The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-07-01

one of the Oldest houses in B.
Square, am writing of thirty years
ago, when the occurrence | am about to
relate to you was fresh in every ones
mind. There are scarcely any old
houses in the square now, for as the
leases have fallen In, new mansions
have either been erected or the old
ones have been restored and bemodern-
ICED as almost to count as new habi-
tations. But even so lately as thirty
years ago there were several ancient
tenements still standing. Solemn, Sc
date, and ghostly mansions they for
the most part were, with spacious
apartments and lofty halls, adorned
with Queen Anne holdings and hung
with tapestries of far older date than
that of the good queen who had given
her name to such vast quantities of
modern antique--and, 1 fear, often
jerry -built--structures
Lord Wilmingtons house, at the date
Of the opening of my story, wore an
even gloomier look than was habitual
with it, for my lord and my lady had
been aboad for the last three months,
so Mrs. Mason's, the housekeeper'
football woke the dreariest echoes as
she stepped across the hall on her daily
tour of inspection of the various rooms,
accompanied by Jane Farmer, the up
per housemad. How Mrs. Mason lOnged
for the return of her master and his
young wife may be judged from con-
versation which took place one morn
ing between the old lady and a newly
acquired under housemaid, girl VINO
had only arrived from the country late
the previous night. AS rule person
of such vast Importance as Mrs. Mason
would have considered it beneath her
dignity to converse on terms with such
a chit of a girl as Ellen Parker. But
now everything was changed. The
"season" was long ago over, the au-
tumn was upon them, the wind whistled
dismally through the already half-dis-
mantled trees in the square and Mrs.
Mason was positively glad of the OPP
portunity of speaking to anyone fresh
even to an under housemaid.
"And where have my lord and lady
gone to, m'm?" Ellen venture to ask,
before her first instructions in the du-
ties of her new place had commenced.
."Gone to? Where haven't they gone
to-, my dear? Why to Naples, and Cor
sica, and Rome, and Venice, and-and--
/ don't know where else"
'"And they've been away three months
so Jane Farmer told me-"
"Well, child l was going to say five
years, for it almost seems like that to
me-" replied Mrs. Mason, with a sigh
of resignation: but my almanac says
three months two days. I looked at it
this morning-as | do most mornings,
for the matter o. that--longing for tnei,
return"
ITS pleasanter when they're here, I
'spect?"
"WelI, it couldn't be much dismaler,
could it?. Why, the house is as still
and lonely now as if 1t stood on a
Yorkshire wold instead of in one of
the very best and most fashionable
parts of London. Why, my DEAR here
Mrs. Mason almost assumed conf
Dental tone, you wouldn't know 1t
was the same house when my lord and
my lady are here-such balls, such din
ners, such concerts, such life, and such
msBriment you never saw in all your
life!'
IT'S hard work for servants, then, I
suppose?" Ellen asked, not altogether
disinterestedly.
well, maybe it is," the housekeeper
replied; 'but who minds how hard they
work for such a master and mistress?
I know 1 don't! And 1 don't think
anyone in the house does, either"
II suppose they're quite a young
couple judgin' by their running over
furren parts like that?"
Not a bit of it. That's just the
beauty of it! She-her !advship's
young enough, only "a, but he's fully
twenty years older But bless you, my
dear, that makes no kind of difference.
Whatever she likes, he likes, and what
ever he likes ne tries to like. There
never wa more devoted couple in
this wo :, ] do believed"
"An6 now long will it be before they
return, m'm?" Ellen asked, with some
little curiosity to behold the paragon
master and mistress Mrs. Mason de-
scribed, in spite even of the hard work
their homecoming would entail.
That's a question that's beyond me
to answer, Ellen,' Mrs. Mason replied.
"The lao time heard from her lady
ship was ten days ago when they were
in Switzerland, but were to go on from
there to Paris in a couple of days,
where my lady was to do some shop
ping-that means buy new gowns-.and
heaven only Knows how long thatll
take. She said they might be home
DeloIe very iOnS' put, DleSS yS, tHerS
no dependence to be placed on that.
Instead of going TO Paris at all, she
might take IL into her pretty head to
go up the pyramids instead"
"And his lordship, you say. doesn't
mind these rampagings?"
Mind! Why, If she said, Let's go
on TO the north pole and see if we can't
climb it,. he would answer, well, ny
dear, climbin's not much in my way,
but there's no knowing what une can
do till one tries. Let's go!
Mice to ave a husband like that"
said Ellen, with a sigh for her experi-
ence with her first sweetheart had lot
turned out a complete success
"Ah, but mind you, it's not an on one
side, by any means" Mrs. Mason went