The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-07-30

The Three Antique Ladies' Who Have II
In Charge.


The Three Antique Ladies' Who Have II
In Charge.
Itwould be ancient history to so many
OF my readers to write OF the house
Shakespeare was born in that l will not
run the risk of being quite so tiresome.
There is an idea prevailing that the
three antique ladies who have the house
and museum in charge are the last liv-
ing descendants OF the great poets
family. This is fiction, unfortunately.
but il the old ladies have not in point
of fact any blood relationship to the
Shakespeare family, they are thoroughly
saturated with the conviction that the
little house on Standardization is,
with the events that have made it ia
nous. the one important and imposing
spot ON the face of the earth; that it is,
I'm fact. the axis around which every
thing else revolves. They also believe
firmly in the greatness of their own
position as guardians OF these world
revercd relics, and, joking aside, 1T is
one OF great trust, md probably could
not be confided to more jealous hands,
The greatest care is taken that no ac-
not permitted TO ring lighted cigar
over the threshold. match is never
lighted in the house, nor any kind Of
light or ire introduced The building
is closed at dusk TO prevent the Eeces-
sity OF the former, and is heated by
steam, which is conveyed through pipes
from half block away The houses on
either sides of the Shakespeare birth
place were torn down few years since
to prevent danger from fire.
During the tourists session hundreds
of people daily make this pilgrimage,
and hundreds and thousands of times
probably the three little old ladies in
their grim black silk gowns, with vel
vet spencers and what the English call
"dress- caps" ornamenting their scant
locks. repeat the explanatory remarks
to group after group of visitors, begin
ming with "Be kind enough 10 place
umbrellas and walking sticks upon this,
the old table of the poets father, next
turning your attention to this, the living
room of the family, unchanged in any
respect since the childhood of the great
author. After the father OF the poet
died this room was rented for butcher
shop. which accounts for the defacing
OF the floor; look, also, at the chimney
with its corner seats; here William
Shakespeare, as a lad, doubtless little
dreaming of the great future before
him, often sat on winters evening af-
ter his reture from the village school.
Visitors are permitted to sit moment
in the chimney seat"-this in tones at
once solemn and patronizing. 1--WE
next have the second or best room in
the house, and off of it our poets bed
room, but poor place, ladies and gen.
tlemen. to shelter the king of intel
lects"
And so from room to room. While
our party is in the poets so-called bed
room. hear the second old lady, who
is evidently just beginning the tour
with company, chatting the unchang-
ing refrain word for word as our old
lady did at that point, and as we de-
scend the narrow, crooked staircase,
after seeing the long upper room which
has the autograph of Sir Walter Scott
cut with diamond upon the window
pane, we run against the of the third
weird sisters just as she is saying But
poor place, ladies and gentlemen, to
shelter the king of intellect"
The Shakespeare house is like two
houses, now that there is partition
wall cutting it directly through the
center from garnet to cellar or ground
floor. which was put there when the
poets father met with reverses and
rented part OF the house as an inn"
THIS Is now called the museum, where
In are collected the various relics of
Shakespeare, his family, and few in
teresting objects pertaining to his
time, notably the form or desk from
the village school the poet attended,
and vouched for 10y the authorities
about Stratford as authentic. Every
smallest object is religiously guarded
as something sacred, and in noticing
this care and solicitude one cannot but
bless the happy chance which awaken
ed these sleeping old villagers to
realization Of the treasures in their
midst. London Letter.