Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1922-03-11
VIRGINIA In the days Of Wash
u ington,s early manhood: Yir-

VI
ginia with its vast tobacco
plantations sloplng to the river; Its
myriads OF slaves: its great estates
where, loyal to TIE king, the master
was above all else gentleman and q
sportsman and the mistress lady
who directed the affairs of her house
hold with the imperlousness Of a prin-
cess of the blood; Virginia OF stitf
brocades, of hoops and powdered wigs;
land where hospitality ran free aRd
good wine was never wanting such II
the setting chosen by Thackeray for
his sequel to Henry Esmond," the tale
entitled. 1.-THE Virginians."
1t was picturesque period In his
tory, and the author Of the novel was
indeed daring to present to US In the
first pages OF his book George Wash
ington, the young colonial colonel,
who comes hlther in his coach from
his adjoining estate to visit Madam
Esmond. the daughter OF our OLD
friend Henry Esmond at her Ameri-
can home, "Castlewood," and there
meet her nincteen-year-old twin sons
George Esmond Warrington and Harry
Warrington. Hither, also, comes Gen
eral Braddock, the English commander
who expects with the aid Of his forces
to bring about an end to the French
and Indian wars: and In his company
is Benjamin Franklin, the Philadel-
phia printer.
All, Thackeray had courage to pre-
sent to us In the flesh these familiar
ceiebritiesi
But he does 1t delightfully."-.
We see George Washington, fire.
quent and welcome guest at Castle
wood" greeting the Widow Esmond
with friendship so ardent that her
sons, jealous Of every attention paid
their mother, mistake his gallantry for
a tenderer sentiment and are on the
point of challenging the colonel to a
duel when they discover their error.
Afterward George, the elder twin by
the narrow margin Of a half-hour,
goes forth with Braddock and Wash
ington into the campaign that costs
the English general his life, and In
which the kings troops are defeated
by the French and Indians. From
this disastrous pilgrimage Washing
toms young aid, George Esmond War
rlngton, fails to return, and great Is
the grief at "Castlewood." Madam
Esmond repoaches Colonel Washing
ton that he should come back I'M
scathed when her son Is missing. AS
for Harry, the loss Of his elder broth
err so overwhelyns him that 1t Is
deemed wise to send him on sea voy-
age to England In the hope of divert
Ing him from constantly mourning the
twin he so dev0tedly loved.
Hence we next behold Harry at the
home of his English cousins at "Cas-
tlewood" where, we regret to say, he
at first receives but a scant welcome.
My Lord Castlewood and the ladies
would not have tolerated either Harry
or his black servant Gumbo had not
Aunt Bernstein, the Beatrix Esmond of
Harry's grandfather's day, been u
guest at the house. Although the
baroness Is now old and has lost her
beauty she has not lost her money
and because the impoverished Castle
woods are eager to inherit the latter
they dare cot oppose her. She will
hays Harry Warrington welcomed to
the home of his ancestors.
Therefore the young American Il
granted tardy invitation to the fam.
fly estate to which his grandfather
Henry Esmond, although the rightful
heir. waived all claims before emigrat
ing to Virginia.
Harry Is an ingratiating young fel
lcw and his Aunt Bernstein promptly
falls In love with him. urging him Ia
60 with her to Tunbridge Wells, q
fashionable resort. whittier she Is
bound. The shrewd old woman is In
sistent In her demand for she sees thai
tho -insophlstIcated lad has already de-
veloped a passion for the Rt. Hon