As soon as she
recovered from the first stunning shock of her bereavement, she wrote
to her brother-in-law, soliciting protection for herself and child. To
this the doctor, who, to great austerity of manners, united an
excellent heart, replied by inviting his brother's widow to come to
Virginia, and inclosing the amount of money required to supply the
means. As soon as the old gentleman had done that he began to prepare
for her reception. Knowing that two families seldom get on well
beneath the same roof, and with a delicate consideration for the
peculiar nature of her trials, he wished to give her a home of her
own. Selecting this spot for the beauty and seclusion of its position,
as well as for its proximity to his own residence, he built this
cottage, inclosed it by a neat paling, and planted fruit trees. It was
a very cheerful, pretty place, this neat, new cottage, painted white,
with green window shutters; the white curtains; the honeysuckle and
white jessamine, trained to grow over and shade the windows; the white
paling, tipped with green; the clean gravel walk that led up to the
door, the borders of which were skirted with white and with red roses;
the clusters of tulips, lilies and hyacinths--all contributed to make
the wilderness "blossom as the rose;" and every day the kind-hearted
man sought to add some new attraction to the scene.
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