The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1886-01-06

sit was 3 room in a country house which.
| IS Hood says of his Haunted House, was
| but haOitation. not home; but house,
room. and all accessories were English, in
the country, and not modern.
"A plain, square room with two windows,
! having tall mantelpiec of wood, where.
on the bricked hearth, a small fire burned;
| between the uncurtaIned windows was a
solid-loOking dark wood dressing bureau
with = fongish narrow mirror swinging be-
| tween two carved supports. bedstead of
| dark wood with tall, carved posts. the square
| frame connecting them having frill OF light
| curtain stuff attached. and the same about
| the lower part of tine bed. A white coveriet
was spread quite and over the bed, which
was soft and yielding, and gave only in par
/ tiai relief the long, straight, still figure
which lay under the cover.
Zone hand had been uncovered and lay,
| stif and ivory white, near the head of a man
| kneeling beside the bed, his head clinched
| between his own hands and sunk in the
| yielding surface OF the bed.
| What was strange, the same MANN
| each form, 0nly enc back was shown-stOod
| by the mantIepiece, his head bowed upon
one arm. which rested upon it, while the
other arm hung listlessly, WEAKLY. His
form expressed exhaustion, but without
struggle: not resignation, but submission.
From the window could be seen an ave-
| nue. Oftrees. wind swept and ragged, leading
to water ftfully shown by moonlight strug-
| Cling with black clouds.
The room was in dim fire and candle
light.
That was all.
But so wildly did it impress us that tor
| years when travelling in places likely to have
such a room or such view, we turned from
| any point recalling this dream picture.
"Once in the Austrian Tyrol we found so
| charming an inn near small lake that We
would go no further. Everything there
pleased rs. Enough rooms could not be
ready until later, but one was given us mean
time and good breakfast, and we went off
for long sunny day; some TO climb the gla
| cier topped mountain, some to idle in a boat
on the still, blue lake and the clever one to
| be set ashore with sketching traps-each to
| follow their own will, and meet for the late
dinner. Our rooms were ready then, and
mine was delight from its profusion of
| carved oak furniture.
But that dream picture has become a
| family superstition, and when one of us saw
| a line of wind-broken trees leading to the
| lake, and combined that with the carved
| bedstead. no reasoning would have gotten
me permission to stay in that room.
~ took another, much less fac, to the be-
wildermentof the landlady; bat we hitupOn
| the idea of saying il was VOW had to full
| fl not TO sleep in bed of that sort.
1t was JUS after this Tyrol episode that,
| returning to America, | went for few days
1 10 AN L MS Olu American CITY Is SO
| ditfertnt '.r shiny new towns, it is
| such bin OF p left us from colonial
days that II ~. ID bath OF repose 90
there. / once tOunS architect there,
l to make usefui dies for his orders Tor
| country seats; Ia, Lis patrons had more
money than taste or knowledge. There is a
whole Queen Anne town, and real Eliza
| bethan mansions of rich red brick, brought
over in Queen Anne's day-the brick now
mellow q to softest tones, and all embro-
dered : weather..stains while whole gables
| are den,e walls of century-Old ivy; avenues
of Lon hardy poplars have been changed into
huge G umns by the ivy which has strangled
and sl uded them; while the large old
court-l use, too respectable TO be called
/ to mt for its sins of architecture,
enshri fragments of our early his
tory y Itch bring emotion to even
blase nd; the desk by which Washington
stood en he made his remuneration of
power, md on which he rested his hand,
when, silent from feeling. he could not re-
spond TO the heartfelt words of praise
| given J i'm by the presiding officer, and
caused that official to say these other true
words There is no need for you to speak,
| Mr.. Washington; we all know your modesty
is only equaled by your bravery
Above this bit of memorable mahogany
are their two battle flags, placed there by
| Washington and Lafayette-our modest lit
tie thirteen stars, new born and fnendless,
| crossed Dy the historic royal white held and
| gold lilies of the BOurbons.
"Queen Anne herself gave to the old
| church its fine communion service and the
| chime of bells which still tell in silvery
| sweet tones the uneventful hours OF town
flushed hundred years ago. and whose
| profound quiet of stagnation makes Annapo-
| lis un-American.
always on other visits had gone to de.
| lightfully well-kept, quiet house, where my
| special midshpman could bring classmates
| and have the feeling of being out of bounds.
The Naval Academy is every way more con-
| siderate for youth than the obsolete exac-
tons of West Point, where no return to
| family life is permitted the cadet.
This time, going with my usual certainty,
] i found the house closed, because of a death
| in the family; but Mrs. G. had sent servant
| to the station 10 take me TO the hes. quarters
| she could substitute.
There my young people met, and as my
room was not quite ready we kept at table,
| and afterwards in the cheerful, warm parloT,
until ii was time for them to rush back TO
/ the Yard before the gates closed.
| 81 was tired and quickly ready for rest.
| The room, too, was not warm. Only an in
/ tended fire of green wood smOldered in the
large fireplace, and the two candles gave but
| little light. There was no tire at all in the
/ small room opening from mine, where my
maid was 10 sleep, and when was undressed
| she wrapped herself in a warm plaid and
| asked permission to stay in my room and in
ish something she was reading, as she was
not sleepy. j was glad to keep her, for felt
upset and / always liked her about me-
Some people have the property of soothing.
as Others have the quality of rumpling all
ones feelings. In all the long time my poor
Sarah was with me she fitted in harmOn-
ously.
This night was not myself. IL had been
| a shock to find what sorrow had come to
| Mrs. G.'s family. / was out of my bear
ings, and Annapolis was having the unusual
| experience OF a snow storm, and the chill.
| damp penetrated houses only prepared
for mild winters. The snow was over, but
black masses of cloud contended with a cold
| moon. / could not warm, even in bed, but
lay awake, idly watching through the I'M
curtained windows the hurrying clouds and
| the wind-tossed trees. Sarah in the red
| Scotch rug was a comfortable object the
dark wood of the tall bureau between the
windows made good background for this
patch of color. She had coaxed the fire un-
til at last some life had come to it. and as it
sent up more light noticed the very hand
some carving of the high bedposts.
"Qulck as lightning flash it all came back
to me-
Every detail was there. The furniture,
| liant foo1 .,o1