The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-12-15
The New Home
By Nj

1A 0NAS $4,000 ~
each, and the owner of h tract in
clined to encourage and cooperate
with purchasers and even assist them
to make a start in the way OF building.
A poor, but thrifty class represented
the settlers and while their ambitions
were humble, from h start they took
a commendable pride in their town
and its progress. Most of the houses
were set far back on the lot and com
prised only two rooms, the idea being
to build on to this when they could
save up the money to accomplish it,
A CHEEKY, cOmpaniOnable group, the
community interest was strong ana
each sought to help the other, and
naturally the slightest detail in the
lives of the people was made a matter
of general moment. Thus when Mrs.
Adele Bankson. a young widow with
one child, bought a lot and built the
rear end of her house, kitchen and
bedroom only, neighhbors helped dig
the cellar and spared some fruit tree
sprouts and bushes to start the lot In
the way Of greenery and shade.
Then when q shy, retiring young
bachelor, Richard Glade. purchased the
adjoining lot, the men folks derided his
claim that maybe some day his unmar-
ried sister. a school teacher, might
come to live with him.
Cast your eyes about, Glade, and
you will find about as healthy, hand
some and industrious a lot of girls and
women among us just eager to start
in life with a marriage mate and help
him build up a happy home"
But Richard only smiled and shook
his head unrespCnsively, declaring
that his LONELINESS, age and timidity
as 70 the opposite sex precluded any
idea Of their encouraging him.
ooh, well, we shall expect you to
keep your eye on that pretty widow,
Mrs. Bankson,a observed a bystander.
Being n~eighbors, you are bound to
get well acquainted in time, and she
is certainly a woman to respect and
admire"
A seed thought was implanted in
GIade's mind and although he did not
nurse ii the same continued to expand.
He liked the little child of the widow
immensely. She was very fond Of him
and one day when she called him
papa" Glade blushed like a bashful
schoolboy and hoped no casual passer-
by had overheard it.
Glade had built the front of his
house first. That is. there was quite a
grand porch, two parlOrs, and a library
which he temporarily used as a sleep
ing chamber. He was rather refined
in his aesthetic tastes and thought
more of his books and curiOs, and some
old family heirIoOms of portraits and
furniture than he did of home COM
forts. He had run up a frail but
weatherproOf shack connected with the
main structure by a door and here he
did some dpsultOrv cooking, at break
fast time a cup Of coffee and a cereal,
and bought lunch and dinner In the
city where he worked.
There were some delightful half
Saturdays when he pOttered around his
fair neighbOr's grounds putting things
in order and earning the most appetiZ-
ing meal of the week. Then on Sun
day he invariably accompanied Mrs.
BanksOn and little Editha to the town
hall of the settlement, where there was
a church service in the morning.
Almost before he knew it Glade was
in love with Adele BanksOn and she
with him. They planned what they
would do without advising any out
slider except Judge Perrin, who had
become the leading spirit in the COM
munity. They were to go to the city,
get married quietly and Adele was
to sell her little start of a home and
add her household belongings to those
in the more commodiOus home of
Glade.
There was a great stir in the COM
muTfty when all this was known, and
Glade, his wife and little Editha were
enjoying a week vacation at a distance.
Judge Perrin was busy those days.
There had appeared at the town a
strange old gentleman, announcing
himself as an uncle of Glade. He had
not seen his nephew for some years,
had a little money, was pleased with
what he heard of Glade, and took
pleasure, almost joy, in planning with
the Judge what they would do to give
the newly welded pair a welcome and
a surprise when they returned to the
domestic hearth.
Then all the people of the town were
taken into the plot to celebrate the
homecoming of Adele and Glade. The
innocent excitement and joy of these
humble folk was fairly pathetic. Ev-
erybody contributed in time or money
or some article of adornment for the
new home, for a new home had been
the outcome of the plans of uncle and
judge.
What they did was to move the lit
tie structure on the Bankson lot across
TO the more pretentious one that Glade
had built. 1t was Joined on and con-
nected and the two formerly isolated
edffces were transformed into a real
residence.
Now. when the hrida party arrived