nds. The bays and
rivers, the winding creeks that crept through the green marsh grass, the
long low shores held no presentiment of the great city that was to be.

Although people groaned over hard times and talked of war, still the
town kept a thriving aspect. Men were at work leveling Beacon Hill.
Boylston Street was being made something better than a lane, and Common
Street was improved. Uncle Winthrop said next thing he supposed they
would begin to improve him and order him to take up his house and walk.
For houses were moved even then, when they stood in the way of a street.

The earth from the hill, or rather hills, went to fill in the Mill Pond.
Lord Lyndhurst had once owned a large part, but he had gone to England
to live. Charles Street was partly laid out--as far as the flats were
filled in. It was quite entertaining to watch the great patient oxen,
which, when they were standing still, chewed their cud in solemn content
and gazed around as though they could predict unutterable things.

From the house down to Common Street was a kind of garden where Cato
raised vegetables and Miss Recompense had her beds of sweet and
medicinal herbs. For then the housekeeper concocted various household
remedies, and made extracts by the use of a little still for flavoring
and perfumery. She gathered all the rose leaves and lavender blossoms
and sewed them up in thin muslin bags and laid them in the drawers and
closets.

And, oh, what roses she had then! Great sweet damask roses, pink and the
loveliest deep red, twice as large as the Jack roses of to-day. And
trailing pink and white roses climbing over everything. Aunt Elizabeth
said Miss Recompense could make a dry stick grow and bloom.

Uncle Winthrop found a new and charming interest in the little girl. She
was so fond of taking walks and hearing the legends about the old
places. She could see where the old beacon had stood when the place was
called Sentry Hill, and she knew it had been blown down in a gale, and
that on the spot had been erected a beautiful Doric column surmounted by
an eagle, to commemorate "the train of events that led to the American
Revolution and finally secured liberty and Independence."

But the State House had made one great excavation, and the Mill Pond
Corporation was making others, and they were planning to remove the
monument.

"We ought to have more regard for these old places," Uncle Win used to
say with a sigh.

Cary had not been a com