The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-24
AN ENGLISH ESTATE.
Private Grounds That Any One
Can Drive Through.
DEER AS TAME AS SHEEP.
Living Out OF Doors-Walking Through
the Fields to Church on . Beauti-
frl Sunday Morning.

| frI Sunday Morning.
A day in June when the sun was max
| ing radiant certain lovely spots on earth,
| | CHANGED to be asked Cor quiet sun
| day" 70 friends summer house in the
| country. The trap that met me az the
| station was so high and swinging IL was
| next best 70 horseback riding for enjoying
| and seeing the lovely hills. dales and
| hamlets through which we drove. Finally
| we came upon the largest heath in Eng
| land, and passed through q portion of IT,
| The treeIess spot IS so unlike our waste
| places at home. II is neither the plains
| OF our territories, nor is it the prairies of
| the Western States. Il IS quite feature
| by itself, with the close shrubs growing in
! clumps or sometimes thinly spread over
very indifferent soil. Too many years
| OF treeless life made il impossible for me
/ to look upon the barren with loving eyes.
| as the English do. From all this dreamy
| and sterile stretch we drove under the
archway of trees that hordered one of the
wide avenues that lead through the inn
! mense park OF the great man Of that part
of the country. Much as l enjoyed the
| fine oaks and beeches. whom generations
| of one family have guarded delighted as
| nv ewes were TO gaze down long vistas
where the sun flashed its rays into the
! greenest gloom, still found that the
| flutter of our national bird was disturbing
my patriotic ear, for I could not reconcile
| myself TO what seemed dissertation TO me.
| Better, felt, let Us be contented with our
| 20 or 100 acres where our American homes
| are intact and safe from the inroads of
| Just such peering sight-seers Is myself
was, than to have miles OF public highway
| cutting through the very heart of the
| exquisite English estates. OF course it
| was explained TO me that in the days of
| early England any man who allowed his
| place to be driven through a certain num-
| Der of years without protest, at last lost
| all rights by law to demand the privilege
| of closing the road.
Nevertheless, as 1 made my rapid way
| through the great domain, I felt very
much like an intruder and was rather
anxious for fear the owner thereof might
| see me in the same light in which I saw
myself. He not only must submit to hav-
| ing his perfect roads bowled over by any
stranger who chances to wish TO turn into
| the shadowy sweetness of the fragrant
| road, but he also keeps the drives in per-
| is small army of retainers who do moth
ing else, to whom certain portions of all
| the roads through and bordering the es-
tate are told off, and We came constantly
| upon them at stated periods sweeping the
way for ours and other marauders' horses
| to travel.
| 1t occurs to me, with the excellent but
rather late in the day thought or scheme
| of some of our rich men TO buy up wild
rnr -
| which they are stocking with game. it
would be good idea not 10 be quite so
| generous with any cross-country road
| which they may be able TO control, if
| taken in the start. As nation We are
| getting deadly tired of show places en-
f, tirely in evidence. and we are learning 10
| prize privacy. 1t is to be hoped then that
| these new founders of estates will shut
| their eyes and imagine drove of Cooks
| tourists scattering like the Australian
rabbits over their drives and lawns and
| thus take warning in time TO prevent
| thoroughfares through the domain they
| have acquired. l would not be ungener-
/ Gus and forbid entrance entirely. but
/ would maintain what | had fought and
| worked for should be mine, except when
| chose 70 throw open the gates.
| After l met my host, who was driving
| other guests through the park. l felt less
| like a culprit. We came upon a tower
erected in memory of one of the deceased
| lords of the estate, who had taken the first
! step toward what was a great national
| good, and was thus commemorated. For
| tunately for those who dislike statistics I
| have forgotten its height. but / know il
took all the reserve wind in the lungs of
| several active people TO get to the top;
| but oh, what picture spread out at our
| feet! The vast park, the castle the wind
| ing roads. through wales and over hills,
| the matched villages hedged in and vine
~. !
| dales that bordered the streams-t-heu-
matism and malaria perhaps attending
| but nevertheless they made picturesque
| spots)-and all around the rich country,
| the estates of the Rothschilds and their
| kin and the descendants of those fine old
| English gentlemen. who builded well
| when they housed themselves in that fair
| realm.
| But do not like their deer. / believe
! that there were 700 in the park through
which we drove. The tamest and most
| kittenish sort of animals. They Law ABOUT
| on the slopes of the velvet lawns or stood
| placidly where the Pickering sunlight
| danced down through the trees and
| bronzed the notified satin of their sleek
outlines, but they scarcely turned their
| heads as We rolled by. Where were all the
traditions of the startled fawn.' where
/ the wild bounds of the fleeing stag. his
! beetling antlers tossing his hoofs scarce
| touching earth rs ne fled?
Alas they were quite like the placid
sheep, they ohediently posed within signt
| of the castle windows on the road Ii is
| necessary in our developing DAYS. for We
! are makers OF q country still. 10 assert our
! selves great deaf. But in our COM
| placency II is well to remember that there
Is room for criticism and Improvement. I
| wish that could startle people with a
| greater appreciation of our outdoors life
| n glimpse into q few English homes made
1 me so sure that We can learn many a
| lesson from the way in which thew i'm
| prove the open air OF their summer. The
| slightest excuse takes the whole family on
| the lawn. II it is but tiny bit OF a garden
| or scrap OF grass plot. or narrow
| piazza with not altogether pleasant
environments, still the family ind
| their way 10 the spot Even
| IN London they war with the blacE
| cat and the SCOT for possession of the back
area. On the walls of the news thev coar
and calole struggling vine into a modest
| climb. The lntinitesimal flower beds are
| bordered with white pebbles; there is
| bunch or two, stand for the omnlpresen.
teapot, and out the family migrate What
| If they do have 10 dart back for a shower
they are out again between drops. Then
| the addition 10 the house, which is some
times buffers pantry. sometimes a little
smoking-room, has fiat roof with A low
wall and 1t Is often gay with bloom az
the TOD OF q modern summer ho,,a,