The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-05-25


v Sass @e q 1910 at tbs
Of The Beeches house, had lived twenty years
without in the least suspecting that she was born
artist She became aware of 1t at last through her
mother She made little crayon sketch OF the
creek and the bridge below the house. and the mother
had scarcely glanced at it when she said:
Well this settles 1t. We will sell the place and
move into the city where attend an art
school,"
The daughter hesitated until she had made
other aketch-this time of old stub in field
last Then the mother said such talent must be
cultivated. no matter what the cost-the cook said
that the woodpecker looked natural an old hen
and the hired any one who took that
cid stub for weeping willow would have to settle
with him.
You go right over to Rose Manor tomorrow morn
ing and put the property in the hands of real estate
thing was looked upon as good as settled America
was signing for more landscape artists and she
SHOULD have at least one recruit
Miss Melincent had electric runabout 1t was
brought out for her next morning and she started
for the village of She remembered having seen
very small real estate man and very large sign
On street corner and she decided to eau upon upon
dull in the market just then she would call on
bigger man with smaller sign
She making good time over the smooth pike
and wondering whether to ask $4,000 or $4,000 for
the property when the unexpected happened.
Mr. Eugene Bamferd had returned from Europe
He fairly rich and fairly lazy He was no ar
ttst hut he knew when hts coat set well. He did
not know wood pecker from a robin. but he could
an automobile Just then he was visiting a sister
at Rose Manor and driving himself around the coun-
try less He this morning He
thought all the of the United States sitting
In its back dooryard. and in making turn in the
read he did not decrease speed. he did not
slider his risht-hand side from his left
Miss Melincent was In hurry TO get to that real
once. Thousands Of would-be buyers of manor
houses might be waiting there She was gorg pretty
fast when she reached the turn She might nave been
the right side the wrong side or In the Mode
| entitled the benefit OF the doubt in sueh cases
Presently there shout from Mr. Eugene Ram
ford And there was scream from Miss Meiinoent
Davis!
Then. a turn of the wheel and both ran into the
ditch and things crashed and snapped and srnterea
Both machines were damaged-~hers worse than his.
but no one Mr.. Bamford gentleman
enough ask If she was mortaily in1ured-to insist
that 1t was all his fault-to present MS raFa-to
climb the roadside fence for her hat-to declare that
no would all damages and to ask II he couidns
/ take home His machine had lost lamps ana hlud
guards ept was still in running order
hystertcky way. "but was going to Rose Manor
sell some real estate It may go down In price now.
TOO bad bad think can tow your ma
chine home behind mine and then will send sonis-
body to repair It. o.,o- r-,r =. ct~,rno,,.nt
She said ought to sell within an hour"
Mr. Bamford had several good looking girls
| case however things were different II they hadn't
been he wouldn't have coughed and hiushed anf s'a-
mered out:
| "why-why am a real estate agent myself X
you have property sell-that is. sou have props
erty TO dispose of--that is
| why how lucky" she replied. 'Yeu go home
with m and mother and ask her lot ct aucs-
make a sale right on-to-day / you wo are
willing take fair price. 1t isn't possible that
"Yes'ml" he boldly replied. though he wanted TO
club himself the next instant
the house. II you huyf" suggested as 'hey were
ehugging toward The Beeches-
| Veg have changed landscapes.
How splendid, Mamma thinks IL the ereek had
another bend toward the house II would add to tho
| scenery"
IF so FIX it am creek bender That
is. can put all kinds of twists in eresk'
| Young man for a gentleman of leisure and he had
| turned out Do a real estate man. an artist land
| scape gardener and creek twister She was glad
| Of the accident She glad she had not gone on
TO Rose Manor and dealt with the little man with
Mr., Eugene Banaford looked The Bcech-s
through the eyes Of real estate man ana ne iookea
man rapidly falling in love He had the mother to
deal with. however and after spending an hoar iooS
ing over the property and taking his departure she
wen, Mr. Bamford Is the queerest estate man
T ever saw We have four here and he thought
there must be nine He at first thought The place
$1,000 Didn't you hear him speak of the house as
i think the accident must have ratified him.
1T was either that he is Just learning The real
| Mr. Bamford called day and brought q
man to repair the runabout. He wanted to know tina
and looked at the creek needed another twist:
no hunted for landmarks and looked over old deeds
and by and by. he at liberty to look at and
criticize Miss Meincents sketches. He scratched
his and looked very serious and finally asked II
In the other he readily recognized the woodpecker
as a quail
Can you make him QUIT" asked the mother after
he had gone.
why 10 seems to be very nice man" was the
reply.
he's bravely trying to hide the fact from U.S." res
piled the daughter.
In two days Mr. Bamford back to look
those deeds again. On this occasion he decided that
tho creek ought to have two twists In II. He also
called that woodpecker blackbfrd. He thought he
could pay $4,000 cash down for The Beeches, and
then spoke OF buying the nstallment plan Then
he sat for an hour the veranda with Miss Meln-
cent and talked about books and poetry and Europe
to her, and not word OF real estate The next
time he called in he made the excuse that he
Just going past and thought he would stop for a
moment to see IF that creek didn't want many
three twists, but he remained for two hours At his
next call he heard a voice saying tn him:
mfr. Bamford, have heard of your mother ana
heard of you. You real estate agent"
mo. maam.'
"You artist"
maam.