Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1888-06-12
InE nESEucENr pEKD on ora oREAr
GRASpNoruER's Gmosr.

Nll lnOlftNfsl NhAAl "sH Refaf
which We children had never seen.
Aside from the old.f..hiohed furniture
~i,h which The house was filed. the old
bara and few acre. Of land. nothing re-
NAMED Of vha, had once been prineely
fortune. A few day. before grandfA,hers
death he wi,hdrev all hi' money-'ome
forty thousand dollsr-from the bank
in which !, va. placed. OF ,hi, money
no trace could now be found aud ve
came TO the conclusion tha, he bad either
been robbed OF had secre,ed the money
90 carefully ihA, ii would be impossible
20 End II.
We were no, rich. Fathers health was
falling rapidly under the hard work he
~n obliged 10 do in order 20 supper, his
large family. 50 mother a, last decided
10 move down to the old house snd Try
farming.
When the decision wi. made known
we children hailed |, with delight ES.
cep,ing a few picnic excursions, when We
made ,hor, trip. outside the city. Ne had
never been in the eoun,y. aud we look
sd fots.rd 10 living there as The greatest
possible ble.,ins.
One day in early sPring We started on
the journey 20 our new home. We ~.
rived there jas, ~ nish,f.ll. tired and
sleepy. ba, happy.
WI. up the next morning before the
rrsi. and started on = tour Of inspection.
| had noticed the nigh, before ihl, the
house ws. large. square bailiIns. hAv'
ing an entrance door ia the middle Of the
frunt side. which led into q vide hall.
A, stood in ,hi, ball facing the stairs.
door. on my rish, opened into sitting
room and dining.room. while correspond
ins doors on my LEI, opened into the par
lor and library. Behind the stair. one
passed through door into the back hall.
the back stair. wen, up A. one end OF
thi. hall. and door opened into the gar.
den =, the other. Through the hall one
entered The kitchen and shed beyond.
Ga the second door the rOoms were SIM
llarly arranged. while the third hpo' was
an enormous sAuei. filed with broken
furniture. trunks. chest. and old clothes.
l, wAs lighted by window a, each snd.
but the place wss 30 large that even on
the bfishss, day Of the year q 'ofi gloom
filed the room. While | admired the
whole house. nothing gave me half the
pleasure ihi. old gsuet did. wander.
cd about, opening the chests and admir-.
ins their contents. A. last | reached =
heavy. old chs., elAmped With iron. that
stood near the front window. raised
the ia aud looked in. A layer Of thin
paper va. the frs, thing | saw Lifiins
this, found white satin dre'. AID a
lace veil. e.refally folded and ysllowed
with age. Before | bad time 20 examine
them heard my mother call me. and
hurrisdly closing the Id | fastened do~n
stairs.
After brsskfs., told my sister Helen.
Who was 1.-two years younger than
my.elf.--of my discovery. A. soon |.
my mother gave u. permission We rush
ed 10 the gArret.
May thing. interested u', bat nothing
held half the fascination OF the wedding
dress and veil. pa, away 50 carefully IN
the old chest.
Ilslea looked gr.vely a, them. then =,
me-
"Do you suppose they belonged to our
grandmother. Janet =
81 ,hink they are too old for that" |
answered.
Anyway" and her small head nod.
dsd. IL am sure there !, a story wrapped
up in them"
Dear little Helen everything held
some story for her. Even the odor Of =
rose would send her of TO dreamlani.
"Perhsp, father can ;ell u, something
Abou, it," | said. As spoke father and
mother came up the stars. The Id Of
the ehss, va, thrown back. and as they
drew near father spied the dress.
"There, May" be ssid TO mother.
"here is the very dress ! was telling you
about.
81 told you there va, story. Janst.
cried Helen. ,riamphar,ly. And drag.
ging father down into . chair. she perch.
ed upon hi. knee. "Now tell Us all
about IT," she demanded, when she was
comfortably settled.
Father laughed and lid as he was bid.
den.
"The dress. you Sc, before you" be
began. "wss my grandmo,hers-conse-
quen,ly your great grandmo'her's we'd
ding dress. When il was new this house
which you find 30 qaIin, and old.ta.hiOn-
ed was new also. aud a wedding present
from = loving father to an only daughter"
"My grandmother, have been told.
was very beautiful; the belle Of all the
country roand. However, our story has
nothing to do with her beauty or even
with her wedding day. but with the an
niverslry OF that day five years later. In
remembrance Of her marriage there was
. large gathering Of friend. aud relatives.
and her husband insisted upon her wesr-
ing her wedding dress. At the time they
though, nothing oft, but Afterwards they
remembered tha, she seemed unwilling
to do so. She said she felt = pressnti-
ment ,hs, something would happen II she
wore IL. Grandfather laughed at her
fears and a, las, persuaded her to pa, it
on.
"The afternoon and evening OF the
eventfal day passed pleasantly. Every
one was happy and every face wore =
smile. Grandmother had forgotten her
fears and was the gayes, Of the gay.
"The good.nighs were spoken. the
las, sue., had departed. and host and
hostess stood by the library fire. talking.
when the bronze knocker on the door fell
with clsns.