Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-10-09
CHAPTER II.
4 FAMILY OF POSITION

Be il remembered that Oakhurv is mot
Blacktown Many of its inhabitants arc
greatly ANNOYED when they hear il called a
suburb of Blacktowu. oallhury is near the
large city, but not Of il. Although the fact
cannot he ignored that the existence Of the
many charming country houses which adoIn
Oa5bulv is as much due to its coutiguity 10
the dirty thriving town Us 10 its natural
bcautieS-and although a certain proportion
Of those desirable residences has been pur-
chased 10y Blacktown'S successful traders, the
most ariStoIratic inhabitants of OalhurS look
with Indifference ON the good and evil for
tunes of the city. They. the ariStocratic in
habitantS. are useful 10 Rlacktown. not
Blacktown to them. They are ont of its dis
scnSions and struggles: bcttcr still, beyond
the range of its taxation. They are of the
county, not the town. So they head their
letters '0akbury, WestShire; and, as rule,
decline intimacy with amy Blacktown trader
under the rank of banker merchant prince,
Besides Lord kelSton'S well known country
scat there must bc i'll the parish of Oakbury
some 20 or p gentlcmcn'S residences They
cannot lie called estates. rs the ground at
taChel to each vare; respectively from three
u fifty acres but not Il few of them might
iay claim to be described 10y that wCll-rouu,i-
ell phrase dear to auctiOnCei'S and house
agents. "a country mansion. fit for the occu-
patton and requirements of a family of posi-
ton" They are nc. aNg. speculative. jerry
built houses, but good. old-faShioned, solid
affairs. No painted and gill ratings surround
them: thick boundary walls and fine old trees
hide them from the gaze of inquisitive hoh
day folks As the country around is very
beautiful and richly timbered as the prevail
ing wind which blows across Oakbury comes
straight from the sea, pure and uncontam-
mated as two of the best packs of hounds
i'll England meet within an easy distance:
and, prejudice notwithstanding, aS the con-
venienceS offered by a large city are 81 close
at hand-it is no wonder that the rector OF
Oakbury numbers many families of position
among his parishioncrS. Ii mine We're a fam
lily of position, it should most certainly uc-
cupy u pew i'll that fine, old square-towercu
church.
After this description it will be easily be-
iieved that the Oakbury people are somewhat
exclusively the Oakbury people are meant
the inhabitants of the aforesaid twenty
houses; the manner of the villagers and other
small fry who constitute the residue Of the
population need not be taken into account.
The Oakbury people proper are very particu-
ttr as to with whom they associate, and the
most particular and exclusive Of all are two
gentlemen named Talbcrr, the joint owners
and ocCupiers of Lakewood House
Their ultra-cxclusiveness was but Tie n!-
ural outcome Of the position in which they
were placed. The fact that their income was
derived from money made by their father III
timber, tobacco, soap, sugar, or some other
large industry of Bla ktown-people have
already nearly forgotten which it was-mtlst
be responsible for the care the Talberts were
bound to exercise before they made new
| acquaintance.
Because, you see, in their opinion Mt least,
tie faint of trade still chung to Them They
were but generation removed from the
actual buying, selling and chailering Meta
phorically speaking, their own fathers hands
had been hardened by the timber, stained by
the tobacco. lath"rci by the soap, made
sticky by the sugar, according to the particu-
lar branch Of trade at which iie had worked
to such adv an;agc. 50 it was that upon at