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Entered according: to Act of Congress, in June, ISCB, by J. W. Buber k Cos., in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States for the So. District of Georgia.
VOL. II
Written for Burke’s Weekly, j
MOUNTAIN HALL,
A STORY OF THE OLD DOMINION. 1
BY' PHILIP BARRETT,
Author of “ Flowers A?/ the Wayside,” “ The j
Deaf Shoemaker,” “ Gilbert Hunt, the City
Blacksmith,” “ Martin, the Miner-
Boy of Mansfeldt,” etc.
CHAPTER I.
“ The day is done, and the darkness
Falls from the wings of night,
Asa feather is wafted downward
From an eagle in his flight,”— Longfellow.
V A \'.A«
all night long, steadi
hk&M lv all day long, the feathery
F* t» flakes of the virgin snow had j
been falling from the leaden-colored :
clouds, until hill top and plain, mouii- |
tain and valley were covered with a :
beautiful mantle of white.
The wintry wind was moaning with a
melancholy monotone through the tree
tops ; the hail rattled keenly against the
window panes ; and the far-off muffled
sound which came from the mournful
pines, all told too plainly that there was
suffering without, though comfort with
in.
A bright fire was burning cosily and
comfortably on the hearth, and shed its
ruddy glow over a circle of happy young
faces ; the curtains were closely drawn,
shutting out the deep darkness of the
night and the pitiless pollings of the an
gry storm.
Looking on such a picture, you could
but feel the full reality of cold, and want,
and sorrow, as contrasted with warmth
and comfort, and recognize anew the
sacred duty of striving, by all possible
means, to give to every human being a
cheerful home and a happy fireside.
But we have not told you yet awhile
who composed this happy little gather
ing.
Dr. Jones, the owner and occupant of
the comfortable mansion, Mountain
Hall, was the principal figure in the
group. He belonged, in person, dress
and manners, to a class now almost
passed away. He was what was known
as an old Virginia gentleman. In per
MACON, GEORGIA, JANUARY 2, 1869.
XwTmter.
son lie was tall—fully six feet, —and
though at the time our story commen. es,
184 —, he had almost reached the ordi
nary limits of human life, yet he was
as erect a« an Indian. His dress w r as
fjiat of the olden time, —shorts, silk
stockings, pumps, with silver buckles —
boots were considered suitable for hos
tlers, rather than gentlemen. His face
was cleanly shaven, and Ids silver locks, I
combed straight back from his placid
brow, terminated in a queue. IDs man
ners were graceful, polished, easy, ele
gant, marked by almost excessive sim
plicity and courtesy. llis life, from in
fancy, had been one of ease and luxury,
and while manual labor has a dignity j
about it which all must respect, yet it ;
necessarily gives a roughness to the per
son and an awkwardness to the man
ners which are unavoidable. His pa
rents were wealthy, and spared neither
pains nor expense to give him the best
educational advantages winch both this
country and Europe afforded.
He had graduated with high distinc
tion in the medical department of a
Scotch university, but as his ample for
tune was sufficient for him to live in
ease and comfort without the aid of his
profession, he had long since abandoned
its practice. Notwithstanding his great
modesty, yet his merit was of such an
order as to render privacy entirely out !
of the question, and at an early day he i
was elected as a member of Congress
from his district. His unsolicited hon
ors were worn by him with his usual
dignified reserve, though it was then no
easy matter to figure side by side with
Clay, and Calhoun, and Webster, for
■‘there were giants” in those days.
llis high abilities were never prostituted
either to party or sectional ends, and he
bore without reproach “the grand old
name of gentleman.” Returning to the
leaceful quietude of his elegant country
home, he determined to spend his last
days, like the great Washington, in the
dignified pursuits of agriculture.
His companion, who also adhered,
like her noble husband, in a great mea
sure, to the simple style of the olden
ime, both in dress and manners, sat
near his side. 1 f such a thing were pos
sible, she was the more elegant person
of the two. Belonging to one of the
best families of tide-water Virginia, she
had enjoyed the comforts and luxuries
of an ample fortune ; hail never known
my of the drudgery which oftentimes
‘alls to her sex ; possessed a mind of
more than ordinary capacities, which
had been greatly improved by travel,
reading, and the best society of the
land. In person she was far more deli
cate than her husband, and moved about
her domestic matters, “on hospitable
thought intent” as silently as a gently
flowing stream, her presence being
known only by the rich luxuriance of
peace, and comfort, and happiness
which marked her course.
No. 27.