The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1885-10-22
In Washington, s iiOUSa.


Two or three hunI..ed steps to the
RIGHT and up @-ners. incline and you
stand on the ,trna, high porch OF
Mount Vernon.
The great river crecps close under
meath. one hundred f2et or two below.
You Hicht sul pose that yoI could
throw q stone. standing on the porch,
into ibe Potomac - seen tnTou ch the
trees that hug the hillside and ;i.e We
ter's iank below. Al is qaiet. SO G:iiet-
Now ard then Il parnyard iowi, back in
TIE rear, strained his glossy neck and
called out loud .,rd clear IN TIE eternal
Sabbath here; fine shaggy dog wal
lowed :.nl Icmped about the grassy
door-yard, and while far out over the
vast river some black, wide-winSed
birds kept circ.iEg round and round. L
went back and into the barnyard TO l1-
Ql:re what kind of birds they were. l
met very respectful but very stani-
merry negro. He took his cap il his
hand and twisted it all about and cpen-
ing his .nculh many .:nies, he finally
said:
ID ,-da-dose burls Was crea:el by
de Ln-:i 10 p-i,-nu-purify de yearth.
Bat what 90 you ciii them. nna:c?
"iu.-:ar-tur-"ani he twisted his
cap, backed out, came forward, w.ni,ed
his ewes. but could not 90 on.
..Do ycu mean turkey -buZzards?'
..Ya-ys-yas, sab; d-;io-do-dose Lurds
esis up .ie carrion Of de yearth, sah. "
Down Wonder The tomb, The family
v:a's. y a..ei in tire rear cf The TWO
mar:;ia c5iii:s. where about thirty OF
the Washington family lie bur:eil. is
locked up and ciosci forever. Ihe key
has been thrown into the ;r,is;y old
Po:on;@c 20 lie there unil the Last
tr,ia;, sa u open Ell .aiaas.
The thing, however, Oh the raost sin-
gular interest here. is the key of tiie
Bastile, presented by Thomas Paine
to Lafayette, who brought it TO
America and presented il TO WASH
ington. 1t hangs here in a glass case,
massive and mons.rous. 1t is hide
Gus. horrible thing and has, perhaps,
more blood and misery on it than any
other piece of iron or steel that ever
was seen.
Let no one hereafter complain Of
having to live in a garret alone and
without a fire. For here, with ali
this spacious and noble house to select
from, the widow of Washington chose
. garret looking TO the south and out
upon his tomb. This is the old tomb
where he first was laid to rest, and
where the fallel oak leaves are crowd
ing in heaps now and almost filing up
the low, dark doorway.
This garret has but one window,
small and narrow dormer window, ami
it is otherwise quite dark. A bottom
corner of the door is cat away SO that
her cat might come and go at viii.
And this is the saddest. tendcrest sig ut
at Mount Vernon. 1t seemed to me
that could see this noble Lady sitting
there, looking out upon the tomb of her
mighty dead, the great river sweeping
fast beyond, her heart full of the mem
org of mighty nations birth-wait-
ing, waiting. waiting. Her work was
done. Sac had lived quite the allotted
thres score years and ten. Her con-
panions were in the tomh, and SO sEa
chose this garret, just above the bed in
which her immortal husband had died,
as a sacred place in which to sit down
and cherish her memories, and wait
with folded hands the end. And SO
here, after year and : half Of wait
ing, the angel OF death founi her; the
hands were folded forever, and the na-
ton mourneG her as lis mo.hec.-J0a-
gun miller.