West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-08-07

enough and then dosCribc his feelings
TO an amanuCn>is Imagine the ScuSa-
ton that one of these modern. sawed on
cottages would create hundred wears
from now, iii should ~urviNC' But that
Is impossible, The only cheerful feature
OF the whole matter is that these Great
urcs of diSorlinary imagination must
soon pass away and tho bright sunlight
OF hard-horSc sense shine in through the
shattered dormCrs and gables and
gnawcd-on architecture of the average
summer resort A friend of miuC "A
few days ago showed me his new house
with much pride He asked me what
thought of IT, Itold him liked it first
rate Then went homo and wcpt all
night 1t was my first falschoOd
The house, taken * n whole. looked
TO me like skating rink that had start
eel out To make money and then sud
dcnly changed its mind and resolved to
become tauncry. Thcu ten feet hirh-
er IL had lost all sclf-rcSpcct and bios
somcd into a tull-srown drunk and dis
orderly surrounded bv the smoke
stack of a foundry and with the bright
future of thirty DAYS ahead with the
chain gang. That's the way it looked
TO me-
The roofs werc made of little odds
and ends of miSit raftcrs and distorted
shingles that somebody had purchased
at sheriff IS sale. and the rooms and
stairs were giddy in the extreme. |
went in and ramblcd around among
the crosS-cycd staircascs and night
mares till reason tottCrcd on her throne.
Then ! came out and stood on tho ar
chitcctural wart called the side porch to
get fresh air This porch was painted
dull red, and il had wooden roScttcs
at the corners that looked like a bran
new carhunClc ON the nose of "A social
wreck. Farther up on the dcmorallzcd
lumber pile saw, now and then. places
whore the workman mind had wan
dcrod, and he had nailed on his clap
boards wrong side up and then painted
them with Paris green that he had in
tended to use for something else. II was
an odd looking structure, indced II
my friend got all the material for moth
ing from people who had fragments Of
paint and lumber left over after they
failed, and then if the workmcn con
structcd IL nights for mental relaxation
and intellectual rcposc, without charge.
OF course the scheme was financial
success. but architccturally tho house
IS gross violation of the statutes i'm
such cases made and provided. and
against the peace and dignity of the
State
There is a look Of extreme poverty
about the structure which "a man might
struggle for years TO acquire and thon
fail. No one could look upon it with
out feeling IA hcartache for the man who
built that house, and probably strug
gicd ON year after year, building il a
little at "a timo, as he could steal tho
lumber, getting II new workman each
year, building a knob here and pro-
tuberance there, putting i'm q threc-cor-
ncrcd window ut one point, and vel
low tile or II yard of broken glass or
other debris at another patiently filling
in around the ranch with old rubbish
that other people had cot through with.
and painting it as he went along, tax
ing what was left i'm the bottom of the
pots after his ncighbors had painted
their bObstays or their tree boxes little
favors thankfully rcceived-and then
surmounting the whole pile with n pot
pourri of roof, a grand farewell incubus
of humps and hollows for the ruin to
wander through and seek out the differ
cnt cells where the lunatics live who
luudbli IT,
did tell my friend one thing that I
thought would improve the looks of his
house. He asked me eagerly what il
could be / said II would take man
of great courage to do it. for him He
said he didn't caro- for that He would
do il himself If it only needed ono
thing he would never rest till he had H..
whatever it might be. Then told him
Fl.r.e L.. L.. 4 l. q
trust-whO would steal in there some
night while the family were away and
scratch a match on the leg Of his
brccches or on the brceches OF any
other gentleman who happened 10 bo
present, and hold il where 1t would ig-
mite the alleged house, and then remain
near there TO see that the fire depart
mcnt did not mcddle with IL, ho would
confer great favor ON one who would
chccrluily rotaliatc i'm kind ON call -
BW Nyc, H 1OieiO Bi0dc