St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-11-29

low that a man even Of ordinary
height often finds difficulty in passing
through without Shopping. The cell
ings, too, are low, tar lower than in
the majority Of ancient colonial
houses. In the parlor, the most pre-
tentious room in the house, the cell
ing is scarcely more han six feet
above the floor. The floors, might
be imagined, are quite uneven. To
some extent age has done this but,
since So mills were unknown when
this old house was new, It is not i'm
probable that the floors never were
laid witch the aid OF the level. The
floors Of the different parts of the
house are not always upon the same
level. For example, the floor of the
kitchen is a foot or more lower than
that Of the lean-to. A door commu-
nicates between the two rooms, and
the step, formed from log OF hcwn
oak, is worn deeply with The footsteps
OF genera tons. What field for
imaginative thoughts here, and how
one may picture to himself the babe,
the little child, the youth, the young
man or maiden, the man or woman
OF mature years, the feeble graudslre,
each in turn, through these many
many years, pressing the foot upon
this very spot, until a iurrow has
been worn by the touch. A Haw
thorne might do justice to such a
theme.
The rooms above quiteas inter
esting as those below. They are
reached by narrow winding stair
way, one side Of which is formed by
the rough, upholstered bricks OF the
great chimney. The upper story OF
the wing Of the house, said to have
been built for John Fairbanks and
his bride, is specially quaint. This
wing is three steps higher than the
main part of the house In the upper
part the chamber occupies the whole
wing and is of fair height, for the
gambrel gives good head room"
Below, small chambers partitloned
off from the main room by board
partition only. In this chamber is a
fireplace that was once surrounded
with blue Dutch tiles, OF which few
still remain. Everywhere through
out the house are seen the great heWn
oak timbers, uncovered by plastering
and often ornamented by rude cary
ings. All these are, Of course, dark
brown with age. It's queer, quaint
old dwelling, such a dwelling as
might well have been the scene OF he
romance of the House OF Seven Ca
bies, )" for seven there surely are, and
even more. But there is no cob
webbed room opening outWardly
like that where Hepzibah kept her
humble mart of trade, and there is
no tragedy overshadoWing with its
gloom and horror the "Old Fairbanks
House" Here, from the days OF
Jonathan Fairbanks until now, has
dwelt some one bearing the name o.
its builder. The old homestead has
never until now been alienated from
the family which laid it's timbers anC
built its massive chimney. No mort
gage has ever rested upon it, and al
though little by little the farm land:
about it have been divided amOns
succeeding generations, and, lot by
lot, have slipped away from tn,
original holdings, the ancient dwell
ing has remained in the ownership
and occupancy of a Fairbanks. Owe
the kitchen fireplace hangs the ole
smooth-bore musket that was carried
by one of the family at the seige o
Louisburg. The story of its long life
and of them who have passed ant
repassed its threshold, sat beneatl
the shade of its ancient elms, an,
drank of the water of it's we'll, VIII
shall tell P Boston Advertiser.
Deans Rheumatic Pills absolnteI