Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1929-04-04
The Wdyside Inn !,
near Sudbury. Mass.

Howe and the three Howes who succeeded him.
After the tavern furnishings were sold at auction.
Tile sign hung In Its place for several years. Then
some students, out ON lark, carried 1t away and
farmer who had rented them a sleigh found 1t
IN the sleigh after they had returned the
vehicle. He put the sign in his hayoft and there
1t remained until Mr.. Ford started the restoration
of the inn and sought 1t out
When Mr.. Ford decided to reconstruct the Inn
he used as the tasis for his work these lines
from Longfeows poem:
The nre-1ight. shedding over all
The splendor of its rudy glow
Filled the whole parlor, large and low.
It CLEANED on wanscot and wall
It touched with than wonted grace
Fair Princess Marys painted face.
1t bronxed the rafters overhead
On the old spinets ivory keys
It played inrudible melodies.
Il crowned the somber clock with fame
The hands, the hours the makers name
And painted with a liveer red
The landlords coat-of- arms again;
And flashing on the window pane
Embazoned with It's light and shade
The 1oval rhymes that still remain
Writ here century ago
BY the great Major Molineaux,
Whom Hawthorne has immortal made,
So far as 1t was possible, first buyers and later
buyers of objects In the inn were traced and one
by one as many. OF these objects as could be
found were purchased and brought back to the
inn. "The bronzed rafters overhead OF course
remained fixed In their place. 1.-THE somber clock
crowned with flame" stands today reaching almost
from the floor to the ceiling and the present day
visitor may see for himself "the hands the hours.
the makers name"-Edward Faulkner London
clock-maker Of the middle Eighteenth century
Fair Princess Marys painted face" hangs on the
wall near the fireplace, still touched with more
than wonted grace" Near by the landlords
nv Tho ANA
spnet' has not yet been recovered, although the
owner Of the original is known and Mr. Ford still
hopes to obtain 1t. However, another OF the same
period stands In Its corner
All OF these are In the front parIor which Is TO
the left OF the doorway and Is called the "Iong-
fellow ROOM" On table more than two hundred
years old lies a book opened at the lines spoken
above. The window on which the great Major
Molineaux, whom Hawthorne has immortal made.n
cut his verse with diamond ring was lost many
years ago, But two Of the panes Of glass have
been preserved and are carefully framed. The
"Jovia. rhymes which the major writ near a
century ago. were as follows:
what do you think
Here If good drink
perhaps you may not know It.
IL not In haste
Do stop and taste
You merry folks will show H.
The tap room where could be obtained the
majors good drink" is opposite the Longfellow
room. The ancient bar, conveniently high for the
elbow, but without the foot rail- of later period
still stands as It did In Longfeows day On the
shelves behind the spot where "mine host" stood
are bottles and jugs Of various kinds OF course
there are no bottles to be opened nowadays 80
that these empty relics are all that remain to |
tell OF this adjunct to the joviaity OF the eroun
which gathered around the fireplace In the tan |
room to sip and smoke and talk Nearby stIll |
hangs the "pipe tongs" d long implement Ike |
pair of scissors with which the guest, without |
bending his back, might reach into the fire. nick |
out glowing conf and light his pipe
On the walls OF the Longfelow room hang the |
portraits OF some Of these guests made famous
by LongfelloW, In assigning them parts In the
ssfales Of Wayslde Inn" Among them are Ole |
Bull, the vionst; Professor Treadwell, the
theologlan; Isaac ElrehL "the Spanish Jew.
Luigi the Slcllian," then Harvard professor
and Thomas w. Parsons. the poet
Another OF the rooms s called the "Washing
ton room because OF the tradition that George
Washington spent night there on bis way to
take command OF the Continental army ut Cam
bridge,
On the third floor which was the old garrett
there are rooms for about twenty guests Here the
motorists OF today sleeping beneath the caves as
travellers OF an earlier day before slept may .taks
mime ease In mine Inn" and he grateful to the
ninth lnndlnrd" OF The Ned Horse tavern for thls
opportunity to enjoy the practical tlso gr nm
American shrine because Amlne host, III today ia
Henry Ford