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Tee Pie pMon? SEC rron lise a history and though in wooing the Lady Spotswood he met vigorous opposition from her children, the following bit of a letter proves that his cause was plead well: ‘“‘Madam: By diligently perusing your letter, I see that there 1s a material argument, which I ought to have answered, upon which your strongest objections to completing my happiness seems to depend, viz.: That you would incur ye censures of ye world for marrying a person of my station; by which I understand that you think it a diminution of your honour and ye dignity of your family to marry a person in the state of aclergyman. Now, if I can make it appear that the ministerial office is an employment in its nature ye most honourable, and in its effects ye most beneficial to mankind, I hope your objections will immediately vanish, you will keep me no longer in suspense and misery, but consummate my happiness.” That the gentleman of the cloth won his suit, history well knows and though he was the master of Horseshoe but a short while, his name and that of his Lady will always add lustre to the old place. From the Thompsons the estate went to William Morton from whom it passed to Charles P. Moncure, who, in 1859, built the splendid house that is much admired today. Overlooking a bend of the Rapidan River, the form of which gave the estate its name, the white columned house stands upon a slight rise of ground. An avenue of over-arching trees leads up to it from the high road, and immediately around it, on all sides of the lawn, venerable shade trees spread their branches. A wide porch upheld by lofty columns, proves the southern front of the house, the walls of which are of brick washed with buft cement. ‘The interior presents an effect of spaciousness. A wide entrance hall opens into a stair hall which runs at right angles across it and separates the two rear from the two front rooms. Where these halls join are pilasters which seem to permit the use | of a paneled wainscot around the walls. To the right of the entrance door is the office; to the left, the morning room. Passing [261 |
