Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1922-06-23
Where Washington
Stopped
BY JANE OSBORN

sa-oca.aeoo,H.e,eaaa,e. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
g, 1922. by Mcclure Newspaper Syndicate.
LYDIA was sitting out before the old
fashioned, rundown house where she
lived with her aunt, Mrs Chloe Jones'
She wore some sort of cool, crisp pink
frock that first attracted the eye OF
Robert Dawes as he motored slowly
along Cedar street in search of sights
to see.
Then he noticed that the house
seemed very old. He stopped his aged
roadster and stood before LYDIA Jones.
LYDIA knew in minute that he was q
college student and at sixteen LYDIA
dreamed of nothing more thrilling
than to be noticed by a student. He
made it clear, however, that it was
the house that had attracted him.
Excuse me-" he said. "but I'm look
ing over the land for new line Of
sightseeing buses. I'm to be the spiel
er for this route. The idea is to go
out to the backgrounds beyond and
we want to find some points of inter-
est to make the passengers think they
are getting their moneys worth on the
way. / heard that there was house
along here somewhere that was once
the headquarters of Washington or
Lafayette or some one. 1t may be on
the next road. But this house looked
as if it was colonial This road is
much better than the one beyond, SO
I'd like to come down this way. You
don't happen to know if Washington
ever did stop at this house, or Lafay-
cite or anyone?"
LYDIA was fascinated with the way
the young man spoke. His speech
was decidedly more cultivated than
that of Aunt Chloe Jones or any Of
her neighbors that formed the world
in which LYDIA Jones lived. AS spieler
of the new Inc of sightseeing busses
the young stranger would perhaps
pass by her house two or three times
week. If he decided that it was not
worth while, perhaps she would never
see him again. She did not answer
his question directly.
IF 1t Is the hOuse-if some one in
teresting did once stay here, you'd
come by often-two or three times
week?' she said.
"Yes," and Robert Dawes found HIM
self looking intently into the puzzling
depths Of Lydas blue eyes. II am
student, but shall have time to take
the tour two Or three afternoons
week, and that is as often as they will
need to run it. They have sent me out
now to work up the information for
my lecture"
II see," said LYDIA slowly, and she,
too, was surprised and ashamed of
herself when she realized how intently
she was studying the shadowy depths
of the young mans gray eyes. "Well,
I think this is the house, wouldn't
be at all surprised if it was. 1t GER
tainly looks like that sort of house,
doesn't it? You never saw such sag
ging floors or such crooked windows,
and my, how the hinges creak! Yes
I think-I'm almost certain that Wash
ington and Lafayette and-and Daniel
Webster and John Hancock and Paul
Revere and lots of other people used
to stop here quite, often. In fact,
know the room where Paul Revere
used to Sleep" LYDIA Jones paused to
see how the stranger was taking her
story. She did not explain that old
Aunt Chloe had once had dog named
Paul Revere who used to take long
winters maps in the back parlor. "Now
you'll come by, won't you?"
And that is how it happened that
whenever the sightseeing busses went
out to the famous battle-ground they
made a turn up Cedar street and
stopped for full two or three minutes
to gaze upon the dilapidated old house
where Lafayette and Washington had
once stopped to talk to Paul Revere.
"That is the tradition" Robert Dawes
would add, and there was sure to be
some one in the party to rave over the
adorable carved doorway" or the
quaint little dormer windows" and
quite often some one of the passengers
would say, "What pretty girl that is
out there sweeping the porch"
1t did not take Aunt Chloe Jones
long to observe that the sightseeing
bus always stopped before her door.
"You might think this was Bunker
Hill monument or Old South Church
or something to see the way that bus
always stops here. What in goodness
sakes is there to rubber at? I'm going
to step out and tell that impertinent-
looking young man TO move on some
one Of these days"
Hes a college student" put in
LYDIA.
"What do you know about him?"
snapped back the indignant aunt And
Lydia said something about simply
thinking he looked like one as a mat
ter of self-defense. A few days later
Chloe had more to say on the same
subject
"Do you know what that young
whippersnapper says about this
house?" she demanded. ST heard down