The Washington times., 1902-10-26

When we landed he helped me to sell
my Babylonish clothes, except the white
court dress, to which clung with tenac-
ity displeasing to him, and garb myself
in more befitting raiment. By Skene-
donk's hand l sent some of the remain
ing gold coins to my mother Marianne
and the chief. when he rejOined the
tribe and went to pass the winter at st.
Regis. And by no means did l forget
TO tell him to bring me letters from De
Chaumont's manor in the spring, If any
arrived there for me.
| How near to heaven the New England
village seemed, with Mount Tom on the
horizon glorious as Mount Zion, the
mighty sweep of meadow land, the Con-
necticut River flowing in great peace,
the broad street of elms like some gi-
gantic cathedral nave, and in its very
midst a shrine-the meeting house, dou-
le-decked with fantopped windows.
Religion and education were the main
springs of its life. Pastor Storrs work
ed in his study nearly nine hours day,
and. spent the remaining hours in what
he called visitation of his flock.
This being lifted out of Paris and
plunged into Longmeadow was the pour
ing of white hot metal into chill molds.
1t cast me. With a seething and roar
of loosened forces, the boy passed to
the man.
Nearly every night during all those
years of changing. for even faithfulness
has it's tides, 1 put the snuffbox under
my pillow, and Madame de Terriers key
spoke to my ear I would say to myself:
THE one l love gave me this key. Did
ever sit beside her on ledge of stone
overlooking sunken garden?-s near
that / might have touched her! Does
she ever think of the dauphin Louis?
Where is she? Does she know that La
zarre has become Eleazar Williams ~
The pastors house was fronted with
huge white fiuted pillars Of wood, up
holding a porch roof which shaded the
second floor windows. The doors in that
..uuse had a short WASTED effect with
low. ] had a chamber SO clean and
small that / called it in my mind the
monks cell, nearly filled with the high
posted bed, the austere table and chairs
| The whitewashed walls were bare OF
pictures, except a painted portrait OF
Stephen Williams. pastor of Longmead-
ow from 171s to 1888. Daily his laugh
ing eyes watched me as II he found my
rretensions a great joke. He had Il
long nose and high forhead. His black
hair crinkled, and a merry crease drew
its half circle from one cheek around
under his chin to the other.
Longmeadow did not receive me with
out much question and debate. There
were williamses in every direction; dis
guised. perhaps, for that generation, un-
der the names of Cooley, Stebbins, Col
ter, Ely, Hole. and SO on stately sa-
rah Williams, as Mrs. Storrs, sat at the
head Of the pastors table. Her disap-
proyal was a force though it never man
ifested itself except in withdrawal. If
Mrs. Storrs had drawn hack from me
while / lived under her roof / should
have felt an outcast indeed. The sub
tie refinement of those Longmeadow
women was like the hnted sweet
ness of arbutus flower. Breeding
passed from generation to generation.
They had not mixed their blood with the
blood of any outsiders; and their for
bears were English yeomen.
threw myself into books as l had
done during my first months at De
Chaumont's. before / grew to think of
Madame de Ferrier. One of those seven
years / spent at Dartmouth. But ihe
greater part of my knowledge l owe 10
Pastor Storrs. Greek and Hebrew he
gave me to add to the languages | was
beginning to own; and ne unlocked all
his accumulations of learning. 1t was a
monks life that / lived: austere and
without incident, but bracing as the air
of the hills. The whole system was
monastic, though abomination alighted
ON that word in Longmeadow. l took
the discipline into my blood. 1t will go
down 20 those after me-
There a man had to walk with God
whether be wanted to or not.
Living was inexpensive, each Item
being gauged by careful housekeeping. 1t
was a sin 10 gorge the body, and godly
conversation was better than abundance.
Yet the pastors tea table arises with a
halo around 1t. The rye and Indian
bread, the doughnuts fragrant as flow
ers. the sparing tea. the prim mats
which saved the cloth, the wire screen
covering sponge cake-how sacred they
seem!
The autumn that cane tc Longmead-
ow. Napoleon Bonaparte was beaten on
the sea by the English, but won the bat
tie of Austerlitz, defeating the Russian
coalitio;. and changing the map of Eu-
rope.
| felt sometimes -uppet while this
man played his great part. 1t was no
comfort that others OF my house were
nothing to France. Though did not see
Louis Philippe again, he wandered in
America two or three years, and went
back to privacy.
During my early novitiate at Long
meadow. Aaron Burr's conspiracy went
to pieces, dragging down with it that
pleasant gentleman, Harmon Blenner-
hassett. startling men like Jackson, who
had best befriended him unawares. But