Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-07-25
\ U1NED houses and abandoned
J homes tell sad stories. and the
Rambler when he comes upon
p these heanS of debris or de-
JlIi\

q - these heaps of debris or de-
serted and decaying places that once
were homes yields to feeling Of lone
illness sorrow, or at least to some
emotion that is anything but gay. Yet
the cloud or spell that comes upon one
In the presence of these desolate places
is not altogether unpleasant. 1t IS a
common thing in the country for houses
TO burn down and for homes to decay.
The people who lived there last are
probably living farther up or down the
pike, or they may have moved into an
other county. or. what is usual and llke-
~. they have moved to the city
to try their fortune there and usually
to have a harder lot than was theirs
In the country.
You know that you may be thinking
more sentiment about the heaps or
brick and ash or the warped ana rott!nE
timber than the people are thinking
who lived there. vet you cannot heip
doing it, probably because you do not
want to help doing it. There IS realiE
luxury in getting far away LIon
other people and INDUCING IN nttie
vein of happy melancholy This state
Of mind is not apt to last long II you
are in good health, and the pleasure or
conjuring up ghosts AROUND tnese
ruins will soon pail and you Will siaois
However it is hard not to fall to THINK
ing that this bit of desolation was once
called home by men and women ana
that these walls and roof. II there is
roof, sheltered people who had tneir
little ambitions and jealousies. their
perplexities, disappointments and prop
lens which seemed important at the
moment but were trif1es after all.
-
II is remarkable how many relics OF
homes dot the country around WASH
ington and how many YOU may see II
you have an eve for such things IL
Is not SO remarkable. though. when
you reflect that this section has been
quite thickly settled for going on 3oo
years, that fire takes heavy toll OF
houses in the country, and that the I'M
print or the impress Of that home on
the landscape may remain many. many
years after every vestige of the build
ings has disappeared "
There is no rule which can De ialo
down for the recognition or identinca-
ton of these spots. but the arrange
ment of the locust trees, the plack
walnuts. the cherry and apple trees. d
big bush, a bit of box or arbor vitae
a garden rose run wild. Jonquli.
patch of blue forget-me-nots or some
thing of that kind may Indicate tnal
the spot was a human naoltatioii-
There are also other signs. One is
the broad-leaf plaintain. which Is
very common weed It came from Eu-
rope with the early adven1urers or I'M
migrants. and it always TOOK ioos
where Europeans lived. the Indians
called IL the white mans footprint, or
something like that. for wherever the
white man settled the broad-leaf plan
tain grew around his house. And IT ls
sturdy and persistent weed, wnlch
clings to the spot for many genera
tions after the home and its people
have persisted. Another OF these ten
tale plants is the common mallow:
which children call by the name OF
dolls cheeses" There may have been
q country home without some dolls
cheeses" in the yard. but the Rambler
has never seen one. and they keep on
growing there after the house mas re
the weeds-jicpson weed. poke perry
and wormseed-will be taller and
ranker than in other places.
The trace of what was road, rev
trees that show they were part OF
'walk' or avenue. may give you the
clue You may even find brick that
was part of the chimney or founda-
tion. or a bit of glass or broken po.
tery. Pillow over the site Of house
in the country, and relics of this kind
wifi remain in the fields for hundred
wears, though perhaps considerably re-
moved from the spot over winch tne
house stood A spring with the reno
of a springhouse, or pit that was
cellar, or a well caved in may ten you
the story that people once dwen mere re
Last Sunday the Rambler rode In the
direction of Great Falls as far as Belle
yiew and then followed a well tray
eied dirt road to where 1t entered tine