The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-05-02
SPIRIT OF washington
Continued from Fourth Page.

did not seem as much impressed as he
had been by the portrait of that lady
after she became his wife. After CLAN
cling at many of the objects in the
room, he assembled the stairs into the
second story and entered the chamber
which had once been occupied by Mrs.
Washington. He gazed about with
great interest.
"Not as it used to be, )" he said,
mot as it used to be; but how much
there that | remember. All, indeed! 7"
he exclaimed, moving toward a tall
glass case. eff | am not mistaken
this is the suit of clothes which I
wore when I was inaugurated as
President of the United States; yes,
I am sure it is the same. I wore it
frequently afterward, and how often
have remarked to Mrs. Washington
thatsseveral of the buttons were sadly
frayed. 1t would have been we'll had
she repaired them, and doubtless this
would have been done had she known
that the garments would have been..so
conspicuously displayed. I must now
visit my own bedroom. He crossed
the hall. "It does not remind me
now of sleeping apartment, said
he, "but of course it's present use is
in the highest degree commendable. +"
Perceiving an old spinnet standing
near the window, smile appeared
upon his face. "How often I have
been solaced," he said, in hours of
depression and WEAKNESS, perhaps not
by that instrument of music, but by
some other extremely like it. This
was constructed, see, by Mr.. Aston
of London; he was good artisan
with deserved reputation. Some
members of his family ,came to this
country, believe; I hope they have
prospered. -
I replied that the Astors had done
very well, very we'll indeed but any
further remarks upon the subject
we're interrupted by expressions of
great satisfaction from my compan-
ion, who had discovered in case a
copy of an Imitation of the Psalms
by DR.. Watts.
81 used that volume, sir, he said !;
Gotten and often have I turned it's
pages. 1t is amazing, positively
amazing, that these objects should
have been preserved in such manner.
Certainly there is no house else with
in the confines of this country except
ing, of course my own home at Mount
Vernon, where l could find so many
articles which had once been my pro-
perty or which belonged to the period
of our great war"
Here my conscience impelled me to
make remark, and stated that an
other house which he had once occu-
pied as his Headquarters was also
preserved as a memorial of the Rev.
olution.
Where is that?" he asked. SAT
Newburgh on the Hudson, replied.
"Newburgh, " said he. gently tap
ping his forehead with his right
finger, "Newburgh on the Hudson
Did ever reside there?"
I fastened to inform him that such
had certainly been the case.
"Ah we'll, said he, sit may be so,
but the fact had slipped my memory.
But it will be impossible for me ever,
ever to forget this house, and what I
have seen in it tonight "Can you
tell me, sir, to whom the nation, I may
say at present the world, owes this
most admirably arranged collection?"
/ replied that this patriotic enter
prise owed its success to the labors
and generous contributions of many
gentlemen of this town and State, and
that the present great value and in
terest of the house and contents is
due in large degree, to the contri-
buttons and to the admirable direc-
ton and management of our Presi-
dent, Mr.. Jonathan W. Roberts.
He must be good man" ejacu
lated my companion, and in this ex-
preston of opinion heartily agreed
with him. For some time longer we
wandered through the house, but did
not tarry anywhere except among that
invaluable collection of letters and
manuscripts which fills one of our
rooms. AT many of these my COM
panion fingered as if it were impos-
sible to tear himself away; sometimes
merely CHANGING at the signatures of |
the papers, and sometimes reading the
whole of them. / silently watched |
him as he bent over them. At last
he stood up and said:
II must away; tbs long past mid
night. What 1 have found has at
tracted me so greatly that I have for
gotten my stay should not be unduly |
prolonged, And having said this |
he passed out of the house; how, | !
knew not.
speedily emerged after the Pulas-
XII fashion, and discovered the stately |
figure on the lawn.
II must take one more look at the
old house. SIR he said, from the |
opposite side of the road. - There we
soon found ourselves. The moon was
sinking and subdued and spectral
light overspread the landscape.
'It is seldom, sir, said my com
panion, that 81 now visit the scenes
of my former life but after my ex-
periences tonight, l know that shall
raturn bitbnr 7 sbo1l op+or +ho4 ia |