Evening star., 1918-12-01

Col. Daniel McCarty and Sarah Ma.
son Of Cedar Grove, Fairfax county.
The old farm of that couple and their
tween Sugarland run and Broad run.
Near the little chapel by the roadside
at Daysyille, on the Washington and
Leesburg pike, q rough dirt road
turns from the pike toward the river
and leads through those lands.
The Rambler has knocked about
over that old farm and made photo-
graphs of the venerable houses still
standing on 1T, but has never yet
gotten around to the pleasant work
of writing the story of the place.
There were still two other children
of Thomas Ludwell Lee of Cotton.
One of these was Catherine, who died
single, and the other was named sgd
ney. Very little has been preserved
concerning them. The belief Is that
Sydney was a girl, and 1t is also
thought that she died without mar
rying.
4: ).
Where the Rambler entered the
Leesburg pike from the road which
lfe had travelled from the little rail-
road station called Belmont Park, a
turn to the left and a walk of half a
mile or SO would have brought him
to the new house of Cotton, which at
that point is in plain sight. A turn to
the right-that is, to the east-would
point the way to Belmont house and
he took that turn. There is an up
slant to the pike along that part of its
course and the road is hemmed In by
woodland. To the east one sees only
the long stretch of gray road which
seems to lead into the sky, but of
m fv.ax xySa1a \, Cot,
Of experience and worldly sense
knows that that junction Of the road
and sky is but the crest Of the grade
he Is climbing and that from that
point the old road will run level or
perhaps start down hill again. To the
rise above the west side of Goose
creek, and miles beyond them the
Catoctin mountains stand up bold and
blue, the dominant note in the land
scape Tor miles around. 1T Is not @
lonely road along this part of the way.
to the footpath and befog him with
dust. The telegraph wires sing their
weird song in the autumn wind The
poles and their twelve strands OF
wire are feature Of the road. Per-
haps one may fall to wondering as to
through those wires and what manner
Of people are sending and receiving
them. OF course, the Rambler knew
that above his head were rushing
messages that carried bliss or misery
to many, many folk.
of the upgrade you find the country
on both sides Of the road open and
there the view expands. On the right
are wide fields In which cows are graz
ing. Five or six hundred yards back
from the road. and on the right, gently
a 1on hi l,ri1l
stands there under guard Of old oaks
and tall. dark cedars that are at
least as old and perhaps older than
the oaks. The front of the house is
dark and shadowy, for it faces to the
north. and at this season the sun
in the north gloom that shrouds the
front OF the house you can make out
two tall trees that from their form
you believe to be spruces, and by each
side of the entrance to the old house
is tall and rotund growth Of green
cry which you believe must be box
trees. or, as they are usually called In
this country, box bushes" And as
you como close to the old house you
know that this is SO. This house OH
cedars is Belmont. 1t is the same
house which you saw .w,lilo standing
in that grove which through each
year, and year after year, throws its
deep and lonely shadow over Belmont
Chapel and the little cemetery that
is a thick tangle of periwinkle.
You pass two stone gateposts. a
wire gate swings there. and road
leads from the gateposts straight
across the fields toward the house on
tho ridge. That road was planted
with trees, but it has been aban-
doned. And this was not very long
ago, for the trees are young and
the stone gateposts are now. The
road Is now as grassy as the fields
and the cows Craze there peacefully
and we'll, observing no distinction be-
tween road and field. Farther on Is
wide. opening in the wire fence
which bounds this property. Through
that opening a roadway of tar and
screening, somewhat broken by frost
and thaws. leads to the foot of the
ridge. Along the base of the ridge,
and separating the park around the
house from the pasture. Is a five
board fence brightly whitewashed.
AS the Rambler passed that fence
a gray crane, long of leg and with
a patch Of red plumage on his nape,
came out as If to meet him. Then
and cavorted, as though dancing the
tango or the foxtrot, just as do those
cranes In the zoo, at whose antics
children laugh with glee If q turkey,
guineakeet. duck or chicken had sud-
denly come forth, the Rambler would
have felt no inward disturbance, but
to be suddenly confronted, on an old,
historic and respectable Virginia farm
by a long-legged crane with red
feathers at the back of his head was
q different matter. From that white