Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-01-30
IA esvlmI At "Inl OXFORD. FRYE

n was my privilege tne osnet mosu'
iuR, says J. stuart barrows 10 the last
ern Argus, to slt before . roaring, blow
InR. heat giving Ore In TIA open nre-
plsce of the spacious main hall OF "Ine
Oxford, that movement Of fcQuawkct
srit and rrrenbscks that has risen, like
I'hrulx Of the fable. from the ashcs of
the old but dearly loved ''Oxford House.,
which through 90 many ycars had web
coined the coming and sped the parting
guest.
I ay it was "my privilege, for IL lsI
indeed, an event of lifetime, to bc
marked by red letter, to have spent
any time In that house on the site hal
lowed by so many memories and $3.50
Citations, aud In q too n that has stood Tor
decades AZ the brightest aud most enter
pti.lug of al the towns aud liamlets
that cluster around the protecting bar
rIers of the white iiills; and 20 me u
was an especial privilege, for the sealed
hook 81 the past has been openri IN me
.urreptitiously from time To time, aud
the little gIimpses have been able To
get had az filled my head With notions
Of by-eone days that ! fell TO linking
them together ~ sat waiting Tor the
Invitation to attend one of Landlord
kneeland's ssvory breakfasts.
Il "a. q romantic time of day tn be
ruminsting on the past, for u MAS In the
gray ~ the morning, aud the hush as OF
the winter forests brooded over the
yirtuous siumbers Of the other guests ut
the hotel; for I Was q self-elected martyr
Ia an unesrthly early-hourcd train,
aud vas waiting for the aforesaid break
fast call.
The nr.t fingers of the morning we're
reaching out over the fros,-bound valley,
aud the outline. IL the houses across The
street we're sharply silhouetted against
the growing light, and II VAS still dark
"A darkness made more emphatic In the
room by the glow of the firelight; u
MAS q witching hour, anyway, and,
AZ I sat, could Rad. In tbs
Goals and firc-glow. history, tradition
and legend of other days. The thoughts
began To tiy like the sparks that were
cspering up the chimney and they ~ere
equally .hort-llyed.
Among the rapidly shifting picture.
that saw Was one u the disturbed bel
Of the r.quswkct brave Who wss found
In the ground which Was destined To r-'
cel,e the foundations of the noble
building wherein I was sitting. u ~a'
the old story of driving out the Alto.
rhymes To make way for civilization, aud
the poor relic 81 q tribe % brave war
tIor. was hustled cut of his seat, 10 b.
"lo~lcd" upon the frozen earth, and
then to furnish curios for the reliS
hunter.
Poor old Pequawket' Into your
woods aud haunts came the foot 81 the
ranger, aud Que hundred aud slxty.cighi
year. later the foot of another ~hiis
man crowded his shovel Into your cold
resting place.
Hut YOU we're not more disturbed than
we're tho.e above ground In the "lii,l'
town 81 FRYE" II that time; and you
cannot grudgr the elk feet OF ground
which no one ever wants to own, to helT
on the cause that resulted In so noble ~
effect as "rhe Oxford"
Closely followed the thoughts of 9
humble vet proudly srisiocrstic bostslry
that once stood on the same spot ne ih'
present paiatlai bulhiing;s house ths,
iep, good cheer Tor all the valley, and
wherein the divinity of pots and pans
80. f,mou. "tunt Nabby O.gcod."
what visions of roaring nrc- fed by
that weird character Limbo. who, by
the Nay, I. the only msn that has li'.d
la rryeburg Who MAS thought by iho.s
left behind entitled Ia the inscription oi
"An Honest Man" upon his modest
gra,e.,onc.
How easy u VAS 10 Imagine bomely
home-llke room. With all the associations
% pequawket Hospitality; where Oh,
board VAS spread With the milk and
honey 10 fruitful Held. aud farms.
And aunt Nsbby", sho can galnsay
the statement that much Of the reno~t
20 the fryeburg 81 the later years came
a. the result 81 her too,hsome cookery
aud monumental beds of goose feathers
and home.pun blsnketst lcs, even tbs
fate ~ the nation ~as Influenced by her
for did .hc not keep In sound body, and
40, sound mind, agsin., just such seru
weather q. MAS oitslde the oxford
walls. that young man Who Ia later year'
.xAy.d the thoughts aud deed. of tbs
youthful nationr ~ Aunt Nabby de.
good. your hgurc should stand among
the renate. Of all those who's. veins
contain a corpuscic Of "O.scod" blood
Another spsrk-uo, twas not ths
thought. 81 the hours u.t passed
brought 90 mind the picture of . beam
lng party. which In the third story hal
% the ''old Oxford House" Vas wont "a
go,hsr Ia tread the measures ~ "fi.b
err. lIornplpe" aud "MAld In the PuInI
Room" What scenes of gsiety aud
happy, careless youth, when the beam'
% the galaxy 90 requawket beauties
were .b~d on men ~bo were Ia be lead
er. Ia th. council. 81 state snd nation.
Another spark recalled the form oi
him Who, seated on the shady Seranda
spending the dsys 40 his sunset years
Away. seemed Ia be- living Ia
the pas,-"uncle Johnnie" uncle Ia al
the village, aud TO the hosts Who during
many year. have BEEN psrtakers 20 your
hospitality. no dream Of the "Oxford
House" could b. complete without you
The fro.t clouds we're drifting along
that matches. range 81 stately mount
ain. aud among the naked trees that
marked the course of the ic~-fcttere'i
saoo, and helpcd To bring the vision Of
frosty horses With the red ''lumber
boxe." at their heels, combinations that
Oiled TO Overlooking the yards 81 all th'
tayerns ~ the village In the ~lntei
me, nings when there MAS no thought oi
a 4. a ~. aud .till less Of q "Mountaiu
Division"
What sight IL must have been Ia SEE
the long Procession of those unique We
hicle., that. like the caravans of lspa-
han. wended their NAY To the barter,
market. of another metropolis.
What psan Of plenty the belle Noic-
ell, az those groanipg loads Of pork and
potstoes, butter and bees wax, were
whi.ked along by the sturdy Vermont
nsgs Ia th. markets on Fore street 81
far away.
IL Was growing lighter out Of door,
the lamp on the desk looking uncanny la
it, o~n sickly light, As the thoughts oi
the dlgnlhed "OXford House, With u.
plliared facade, came crowding along
The Oxford lIouse,--the paradise al
runners aud the beat liars Of the l'equs~.
ket valley; the purgstory OF justice,
whose blinded form Was dragged hltber
aud thither by the Oxford Bar; the
house Of shAdowy yerandzs, where
many = whisper resulted In new sysiem'
In the Ornament Of families, tried NJ
by hr. were you 1T lAst-and 80 !
thought Was !, for the growing blass
had Increased nightly during my
reyerie. ! moved back, and went to
breakfast.
DO people really love trashy litera.
ture, or do they read u chiefly becsuse
Il IL cheap aud easily accessibies Much
light I. throw n on this inquiry By the