The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1885-10-01
In Was;,instoB's House.

Two or three hund,ed steps to the
right and up . general incline and you
stand on tho broad, high porch Of
Mount Vernon.
The great river creeps close UNDER
reath, one hundred feet or two below.
You might suppose that yon could
throw a stone. standing en- the porch,
into the Potomac as seen through the
trees that hug tic hillside and the wa
ter's bank below. All is quiet, so quiet,
Now and then q bsrnyard iowl, back in
the rear, strained his glossy neck and
called out loud an,; clear III the eternal
Sabbath here; fine shaggy dog wal
lowed and rompcd about the grassy
door-yard, and while lar out over tho
vast river some black, wide-wipgod
birds kept circ:ing round and round. 1
went back and into the barnyard 10 in
quire what kind of birds they were. /
met very respectful but very stan.-
merry negro. He took his cap in his
hand and twisted it all about and open
ing his mouth many times, he finally
said:
sDo-do-dose burtls was created by
de Lord to p-p-pu-purify de yearth. -
s.But what do YOU call them, uncle?'
''Tur-tur-tur-"a and ne twisted his
cap, backed out, came forward, winked
his eyes, but could not 60 on.
"Do you mean turkey-buZzards?"
''Ya-ya-yas. sab; d-do-do-dose burds
eats up de carrion Of de yeartis, sab. !"
Down yondcr the tomb, the family
vault, placed in the rear Of the two
marble cofiins, where about thirty OF
the Washington family lie buried. is
locked up and closed forever. The key
has been thrown into tho trnsty old
Potomac to lie there until the last
trump shall open ali tombs.
The thing. however, OF the most sin
guiar interest here, is the key of the
Bastile, presented by Thomas Paine
to Lafayette, who brought i. to
America and presented it to Wash-
ington. 1thangs here in glass ease,
massive and nlonstrOus. 1t is s. hide
! GUS, horrible thing and has, perhaps,
| moro 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 q garret alone and
without fire. For here, with all
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 fallen oak leaves are crowd
lng in heaps now and almost hiliug up
the low, dark doorway.
This garret has but one window. q
small and narrow dorner window, and
it is otherwise quite dark. L bottom
corner of the door is cut away SO that
hex cat might come end 60 at will.
And this is the saddest, tendsrest sight
| st Mount Vernon. 1t seemed to mo
that could see this noble lady sitting
there, looking out upon the tomb OF her
mighty dead, the groat river sweeping
fnst beyond, her heart full of the MEN,
ory of mighty nation's birth-wait-
ing, waiting, waiting. Her work was
! done. Sac had lived quite the allotted
thres score years and ten. Her cora-
panions were in the tomb, and SO sEa
chose this oarrat, Just above the bed i'll
which her immoral husband i,ad died.
as . sacred pace il which 10 sit dcsyn
ami cherish her memories. and wait
, with folded hands The end. And 81
here, at!er !. year and u haif of wait
/ ing, the augo: os death fun i her; ihe
hands were ioIic,; forever, and t!;o na-
/ tian maurncd her Is is moLi:cc-jQ.t-
/. 4.l:-: -d.f p.
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