m the dear romance that
to her fancy was all about fair Ingleside.

Because, from the time that she had been brought to Slipside Row, when
a bright little child of eight years, with a keen imagination and great
love for all that was tasteful and beautiful, it had become the greatest
charm she had ever known to race, whenever she could, through Lover's
Lane and Shady Path, to some part of Ingleside.

Now, when it is told that the great house, the immense garden, the
fields, stables, cabins, store-sheds, and far-reaching plantation of
Ingleside formed the mansion and estate of one Colonial "place," you
will understand that it was the home of a Southern planter.

For Maid Sally lived more than a hundred years ago, and in truth nearly
half as long again. And Slipside Row was in the smiling South, on the
border of Williamsburg, a town of the colony of Virginia. And the seat
of government for all the colonies of America was at Williamsburg in
those days. But there were few large towns anywhere in the country then.

It was common at that time for a man to own so large a place that it had
a name of its own, and was a settlement of itself. Sir Percival
Grandison, the master of Ingleside, had come from England, and as he
wanted his place to remind him of the old country, he called it
Ingleside. For in the sweet Scotch tongue, "ingleside" means "fireside,"
or ingle may mean fireplace, or chimney-corner; so you see it gave a
home feeling to the place, calling it "Ingleside."

There was a large garden before the house, so wide and deep that quite
a walk it was up the path of pebbles from the gate to the house. Here
were great flower-beds, bordered around with thick green box, or with
fragrant little pinks, or, perhaps, with tufts of white sweet alyssum.
And here were all kinds, also, of rich, old-fashioned blooms: roses of
damask, moss roses, the flush multiflora, and china rose; blush roses,
wee Scotch roses, and the sweet white garden rose; great peonies,
pink and red, sweet-william, marigolds, phlox, both pink and white,
bachelor's-buttons, columbine, oleanders, large white magnolia blossoms,
cockscomb, prim and fine, poppies, asters, portulacas, prince's-feather,
snowballs, dahlias, and lilies of many kinds.

Dear, dear! how could one ever begin to tell of the loveliness and
perfume of just one old-time garden, mignonette, fuchsias, heliotrope,
and geraniums sending out their strong, delightful tints and fragrance
with the