Evening star., 1919-03-16
The Rambler Writes of Old Roads and Lanes

has been torn away, and the outline
of this old part shows against the
house. A deep stone walled pit which
was the cellar beneath the Kitchen
shingle roof il old and very likely
leaky. Some of the window shutters
have been broken or. and many OF
the little square panes Of glass which
ought to be In the windows are not.
The front door was haaf open and the
Rambler went through the hollow. echo
ing rooms. hrst on the ground floor, and
then. after climbing the steep and mar
row stairs. those on the top floor. There.
through the broken windows Of the old
house he looked out upon fine view to
the north and the east. Rain had pour
ed through the open windows and the
floor boards were waterlogged. Plaster.
fallen from the walls and ceiling. Mt-
around. and in It was baby's shoe.
The garden showed that long ago 1t
had been given care. At the north
front Of the house are hve long-leaf
and standing at regular intervals, show
ing that they had been planted there.
Big oaks were also growing there.
Nobody was nearby Of whom the Ram
from certain bits Of evidence and from
facts that the Rambler long ago forgot
but now recollected,, he felt that he
could make a reasonably safe guess as
to the history Of this house. The gar
den sloped down on the north to Cabin
John run. where the course. OF that
stream is east and west. and across the
run is a long. low stretch OF the River
road. The old house is clearly visible
from the road in winter. but In the sea-
son of leaves 1t cannot be seen.
on the west end of the house Is q
small structure of stone. 1t looks as
though 1t might have been built many
years ago as storehouse and later con-
u snx1 l,y,, hnh tot fnY
But that is conjecture. From the
Month front Of the house the trace
of q path led west through brushy
woods. 1t did not require much intel
path the people who had lived in the
house reached the nearest public road
A grain of common sense told that
the nearest road would be that which
Chapel and leads to the River road;
This path then would strike the road
which the Rambler had left to cross
the fields at a point close to Its juno
tion with the River road and in the
vale of that minor stream which has
no name and sometimes floods the
road from Hermon Chapel.
X Il
The Rambler recalled that passing
along that road in midsummer two
years ago he had noted old quarries
there. This little stone house, the
foundation Of the old house and the
fiat slabs making pavement In front
Of the house were from that quarry.
1t could not be more than q few hun
dred yards away. Another glance
showed that the trace Of path lead
ing in that direction had been q road
Convinced that he now knew whose
old home the place was he moved on.
About mile to the east Is the Seven
Locks road. which would lead back to
the Conduit road. The country did not
look as difficult as that he had come
through to reach the house, and. with.
out taking the trouble to cross the run
and get into the River road. started
east cross country. Not far from the
bushes grew thick there, but that
path could not be doing anything else
than following the course Of an old
road. 1t wound around the hilisides
instead of going over the top. as
Rambler felt that only very rich or
extravagant man would have built q
road in that way. Part Of the hill
side was cut away to let the road rise
easily. That was riddle. But the
answer came when. under a deep
growth of vines. bit of rock wall
showed. 1t was on the outside Of the
road, and showed that care had been
taken TO hold the road level where 1t
had been scooped out of the side of
the hill. This. then, was the line Of
an old railroad. 1t must be, OF course,
long-abandoned railroad, that led
from the Quarries. The trace OF the
road, always indistinct and through
some parts Of its course obliterated.
led to the highland on which the
house Of Glen Moore stands, and OF
which the Rambler wrote three Sum
days ago.
John Moore. Of whom the Rambler
also wrote on that Sunday, bought this
property, which he named Glen Moore,
from the family Of Charles Dodge, a
naval officer. who came by this land
through marriage to Elizabeth,
daughter OF Robert Grant Davidson.
John Moore was q contractor. Nearly
all the people in Georgetown during
the civil war knew him. Besides being
contractor. he ran the Flying Cloud.
the packet plying between George
town and Cumberland.
The quarries. the railroad. the old
house with the granite slab pavement
In front Of 1t and the long leaf pine
trees at regular intervals and all
in proximity to the fine house of Glen
Moore, told the Rambler that this
house one of whose chimneys he had
gliinpsed far over the fields. was the
first home of John Moore In that part
OF the country. and that when. he
made large amount OF money he
bought the flne place he called Glen
MOOrA and mnvnd oNyav from the