The Grit-advocate., 1906-06-15


beautiful houses in Brooklyn that
bear For Sale signs in their win
dows. There are three disconsolate
young architects who built these
houses, but who never go near them.
And in little three-room flat in the
Flatbush district Mr.. ana Mrs. Give
Stevenson are happy.
1t was for Mrs. Give Stevenson that
the three bones were built-or rather
tor Miss Helen Strain. Or rather, to
be exact, one was built for Mrs. Hen
ry L. Ryder, another for Mrs. Noble
4. Shaw, and yet another for Mrs. NJ.
L. Pettingill. But then Mrs. Steven
son. Miss Strain, Mrs. Ryder, Mrs.
Shaw and Mrs. Pettingill are all the
same person. She was Miss Strain,
she became Mrs. Stevenson, and the
three architects who built the three
houses expected her to become Mrs.
Ryder, Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Pettingill
Was Spoiled Beauty.
Miss Strain was a beauty, and Mrs.
Stevenson is beauty, and she would
have been a beauty if she mad become
Mrs. Ryder, Mrs. Shaw or Mrs. Pet
tingill. And, being beauty, she was
spoiled, although few months ago
1t would have been hard to convince
Stevenson, Ryder. Shaw or Pettingili
that she was spoiled-or anything else
than the personification of perfection
in femininity-and Stevenson still be-
lieyes she is perfect. She is now %
years old, tall, slender, graceful, and
as pretty as girl may be.
She was the daughter of BENJAMIN
.Strain-he signs it Benj.-wno is a
contractor and builder living on East
ern parkway. Her mother died when
the girl was small. She was raised
by her father. assisted by housekeep-
ers. who bowed down before Miss
Strain, and the father granted her
every desire. She was sweet tenn
pered, good natured, merry, lovable
girl-especially lovable-as is proved
by the experiences of Stevenson, Ry-
der. Shaw and Pettingill, but, having
had her own way all her life, she con-
tinued to have it.
"'Bossed the Ranch"
She was sent, when II years of age,
to an exclusive school in New York.
and two years later she returned to
her fathers house finished" as far
as education was concerned She
knew but few of the girls OF the neigh
ri IL;
ly among her fathers friends and
business associates whom she met at
the house. Sne presided over her IA
theirs establishment, lavished her al
lowance on dress, and "bossed the
RANCH" as she expressed it.
1t happened that one Of her chief
delights was to ride with her father
in his light runabout while he visited
the houses he was building, and in
this way she impressed her image
upon scores Of hearts in many parts
of Brooklyn. Her father, who still re-
Sarded her as ''h.s baby and forgot
that she had grown up and become a
beautiful young woman, was puzzled
because SO many of the young archi-
tects and builders that he met in a
business way came dropping into his
house in the evenings to talk over un.
Important matters Of business with
him, and then promptly forgot why
they had come and turned the music
at the piano while Miss Strain played
And among those that came were
Noble T. Shaw, Henry l.. Ryder and
Myron L. Pettingll-all fair to good
looking, and all young contractors
who were getting foothold. and who
through their business dealings with
Benz. Strain, had met and fallen in
.love with his daughter.
1t wasn't long before even Benjamin
Strain realized that the young men
did not come to talk business. and
he dropped out of sight or went into
the library to smoke his pipe when
they called, instead of discussing ma
terials, specifications and labor with
them
During last summer Miss Strain
went to her fathers summer home
down Long island, and it was druine
her stay there that she received three
proposals. Each of the young men
knew of the intentions of the others
and they were vastly jealous of each
other, but the girl showed no prefer.
ence.
Her answer to the proposals was
unique. She did not refuse or accept
any of them. She simply stated thai