty years resided
here, leading very secluded and invalid
life, had taken no pains to keep the place
in order, and she and the property had
decayed together, until recently she had
died, and the house was for sale.
at looks dreadfully gloomy and neg
lected," said Cecie, gazing up at the
back windows. "Mrs Moss, next door,
says that for twenty years no one has
occupied those upper rooms; and see
how the ivy has bound together those
shutters on the left. But it is beauti-
ful old house, and I know that we can
make it bright and cheerful And then
the garden-what a delight it will be to
the children. and to ourselves, too. We
will take it, won't we, Charlie?"
There was no resisting her pleading,
coaxing manner. So that very evening
| went to see the agent, and before the
week had elapsed the house was ours.
With what zeal and enjoyment we en-
tered upon the transformation of our
new abode. The masses of ivy were torn
down from the gables or judiciously
trimmed; every door and window was
thrown wide to the fresh air and sun
light; and paint and paper, muslin cur
tains, and bright carpets and India mat
ting made the house delightful to be-
hold.
This much accomplished, we turned
our attention to the garden. 1t was al
ready June and the season too advanced
for much improvement; but we pulled
down the rotted arbors thinned out the
thickets of roses and liacs, and caused
little round table and some rustic gar
den seats to be placed under an old tree
at the further end of the central walk.
Here, on returning from my Office on the
warm, sunny evenings, we would sit
Cecie engaged with some light stitching,
and l with cigar, books and papers, read :
ing to her, while our little ones ran wild
UP and down the garden walks.
"This is thoroughly delightful"
remarked, one evening. "How is it,
Cecie, that we have managed to live
eight years of housekeeping life without
gardenW
eyes," she answered, radiantly, ait
is delightful. Living so much in the
open air one seems to take a new and
fresh growth, like the flowers. Only
and here she glanced uneasily around
"Only Charlie, think-I fancy-that
this is not exactly the spot for our al
fresco boudoir.n
"Why not? 1t faces the walk, it com
mands view of the house and the
whole garden. And these branches
hanging so low and clothed in ivy, make
a nice canopy above us. What is it that
you object to9
~ scarcely know. But somehow /
have never liked this tree"
1t was very old tree under which we
sat, with huge gnarled trunk growing
in a sloping position near the garden
wall, and covered with ivy. About eight
feet from the ground the trunk separated
into three branches, and here the Ivy had
matted itself in an impervious mass, con-
cealing the decayed branches with the
exception of the extremities, which here
and there protruded from the green mass,
white and bare.
They look like skeleton fingers, ~
said Cecie, glancing up, "and it gives
me the horrors. ! think the tree ought
to be cut down. 1t always reminds me
of graveyard or a haunted house."
did not at the time pay much atten-
tion to her remarks. But some DAYS
after she again suggested that our gar.
den table and chairs should be removed
to some other spot.
II don't know why it is" she said,
uneasily, "but always feel nervous
here. 4fancy there is something pecu-
culiar about the place-in the rustling Of
the ivy and in the very atmosphere;
often find myself starting and looking
around with vague sense of something
horrible. l hate the sight of that tree
with its distorted shape and bare skeleton
arms"
rallied her upon being fanciful, but
promised that the Skeleton arms" o.
which she complained should be cut off
She sat silent for a moment, then said
seriously:
"Charlie, did it ever occur to you tha
certain objects in nature --trees, for in
stance-may have an individual life o
their ownS don't mean the mere vcge
table life, but a sort of mysterious spirit
ual existence. Now, can't help fancy