The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1891-12-04


such scenes the hour and half that
brought US to Kenilworth seemed
short. Passing through the single
long street of the struggling village
we came to the ruins of the castle.
The name of no other castle in Eng
land is so familiar to the readers of
English history..as that of Kenilworth.
Founded in the 18th century by Geof-
frey Clinton, it was fought over for
centuries, enduring a siege from eth
er royal or rebel forces in all the wars.
Through all these stormy times it con-
tinued to extend and wax stronger
and grow richer, until Cromwell got
to be The Boss in England. He gave
it to some of his officers and they
tore it down to build fences and
stables and houses of And SO it pass
ed into history and was little thought
about, until man with a pen In his
hand came down from Scotland one
summer and took up his quarters at
the Kings Arms Inn down in the
struggling little village, and restored
the great castle and filed it full of
knights and ladies and put tongues
in its stones that told stirring tales of
the mean and noble deeds, the loves
and hatreds and intrigues and reveng-
es they had seen and heard. And so,
because the Wizards wand has touch
ed it, although nothing remains now
but the old Norman Keep, and Mer-
vyn's Tower and the Swan Tower and
three or four connecting walls, broken
and ivy-grown, men come from far
countries over land and sea to see it,
and the great Earl of Clarendon gets
fee of six cents head from every
one of them for the privilege!
1t was one o'clock by the time we
had finished our inspection of the cas-
tie, and we returned to the village to
get dinner. Walking past the "Malt
Shovsl Innn-because the,name didn't
have much of a prohibition sound to
it-and past the "GOld Cup Inn" and
the pewter Tankard Tavern" and the
"Antlers" and the "Boar's Head Inn"
and half dozen other similar hostel
ries, we finally stopped at the
Golden Lion Inn" because we liked
the looks of it. At one side of the
room that we entered was q counter
with casks and bottles ON top of it and
a man behind it who looked more like
Senator Ingalls, than had thought 1t
possible for any Englishman to look.
He finished filling jug that woman
was waiting for and then greeted us
with "W'at'l y'ave, gentlemen?
"What have you gOt?" We question
ed in turn.
Gale, whiskey, wine"
"But we want something to eat"
The woman laughed as she went
out of the door, and the man, evident
ly surprised, said" 'Fraid cawn't
accommodate you, gentlemen. Hits
Sunday, you know!'
"But we only want a lunch, bread
and meat or anything
~ ave no meat to-day, gentlemen"
"Well, what's the matter with
crackers and cheese?" one of us blurt-
ed out in desperation.
"Nothink at all, sir, is the matter
with my cheese. Hits as good as
you'll find in hall h'England!"
1t was evident that our host was
not up in American slang, and SO we
meekly ordered our bread and cheese
and spent half AN hour washing it
down with water and ale-the Man
from Massachusetts would have ale
and talking about the queerness of q
country where the hotels could sell
all the liquors that might be called
for on any day but could not serve a
square meal because it was Sunday.
We returned to bennington by an
other road past Guys Cliff-sO named
from the first Earl of Warwick who
lived here and spent his time Staying
Dun Cows and other mOnsters-past a
picturesque old mill said to date from
Saxon times, and through the town
of Warwick, reaching our hotel about
five O'Clock, somewhat weary with
our twelve-mile tramp, but recalling
with the keenest delight the visions
of beauty which every step of it had
brought.
1 was greatly surprised and very
much pleased to find at the hotel up
on my return DR.. and Mrs. Merriman,
of Chicago, whose acquaintance many
lola people have made during their
frequent visits to their sister, Mrs. II. |
A. Ewing. Such accidental meetings
in out-of-the-way places impress one
with the fact that the world is not SO
wide after all. The Doctor and his |
family have been spending most Of
tine summer in England travelling |
leisurely from one point Of interest to |
and the evening spent in
talk with them was most entertain |
ing and delightful.
Just as 1 had hidden my friends
good night, the Man from Massachu-
sets, who had been taking a walk
through the town, came in with
flushed and half-scared look on his
face, and in response to my demand
for an explanation said, "All the
young folks are walking about the