Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-09-30
Daily Short Story
COMPLETE IN THIS ISSUE.
"The Old Winchester House"
BY VINCENT q. PERRy.

Moss had grown on the roof; the few
shutters that remained hung on one
nook and banged dizzily against the
paint worn walls; the front steps had
-crumpied away: the garden had long
since been strangled by weeds. and al,
that remained of the orchard was a
few blight-choked trees To say that
the Winchester House was dilapi-
dated would be putting it mild,y-it
was veritable ruin. To Edith Turner
1t was a paradise.
WattsvIle was enough to make anv
girl OF thirty believe she wac doomed
TO spinsterhood. and Edith was triHe
over thirty. 1t had been hard to make
up her mind that she was to be one
OF the villages unclaimed blessings"
but generally she did, and willingly
settled down to being the village dress
maker as the days and months went
by and fewer people called her Edith
and more and more called her Miss
i;t !. 5I. she tried to tell herself that
: side there was something that seemed
70 reoel against it-somethng that
the Village eisis asd p. conld as s,a any OF
pick Of the Interchangeable men Of the
d.istrict;; but she did not listen to il,
Yes she did! That is where she always
stopped
n, Once a week when she went to the
by, the back door. she forgot all about
Miss Turner" and remembered onIv
Edith, the little light haired girl with
who with the young boy with the Black
wavy hair. the sparkling eyes and the
ha mat echoed through the trees
the happiest place in ali the world
That had been fifteen years before.
Fl Edith in, would sit i, the old house
The state of ruin that was everywheref
IN the house, and seemed to be in
everything that would need repairing
and made mental note OF the cost that
would DC incurred. The whole place
carpenters and decorators finished. she
had thought often. There were so
tn many ny, Di thn her head she decided
paper. This sh, set out to do. and
discovered talent that she had al
urai artist. To. make her plans, which
were really elaborate pictures, she did
not need to go over the house. Every
room she drew on a separate sheet,
her fancy told her would be best. when
paper she pasted them together to
form the complete Winchester House
| but what different house it was!
layout. The walls were freshly pan
| elled: the floors were drawn as they
would appear with the grease and dust
was elegantly furnished in modern
s oS. ka aes Row tn bssd tha &
| Edith. Her plans were those of an ar
fist. not of All architect. She viewed
her handiwork with pleasure. II only
she COULD transform the house In real
| !ty as She had on paper! II Dick Win
chester would only come home! What
difference would 1t make. if he did. sine
enough Of the young eirI to write to
her. would not even look at the homely
old maid who had taken her n'acH
! Then the little voice wo gr
again and make some exc
| He had been i'll or awaE
| had happened that he had
| letters. Her Dickey woulC res .o.set
It happened very unexpec!edly, The
thought. OF selling the Winchester
House for unpaid taxes ,, had not en-, en-
| until visitor from the city had suE.
gested that it would make an idca
summer hotel # property remodelled.
| the purchase Of it. By the time the
| place was coniscatcd for taxes the
! stranger had disappeared. and there
| was nothing left but to offer Ii at auc-
| ton. .
The thought that anyone in the viii
lage would buy the Winchester House
hour for the sale approached a little
uneasiness came over Edith. What if
bought sb, tno for stable ts1 hn
dred dollars-just enough TO pay the
taxes would buy It,. IL It was once
in her possession 1t would be safe
herself with her check book and
started out for the sale without fur
| Their consideration.
| bled Even a SALE that would not
| bring a purchaser was an attraction
group. Edith was too. intent on max
| ing her offer to notice him. when
, he outbid her first offer she was too
startled to look at him.
F Three hundred" she called out hur-
| riediy
-Four" came briskly from the man.
six" That was too much for
Edith. and she stole quietly away;
plans were in the old house. she
would not leave them there for this
stranger. She hurried back and found
out on table She sighed regret
| fully as she took last look at them.
No more would she be able to dream
| there. The dark haired boy and tho
light haired girl would have to be for
gotten.
"Dlckey boy" she breathed softly.
"Dickcy is herc.'' Her startled gaze
lighted upon The stranger standing In
| the doorway. but before she could
| call out his name hrr senses dulied
and she sank to the floor
why didn't you answer my Ietters?t
Dick was saying when she opened her
eyes and rested her head on his
shoulder.
Your lettersw she cried feeby.
The ones Il wrote to Boston, after
| left for tho Philippines"
no wonder did not get them."
she said. exaltation growing In her
tone. IL never won't to Boston. Uncle
died just before the plans for my edu-
cation had been completed. SO, OF
course, | could not CO."
81 thought you had met some other
man there-Some one as good and
clever as yoursclf"
"Dickie,"
but dear you must have studied
somewhere" he said, az he pointed 10
the plans. These pictures are tho