Morning journal and courier., 1890-09-11
COMMUNICATIONS.
A Day From the Past.

To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER
 Yesterday I spent with a friend, the | friend of lifetime, of my youth and of | my later years-tried, trusty and true. l am rich in the possession of such one, for alas! such friends are rare.
 She lives in lovely farming town, far away from the din and hustle of the city, where the screech of the locomotive or factory whistle is never heard; where no
 sound breaks the Sabbath-hl1e stiffness but
 the singing of the birds in the glad early
 morning, the cheerful chatter of the barn
 yard fowls, the moo of the mother COW
 and the plaintive answering cry of her little one; the occasional passing of team
 or the haw! gee, of the haymakers to the patient oxen in the meadows. In this quiet peaceful town she lives alone in her
 ancestral home.
 The house is situated on an eminence over looking a glorious view of hill, valley and | distant mistily blue mountain; it is set well back from the street, in the midst of wide sloping lawn, filled with majestic
 maple trees, from which it derives its l name of Maple Hill. It is built of red | brick with white facings, is of imposing | appearance and was the home of the viii lage doctor and his good wife, who here l passed their busy, useful lives. The little lady could stand erect quite easily under | her stalwart husbands outstretched arm, and was the doctors most invaluable assis- | tant, going with him often on his errands | of mercy; often sent for to cheer the sick, | or comfort the dying; always ready with
 her acts of kindness and loving sympathy. | Indeed, do not doubt, the kindly words | and bright smile of this dear little woman, l were more efficacious in some cases, than
 the more potent drugs of the good doc
 tor. A luxuriant white rose chambers
 over the front porch in wild profusion, on
 either side of which is a little seat; an in | viting place to rest on hot summers
 day The interior of the house has been
 religiously preserved, as it was in their life
 time In the dim, pleasant parlor, the
 same straight-backed chairs are ranged
 around in their old places; the highly pol
 ished tables, spindle-legged piano,
 and little hair cloth sofa stand
 where they used to do; the same
 small gilt mirror, with the brightly col
 ored, impossible landscape at its top,
 hangs between the two front windows and
 the same old pictures hang upon the wall.
 The great old-fashioned rosewood side
 board, with its massive claw feet, is in its
 wonted place, filled with preserves, jellies
 and jams, as it was ill the days of its for
 mer owner, the energetic little housekeeper
 whose spectacles still lie on the large
 black-covered Bible. the book she loved so
 well, which occupies its old position on a
 small table in the cheery kitchen.
 A front room on the second floor was the
 doctors office, or study, IS it was called. Both sides of this room are filled with little
 drawers, appropriately labeled, still con- , taining his drugs, whose aroma pervades
 the apartment. Here are the doctors fa- vorite books and his writing desk ,and here
 is the little table, with the mortar and pes tie remaining on it, where he compounded f his medicines, while his saddlebags hang
 undisturbed from nail in the wall. The office chair, that used to look so tall to my childish eyes, was shrunken now to one o } ordinary proportions. Articles of wearin. apparel hang in their usual places
 It was as if the goodly couple haC just gone out on one of their man, 3 errands of mercy, and found myself in voluntarily listening for the sound of theil , familiar footsteps on the little porch at thu z south door, and yet they had been sleeping for long years the sleep that knows n, 3 waking, unheeding, as they never did il e their earnest lives, the appeal of those il I pain or trouble. Our table was spread il = the wide, roomy hall, through which tn warm August breezes strayed, waiting t y us the fragrance of the newly mown ha,
 from the meadows on the opposite hill e side We dined royalty on the best tn house afforded; our food was served ol @ dishes of rare antiquity and priceles
 value. The house had beel
 ransacked, and no two articles O
 | silver or china were alike. Plates O
 delicate blue, rich indigo and dainty pink
 transparent gold banded cups, quaint littl
 pitchers and bowls, spoons and urns eacl | writ a nI, hQ M Il fingered long there, our talk running il + this wise 'Do you remember this" O l. 'tthis," pointing to some article befor
 us. ''This was great grandmother's or n grand-aunts, or perhaps belonged to som W of our more remote ancestry" Then woul
 follow some incident or anecdote connecte with them In the afternoon we visite l. every nook and corner of the house, froI
 the dark cellar to the dusty, cobwebbe
 garrett, remaining for the longest time i l. the 'tspare" front chamber. Here n lavender scented bureaus were dainf ,a ily ruffied articles of underwear i, made in eighteen hundred and seventeen III by the doctors wife, which were well pr, served. In one compartment, were he te husbands dickeys and other belonging G. just as he left them. It was a stranp
 day. For us, at least, time stood stil 'h we were in the world, but not of it.
 was day of retrospection, but not alt,
 gether sad. In her peaceful home, m ne friend lives alone, but never lonely. D. ir votedly attached to the little church, whel ill she was baptized in her infancy, her lii . is spent in doing good to those aroun a' her, with firm trust in h. ee Savior, knowing he doeth a li- things we'll, she is alread lv calmly looking forward to a reunion vii y her loved ones, to whom she is so loyal es devoted. Very few of our dear depart,
 friends are held in such sacred recolle
 ton. ey As returned to the pleasant farm hou re where we made our temporary home mt seemed long time since went away