The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1913-08-21
The SUTTONS' HOUSE
BY Z. MCDONALD.


81 still insist" said the woman who
was doing the talking, that was
quite within my rights My husband.
however, is firm In the conviction that
I fatally ruined my reputation for
good breeding. I secretly think that he
believes me now beyond the palel He
10 still at the point where he sputters
whenever allude to the subject
"Of course. would not 60 around
looking into peoples windows In
town. When a person builds q house
In town you know it's his castle and
you haven't any right on the premises
without an invitation, but when he
builds one in the country It 10 q posi-
tive bid for Inspection
Why, a new red barn IL q subject
for dinner table conversation for miles
around In the country and a house 10
a positive godsend. because every
body can explain at length why he
doesn't like II.
The Suttons began building their
house out near the golf links early In
the spring and as It was merely across
the road from the eighth hole II was
quite the thing from the start to take
a recess at that point and cut across
the road and survey the hole In the
ground that was going to be the SUIT
tons cellar eventually. All of US de-
clared every time we looked at II that
the hole was either too big too small.
too shallow or too deep and nothing
could induce US to have a cellar like
It. When the workmen began putting
In the foundations II was even more
exciting. because there are so many
kinds OF foundations. Nobody who
looked at the Suttons' foundations
approved of them.
I'VE all gurgled with Joy when the
uprights marking of the partitions
we're up and we could see where the
rooms we're to be. According to va
rious golf players who dropped over
was q farce, the dining room a crime.
the hall a joke and the bedrooms q
fright. Most people said the house
should have faced east instead Of
west, though there we're a few In ia
vor OF q southern view and some
voted for the north, which gave one
view OF the railway line and let
one keep track Of the trains that went
past
The walls started In cobblestones
and that revived tagging interest. II
some one wasn't telling about q cab
blestone house he knew of that fell
down at the first pun of wind some
one else was explaining how banal
and inartistic cobblestones were now
that they had grown so common. That
the second story was half timbered
only famed the flame. Everybody
who sat around on the terrace to cool
OF after q game got all heated up
again expostulating against the half
timbered style.
"The Suttons' house. in short, was
not a building; II was an institution
without which the golf club would
have fallen fiat. 1t made 1t all the
more comfortable that the Suttons
we're In Europe and the house was
helpless
when the Fielding girls came out
to spend the day at the club with me
what was more natural than that I
should take them over to see the SUIT
toms house? l thought they would
enjoy gloating over its deficiencies.
We tried the front door, but 1t was
fastened and so was that at the
back Evidently the carpenters had
dpicha1 thnir u-nrE apd Loft
Anyhow told the Fielding girls.
I want you to get q glimpse OF the
inside. You never saw the likel'
so we strolled around to the side
and I got box and stood on tiptoe
and fiattened nay face against the liv-
ing room window.
II found myself looking straight
into the interested eyes of perfectly
strange man who seemed very much
at home In a wicker chair beside q
big table heaped with magazines and
books and flowers and surrounded by
| furniture! II you have never peeked
into a room In a house that did not
belong to you and found the owner
regarding you meditatively you cannot
understand my sensations.
my face remained glued to the
pane. because l was too limp to take
1t away. The strange man arose and
| came out at the front door and around
\ to where we trembled and shrank
and regarded US politely. In q voice
strangely not my own l stammered
foolishly that I was showing my
friends the Sutton house. The strange
man then announced that he was Mrs.
suttons brother and living there till
the arrival of the family and he would
be charmed
Were you ever hypnotized' Did
you ever dream Of doing things that
ourdled your soul with shamer Well.
curdled as we trailed after that re-
lentless man. who took US from attic
to cellar and had the cruelty to serve
tea into the bargain and act as though
we had called politely instead Of peek
ing In at windows!
He hadn't any right to revenge
himself SO! The inside of the housed
| Nv daar the hauaa "a a narfanf draa m.