The Story of a Summer

The Story of a Summer

The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Story of a Summer, by Cecilia
Cleveland This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and
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Title: The Story of a Summer Or, Journal Leaves from Chappaqua
Author: Cecilia Cleveland
Release Date: May 1, 2006 [EBook #18297]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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STORY OF A SUMMER ***

Produced by Al Haines

THE STORY OF A SUMMER;
OR,
JOURNAL LEAVES FROM CHAPPAQUA

BY
CECILIA CLEVELAND.

NEW YORK:
G. W. Carleton & Co., Publishers.
LONDON: S. LOW, SON & CO.
M.DCCC.LXXIV.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1874, by
G. W. CARLETON & CO.,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

To
MY DEAR COUSINS,
IDA AND GABRIELLE,
THIS
STORY OF A SUMMER
IS AFFECTIONATELY
Dedicated.

This little volume is in no sense a work of the imagination, but a simple
record of a pleasant summer's residence at Chappaqua, embracing

many facts and incidents heretofore unpublished, relating to one who
once occupied a large portion of the public mind. Believing that it may
interest many who care to know more of that portion of his busy life
which was not seen by the public, but which pertained to his home
circle, the author has been persuaded to print what was written merely
for the amusement of herself and friends.

CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
Return to Chappaqua--A Walk over the Grounds--The Side-hill
House--Our First Sunday at Chappaqua--Drive to Mount Kisco--A
Country Church--A Dame Châtelaine--Our Domestic Surroundings
CHAPTER II.
Arrival of the Piano--Routine of a Day--Morning Toilettes--The
Dining-room--Pictures--Ida and Gabrielle--How occupied--The
Evening Mail--Musical Evening
CHAPTER III.
An Unexpected Visit--Morning Drives--Gabrielle's Ponies--A
Repulsive Object--A Visitor--The King of Sweden's Soup--Advantages
of a Royal Kitchen--Startling Experience--Ida's Letters--Strange
Contents--A Lucky Stone--Request for a Melodeon--Offers of
Marriage--Arrival of a Suitor--Reasons why he should marry Ida
Greeley--He proves a Lunatic--He is taken before a Magistrate--He is
lodged in the County Jail
CHAPTER IV.
A Visit from Papa--A Musical Squirrel--Letters--Croquet--Extracts
from Letters--Visitors--The Loss of the Missouri--The True Story of
Ida's Engagement

CHAPTER V.
Sunday in the Country--Proximity of a Meeting-house--How we pass
our Sundays--The House in the Woods--Ida's Glen--Mrs. Greeley's
Favorite Spring--The Children's Play-house--Gabrielle's
Pets--Travelling in 1836--New York Society--Mr. Greeley's Friday
Evenings--Mrs. Greeley as a Bride--Her Accomplishments--A Letter
concerning Mr. Greeley's Wedding
CHAPTER VI.
Visitors--Our Neighbors--The Chappaqua Croquet Club--Gabrielle's
Letter--A Riding Party--Summer Heat--The Music-room--Friends from
the City
CHAPTER VII.
Midsummer Day--An Artist's Visit--Ida's Letter--Moonlight on Croton
Lake--Morning Readings--Plato and Kohlrausch
CHAPTER VIII.
Story-telling--Mr. Greeley's Father--His Personal Appearance--His
Education--A Fine Voice--Mr. Greeley's Mother--A Handsome
Woman--How she is remembered in Vermont--Field
Labor--Bankruptcy--A Journey to Vermont--School Days--The Boy
Horace--How he entertained his Playmates--His First Ball--Separation
from his Family
CHAPTER IX.
A Picnic at Croton Dam--The Waterworks--A Game of Twenty
Questions--Gabrielle as a Logician--Evangeline's
Betrothal--Marguerite's Letter--Description of
Chappaqua--Visitors--Edmonia Lewis
CHAPTER X.

Cataloguing the Library--A Thousand Volumes--Contrasting
Books--Some Rare Volumes--Mr. Greeley's Collection of
Paintings--Authenticity of the Cenci Questioned--A Portrait of
Galileo--Portrait of Martin Luther--Portrait of Mr. Greeley at
Thirty--Powers' Proserpine--Hart's Bust of Mr. Greeley--Mosaics and
Medallions
CHAPTER XI.
The Fourth of July--A Quaker Celebration--The House in the
Woods--Mrs. Greeley's Life there--Pickie--Mary
Inez--Raffie--Childhood of Ida and Gabrielle--Heroism of Mrs.
Greeley--The Riots of 1863--Mrs. Greeley defends her House against
the Mob
CHAPTER XII.
Pen Portraits--Lela--Majoli--Guerrabella and Celina--Their
Characteristics
CHAPTER XIII.
Biography of Mr. Greeley--Gabrielle's Questions--Mrs. Cleveland's
Corrections--The Boy Horace not Gawky, Clownish, or a
Tow-head--His Parents not in Abject Want--Mr. Greeley's Letter about
his Former Playmates--Young Horace and his Girl Friends--He
Corrects their Grammar and Lectures them upon Hygiene--He
disapproves of Corsets
CHAPTER XIV.
The Morning Mail--A Letter to Mrs. Cleveland--Strange
Contents--Ida's Letter Bag--Appeals for Money, for Clothing, and for
her Hand--An Original Letter from a Trapper
CHAPTER XV.

Life in the Woods of Pennsylvania--Journey from Vermont to
Pennsylvania in 1826--Travelling on Canal-boats--Incidents by the
Way--Home in the Wilderness--Aggressions of Bears and Wolves
CHAPTER XVI.
A Birthday--A Surprise--The Day celebrated by a Dinner--An
Awkward Mistake--A Queen of Fashion--A Drive to Tarrytown--A
Poem to Ida
CHAPTER XVII.
Gabrielle and her Embroidery--Life in Pennsylvania
continued--Sugar-making--Horrible Incident--A Woman devoured by
Wolves--A Domestic Picture--Evening Readings--The Library of Mr.
Greeley's Father--Mr. Greeley's Mother intellectually considered--Her
Education--Mr. Greeley's Eldest Sister--She teaches School at the Age
of Twelve
CHAPTER XVIII.
Visitors--A Sunday Drive--Croton Lake by Daylight--A Sail--A
Sudden Squall--Anxiety about our Fate--Miraculous Escape from
Drowning--Arrival of a Pretty Cousin--A Child Poetess
CHAPTER XIX.
Mr. Greeley visits his Family in Pennsylvania--He expounds
Mathematics and Philosophy to his Brother and Sisters--Fishing and
Bee Hunting--Forest Fires--A Subsequent Visit--He returns as Editor of
the New Yorker--He writes the 'Faded Stars'--Characteristics of Mr.
Greeley's Brother--His Children--Mr. Greeley's