Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1892-01-28


He turned sadly around to look ut his
daughter.
Mr.. Clitheroe grew more and more
communicative as we wandered about
over the open. drew from him, or
rather, with few words Of guidance now
and then, let him ilnpart his history.
He seemed to feel that he had an expla-
nation to offer.
I'VE belong" he said, "to the oldest
gentry Of England. We have been liy-
ing at Clitheroe hall, and where the hall
now stands, for centuries. Our family
history goes back into the prehistoric
times. We have never been very fa-
nous; we have always sustained our
dignity. We might have had dozen
peerages; but we were too much on the
side Of liberty, OF free speech am free
thought to act with the powers that be.
''There was never time, until my
day, when one Of us was not in parlia-
ment for Clitheroe. Clitheroe had two
members, and one of the old family that
gave its name to the town and got for it
its franchises was always chosen with
out contest
ut is a lovely region, sir, where the
town Of Clitheroe and the old manor
bouse of my family stand--the fairest
part Of Lancashire. If You have only
geen, as you say, the 1ist country about
Liverpool and Manchester, you do not
know at all what Lancashire can do in
rcenery. Why, there is Pendle hill; it
might better be called mountain. Pen
die hill rises almost at my doorstep at
the door Of Clitheroe hall. Pendle hill,
sir, is eighteen hundred and odd feet
high And beautiful hill it is. |
talked Of the Wind River mountains
this afternoon; they are very fine, but l
never should have learned to love heights
if my boyhood had not been trained by
the presence Of Pendle hill
And there is the Ribble too. A lovely
river coming from the lsilIs Asuob q
stream as have not seen on this con-
tinent. do not wish to make harsh
comparisons, but your Mississippi and
Missouri are more like bitches than
rivers, and as to the Platte, why, sir, it
seems to me no better than chain of
mud pools. But the Ribble IS qliite an-
other thing. Isuppose l love it more
because / have dabbled in it boy, and
bathed in it Il man, and have seen it
flow on always a friend, whether | was
rich or poor. Nature, sir, does not look
coldly on a poor man as humanity does.
The river Ribble and Pendle hill have
been faithful to me-they and my dear
Ellen, always.
perhaps l tire you with this chat, he
said.
s.Oh, nor replied l. Il should be
poor American if did not love to hear
of Mother England everywhere and al
ways
81 almost fear to talk about home
our old home, mean-to my dear child
She might grow little homesiclz, you
know, and how could she understand, so
Young and woman, too, that duty
makes exile needfuls OF course do not
mean to suggest that we deem our new
home in the Promised Land an exile"
And here he again gave the same anx-
ieus look ! had before observed, as if lie
dreaded had the power to dissolve an
unsubstantial illusion.
II wish had thought, 2 lie continued,
''to show you, when you were at tea, a
picture Of Clitheroe Hall I have. 1t is
my daughter Ellen's work. She has a
genius for art, really a genius. We have
been living in a cottage near there,
where she could see the hall from her
window-dear old place! and she has
made capital drawing Of it.
You had left itg7 | asked. He had
paused, commanded by his melancholy
recollections.
"Oh, yesl Did | not tell you about
my losses? ! was rich man and pros
porous once. | kept open house, sir, in
my wifes lifetime She was a great
beauty My dear Ellen is like her, but
she has no beauty-a good girl and
daughter, though, like all young people,
she has a juvenile wish to goyern-but
! no beauty. Perhaps she viii grow hand
some when we grow rich again.
fFew women are so attractive as Miss
Clitheroe,' l said boldly enough,
II have tried to be q good father to
her, sir. She should have had diamonds
and pearls, and everything that young
ladies want, if / had succeeded. But
you ought to have seen Clitheroe Hall,
sir, in its best days. Such oaks as had
in my park. One of those oaks is no
ticed in Evelyn's Silva. One day, a
great many years ago, found young
man sitting under that oak writing
verses. | was hospitable to him, and
1 gave him luncheon, which he ate with a
I very good appetite. If he was poet !
/ did not ask his name; but not three
I months after | received a volume Of
poems, with sonnet among them,
really very well done very well done,
indeed--inscribed TO the Clitheroe oak.
The volume, sir, was by Mr.. Words
worth, quite one Of our best poets in his
way, the founder OF new school.
"A very pleasant incident!'
Eyes, indeed. The poet was fortu-
nate, was he not? But if you are fond
Of pictures, should have liked to show
you mysNandykes. We had the famous
Clitheroe Beauty, an earl's daughter,
maid Of honor to Queen Henrietta Maria.
She chose plain Hugh C1itheroe before
\ all the noblemenaof the court-we Clith-
eroes have always been fortunate in that
way. | said plain Hugh, but he was as
handsome a cavalier as ever wore rapier.
He might have been an earl himself, but
he took the part Of liberty and was
killed On the Parliament side at Edge
moor. | had his portrait, toe, Van
dyke, and one Of the best pictures he
ever painted, as believe is agreed by
conno;gseurs, You should have seen the
white horse, sir, III that picture full Of
gentleness and spirit. and worthy the
handsome cavalier just ready to mount
him"
AS the old gentleman talked Of his
heroic ancestor d name not unknown to