Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-24

Dunallan Hall, in St. Mary's county, Md. Ihad
never been there before, but cousin had lately
married into the family-marrying q cousin Of
course. as was the custom in Maryland to keep
the land in the family-snd she had invited me
Now Dunallan Of Dunallan Hall has a very fine
sound has il not?'
We admitted that il had indeed and grand
ma proceeded:
I'm fact the Dunallans were descended from
an ancient and noble family in the north OF
England. with quarterings OF the royal arms on
their shields. All this and much more 1 had
learned from Molly Dunallan while she was yet
my room mate at the academy and before she
had gone home to marry her cousin, Jonas
Dunallan. A death in our family had prevented
me from going with her to be her bridesmaid,
so You see I had never met her husband nor
had ever seen her new home. But NV youth
ful imagination was highly excited by the an
| ticipation of spending the Christmas holidays
at Dunallan Hall. Ipictured to myself q stately
stone mansion surrounded by apark and shaded
by great forest trees; and stone stables and
kennels and everything that my reading led me
TO expect to see in the country seat of gentle
man Of family and fortune. / Was also little
timid at the idea of meeting such great people,
for my own dear father was only poor lawyer
of no great means, though of superior mind
and culture. He. my father, put me under the
care Of the captain Of the little schooner that
in those DAYS piled between Georgetown and
Norfolk, stopping at all the little river
side landings and running up all the
inlets that lay along the shores Of
freight and passengers. voyage that takes
but a few hours by a fast steamer nowadays
took over a week by the little schooner Maid of
All Work. Beset by head winds. which COM
PEELED her to tack from shore to shore, it was
not until the afternoon of Christmas eve that
she reached Blsckstone's Landing. where
cousin Jonas had been notified to meet me.
And there at Blackstone's Hotel-a large barn
like white frame house-cousin Jonas with a
handsome, capacious close carriage and a fine
pair of bay horses-the wedding present of
Molly father-awaited me. The carriage and
horses we're all that could be wished. but
''Dunallan of Dunallan Hail. was a triae dis
appointing. A tall. awkward, red-haired and
red-bearded young man, dressed in an over
coat too large for him, and boots and hat ditto.
came out from the bar to meet me as / ad-
vanced. escorted by Capt Mike Townley and
followed by a sailor with my trunk on his
shoulders. He met me gravely and politely
with something of a rustic shyness in his man
ner. and told me that Molly had been at Black
stones with the carriage every day for the last
three days expecting me, and that he was very
glad to see me at last. &c.
The captain explained the delay by speaking
of the head winds and rough voyage all the
way from Georgetown.
Then Cousin Jonas, after consigning me to
the care of coiored chambermaid, invited the
captain into the bar to take drink with him.
and from which he sent me a stiff glass of hot
whisky punch, which did not come amiss for
was chilled to the marrow of my bones.
had scarcely finished my glass when cousin
Jonas came for me. and growing more familiar
tucked my arm under his and led me to where
the carriage stood.
A burly colored coachman sat upon the box
and mounted groom rode beside the carriage.
This was even more than imagination had pic
tured in the anticipated grandeur Of Dunallan
Hall.
Cousin Jonas put me in the carriage and fol-
lowed me and set beside me.
We drove along a road that soon entered
thick forest, when he began to entertain me
with rustic compliments. The sun was not yet
down, SO whenever we came to clearing he
was able to point out the country houses that
came into view. thought they all looked very
plain In contrast to the pretentiOus names they
bore. As. for instance. mt. Aston," the
seat of Algernon Aston, esq, was a rude
wooden house Of a story and half high. with
rough chimneys Of hewn logs built on the out
side of each end and a steep shingled roof.
'.Notely Castle" and Chester Court were
houses of the same sort. And every one of these
castles" and courts and SO forth had hen
houses and poultry yards and kitchen gardens
close about the dwelling and orchards and fields
farther off. Among all that were pointed out
to me one country house alone seemed suitable
for a gentleman's seat. 1t was large, double.
twO-stOry house of red brick with slate man.
sard roof. The grounds were terraced and
handsomely laid out in parterres for flowers
and groves of rare shade trees, which in sum-
mer must have been very beautiful. Near the
house. which was partially yelled with ivy,
there were clumps of evergreens and one large
conservatory. In the distance were stone build
ings, evidently offices connected with the estab-
hshment. This was so different from every
thing else had seen that L looked at it and
after it as long it was in sight and then asked
Cousin Jonas who lived there.
oh. mere nobody, cousin! An upstart! A
fellow who used to come down here twenty
years ago peddiing shoe strings and needles
and other stuff, called under the general name
o notions" He's decent man enough. He
made a fortune somehow. but the Lord knows
how, and bought land and settled down here
And you see how he goes it. Two carriages
open and close. saddle horses race horses
hunters and hounds and fancy poultry, and he
has a tooter in the house for his BOYS. One o.
them boys. the eldest one, wanted to pay atten-
tons to John AlstOn's daughter. but he was
showed the door in double quick; tell you
Rudolph Aunnimacher making up to Polly
Aston, indeed. wonder John Aston didn't
shoot him at sight!'
Why, Cousin Jonas, what was there against
him?'
why, he was one Of the Munnimachers. His
father peddled notions. said Cousin Jonas
that should ask such foolish question
But here we are at Dunallan Hail." he added
as we drew up at a gate by the roadside and the
mounted man servant rode forward to open it.
Not all that / had seen during our drive of
the discrepancy between names and places in
this old neighborhood had prepared me for the
disappointment, almost amounting to mortifica-
ton l experienced in first looking upon Dun
allan Hall. Some hundred yards back from the
road stood rude wooden building of u story
and half high, with double front and q
steep shingled roof and rough-hewn stone
chimneys at each end. Little log buildings
near the house seemed to serve for kitchen,
store rooms, &C.; and a winter-seared garden
lay on one side. The groom opened the gate
and we drove up a common, unshaded and
uncared-for road to the house door,
Cousin Jonas got out and helped me down to
the soft snow, and then assisted the man SER
want to take nv trunk into the front "hall "
Then the man took the coach ana horses to the
stables-the row Of long buildings at some little
distance on the right, as had que ssed. A glow
of red light came through the windows on either
side of the middle door and through the door
itself as Mr.. Dunallan led me into the hall. ~
The hall was a square place. with bare floor and
whitewashed walls and four doors-front and
back and on each side-and furnished with an
old-fashioned mahogany sideboard that stood
against the back wall, tall, coffin-shaped clock
in one Of the back corners and couple of old
mahogany chairs.
But instantly, before l could notice all this.
out burst Cousin Molly from the room on the
left and threw her arms around my neck and
smOthered me with kisses and crushed me with