The age-herald., 1901-04-21

NN about an old house. It is
 hard to pass without
 specuiating as to its history and the fate of those whom it sheltered. To wander in the old quarter of town brings to mind tales of by gone days. How eloquent and pathetic is the silence of these old mansions az they blink in the sunshine, dreaming of scenes of the past. Once the home of wealth and or | fashion, they come in time to that in- defnable condition of lodgings, or worse still, boarding house
 Some such idea was expressing to my friend Nelson ss we walked along a street in the old quarter of Mobile. wait thing and is sympathetic. admitted that he was often affected the same way.
 There is curious story about that house." said Nelson. pointing out an old house which was a little more pretentious than it's neighbors and probably little older. ''Here comes our car, however. Get on and will tell you about It."
 We boarded the car and he continued,
 Appearances have changed but little in this part of the city. A ghost of the early ffties revisiting the haunts of his youth would feel quite at home. store here and there has had a new front put in, which is usually of inharmonious arr ohitecture and spoils to some extent the general effect of the street, which is ante bellum and even colonial.
 While the houses have remained tho same, times have changed greatly. This section of the city used to be the center of trade and activity. Now all is changed. It's business has vanished to return no more, as surely as the fashions of the day. Those were good times for the merchants and property owners in this part of town-times that were flush. when money came easy and the streets were crowded with commerce and country men.
 "Al the world. or all the little world which made up Mobile in those days, could be seen from the windows of that old house l pointed out Its owner and occupant about the year 1s4- was one Ga briel Matthews, a successful merchant, who had accumulated a small fortune. Gabriel sold groceries and liquor from morn till night. held on to his dollars and lived contented. unaware of any duil- ness or monotony in his life. He had one child, daughter named Mirianne. girl of remarkable beauty and the pride of his life Nothing in Gabriel's opinion was too good for Mirianne. Uneducated. without social position or personal ambi- tion, he was unusually ambitious for his daughter, and spent his money on her freely. She was educated beyond her class, and it was her fathers ambition to provide her with accomplishments that would fit her to adorn any position in society. The result was that Mirianne returning from school at the age of sev- enteen found her former companions course to her refined senses. and without an entre to the society of the day, was practically without friends or compan- ions.
 Love, like measles, comes to all, and like measles usually early in life. On one of her afternoon walks Mirianne met a young man named Wilson. It was a case of love at sight Wilson was TO- mantle looking fellow, but as subsequent events showed, and as Gabriel suspected. utterly worthless. He bitterly opposed the match. but they were married in spite of all obstacles-a runaway marriage with the usual results. aa.
 Gabriel was furious All his ambitious hopes of Mirianne were destroyed. He loudly denounced her. swearing he would never see her again or leave her dollar at his death. He grew morose and bitter, drank hard and in year or two died.
 Shortly after his death Wilson and his wife returned to claim his estate. As Mi rianne was the only heir. her mother hav- ing died in her youth. and no will being found. the estate was administered on, and all the property that could be found was turned over to Wilson for his wife. But Gabriels estate. which had been sup posed to be large, to the surprise oesthe