Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1892-10-16

y
vaparous wandorings unexpectedly and
and always with sense OF surprise and
delight. In the bystreets are many
curious old nests of homes, little stone
pens with tiny windows, heavy over
hanging gables, chimneys a fourth as
largo as the house, strangely carved
easements, low and marrow doors strong
enough to stand a siege, all covered by
masses OF ivy SO packed and dense that
they seem like habitations cut out OF
veraure matted rock.
A maze of lily cobbled streets with
narrow pavements crowd toward the
aid market cross on High street. In
these are dreamful inns; dark book
shops where bargains which would do
credit TO London East End dickerers are
made with lads for school books, old
and new: a few pert drapers' stores; as
many jewellers and music dealers, and
the Inevitable print shops of the
cathedral town where sad eyed old
folk, who seem to have been left over
from Rufus time, doze over dusty
cathedral views, and any number Of
"sweetsrstalls, with endless temptings
to the college lads palate and purse.
The latter are all half houses and
shops. A bell like fire gong announ-
ces your entrance. Four generations
of servers are in waiting Old, old
men reminding one OF Little Nell's'
| grandfather are perched In dark, plat.
| formed corners on carved old chairs OF
state. A daughter, nearly as old, APP
pears with n rush from the living
rooms. as though long and varied
| skirmisbes with solemn visaged but
ingenious youths had made her
alert for device or reprisal. A still
younger matron, perhaps a widow,
Is pothering among the boxes and
| shelves; and prim, peacby and
prudent young miss, conspicuous Of
| her value as a trade magnet where
| there are half thousand lads TO know
| pretty face when they see it, GENES out
Of the half lights radiant, wheedling
| presence. In everyone OF these by
street shops the shillings and pence Of
| the Wykeham lads are the entire
quarry, and everything dear to boys
heart, from q cricket bat TO leaden
'pastiesn comprise the stock in trade.
| Queer old sbopkeepers all are they;
| quaint as from the last century picture
books, and they still keep the coin of
the realm in leather bags, and test
suspicious sixpences and three-penny
bits with their teeth here in Wine hes
ter
Again the ancient city is given color
and interest TO the stranger by the pres
ence at all times, as In all English
Provincial towns or sleepy old cathed-
raj cities, or sturdy country folk from
roundabout. IL Is as though fair or n
market had just been held or was about
TO open. Heavy jowled stock buyers
are here. Froeked yoemen look Won
deringly into little shop windows as
though they had the maryelS OF lie
gent street or the Strand. Smoked
louts from near hamlets dawdle about
the streets, snappy eyed farmers wives
have come, and best OF all there are
bevies of countryside lasses with all the
radience OF English roses In their fam
ing peachy cheeks.
In and out of this motley crowd glide
the cloaked masters, gently pass deans
and deacons, dart the bright faced
Wykeham boys, or prance the military;
for Winchester is not only cathedral
town, college town, and the London
of Wiltshire for all its thriving country
folk and farmers, but it is one OF the
important military centers OF England,
being about eqmdistant from Alder
shot, its greatest military station, and
Portsmouth, its greatest naval station.
1t is especially a station for recruits, a
depot for ten regiments. Four are OF
rifles, called the Kings Royal Rifles,
four from the Rifle Brigade, called the
Prince Consort's Own, while two are
the Thirty-seventh and Sixty-seventh
Territorial troops. Recruits are CON
stantly arriving, and as constantly be-
ing drafted into service at the different
stations in England and to the distant
commands in South America, Africa
and India.
The building now used as barracks al
Winchester was originally intended for
palace OF Charles II, who built it for
Nell Gwynne, with whom he lived al
Winchester, but Charles died before
the palace was finished. When the
king brought pretty Nell' TO Win
chester he begged Ken, then digni
tary in the cathedral and afterwards
known as Bishop Ken, to accept the
fair orange girl as his guest at his
house in the cathedral close,
but he peremptorily re-
fused. So the king was obliged
TO take lodging for Nell in st. Peter
street. Charles. however, showed NJ
resentment TO Ken, but afterwards pro
NOTED him TO be Bishop Of Wells
The gray old mass OF college build
Al. II. ,,l.