The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-05-12
CHAPTER LII
CHAPTER IL
"MRs BARBARA TEMPLE-THE MISSES TEN
PIE"

PLE.
Something like forty years ago there fell
vacant at the other end of this town large
house with spacious and splendid garden.
Its original proprietor had lived in it for sixty
years, and being, a man of great wealth and
fine taste he had transformed what was once
a comfortable family residence into mansion,
filed with all luxuries, and surrounded with
green houses, hot houses, wineries, stables,
coach houses and all the other appurtenances of
a grand house. He died, and his hundreds of
thousands ran off in a golden river of good
luck to a nephew in the north of England,
who had his own estate Immediately the
question was asked in our little provincial set:
"Who will take the Beeches" for by that
simple name the mansion was known. Every
body was afraid of the Beeches; afraid of its
gilded rooms, its noble halls, its green houses,
hot houses, wineries, stables and coach houses
aforesaid; afraid of its splendid traditions,
gone we felt never to return; afraid of COM
parison with the former owner-a poor sickly
shadow in later days, but even then such a
lord at the head of his table, such judge of
wines, so plentiful with his choice yintages,
too; such an expert in gardeners and cooks,
as our town of Kettlewe1 never saw before,
and was never likely to see again. So the
great house stood vacant month after month,
and year after year. haunted by no ghosts ex-
cept memories of magnifcence, which did IN
deed seem to glide through the vast damp
rooms, down the wide stairs, or through the
noble gardens, now returning to wilderness
season by season. Everybody was afraid of
the Beeches. We all said, The Beeches viii
never let again"
Let it did, howeve- There came little
lady one day, erect, commanding in her
manner and rich in her attire. She asked to
see the house. She went from room to Seonl,
and marked with approving eve how glorfous
was the place; and sharply she inquired Of
The agent If there was any reason why the
house had not let, except the alleged one of its
extraordinary grandeur. He assured her
hat there none At this she broke into
little laugh, which meant, sKettlewell peo-
pie must be fools. .rs'W hat rooms for danciHgf
she calculated. What sraircases, up and
DOWN. And then she set her own dapper
figure in ore of the glasses of the console
tables, and murmured, admirable, adj
mirable taste!' II shall take this house, ,
she said aloud, as she set her foot on the
threshold And as she went from room to
room she kept repeating, II shall take this
house. Bedroom, > dressing ROOM morn
ing room,- library .'boudoir,' servants
hall With such words of assignment on her
| lips she went about, and the whole mansion
was allotted to separate uses when she had
completed her inspecting tour. She came
back into the empty dining room, and the
young man who, full of awe, had followed her
round the house, heard her say to herself, 30,
what room for a dancer Then he, going
out on some errand. and suddenly returning,
saw the little dame step down the empty floor
IN some formal dance, most mystic in his eyes,
and bowling with aristocratic grace to some
he