The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1937-04-13

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We'll. as for George
~As tor ue0fge7" SAID George him.
sell, advancing toward them with tie
usual arnsful OF twigs and sheepskin
gloves His bright blue eyes were as
steady. MS wlnd-burned face as I'M
passive as always.
~ was compliments" Eve said,
laughing N spite Of herself. what on
earth are you doingY"
Drafting" said George. He busted
MS gloves and ADDED. Come on over
and see the house, Mothers done won-
uers with it. really
Eve remembered II as the heart-
breaking wreck Of what had been In
the r shieentn century more beau
tlfui house than her own; fine old fur.
nlture and portraits. all scattered or
broken. The two girls went with MIN
down through the Seymour orchard.
and back through what he'd been Q
long, green plepsanee. and was now
going 70 be again. The place even this
early showed that clever hand had
been landscaping II after its original
elghteenth-century fashion. The only
change was that George had used the
brook which had wafered orchard and
lawn 10 make swimming pool,
among clump Of trees.
"Oh. you must let US use this. Ellen
said. "when II gets warm enough"
"Sufest thing you know George
said. standing with one leather-Ieg-
glned foot on the cement parapet. He
went on explaining TO Ellen, hanging
on his words. about gravity tiow. and
how much Of the old land they'd man-
aged TO get back from the township
for ITS back taxes. He seemed less like
a man who had said last night he was
deeply in love than anything she
could imagine. Eve decided he had
been swept b some crazy impulse.
He went On showing them the I'M
pruvaments be had made The old
fountain, dug out of hn clubhouse and
put apgether from its marble wreck;
the oak avenue, having its gaps filled
un where the Seymours had let trees
die or cut them for firewood The
traces of an old maze. even, on the
far side of the pleasance, which he
4. -
bad nearly recreated,
Struggle Fer A Painting
YOU'VE done wonders!" Eve said
] IinpulsiveIy.
He flushed a little. as il her praise
meant q good deal to him. Il suppose
was bofn out of due time..' he said.
Mother Is always saying so. II seems
70 me the most exciting thing on
earth to recreate things that were
meant 10 be fine and have nearly been
lost or broken. These old trees. tor
instance. There are almost unique
varieties Of shrubs and fruit-bearIng
trees here. Somebody in the places
history must have been an amateur
Of orchards and gardens. 1t was a
crime to let the place be wrecked as
Il has BEEN"
-Oh. Uncle Henry De Remer can
tell you about that" Eve said as they
neared the house, stately among its
lawns, sound with its freshly shored
foundations OF Redeemed bricks. The
lirst owner was friend OF John Eve
lyr's. and Evelyn kept sending HIM
out rare specimens after he came
here. Gardens and varieties of fruits
and flowers were a fad Of that day.
weren't they?"
George nodded. They got a lot OF
stuff from France and Italy. 1t says 5;
in the Diary. Odd that some OF these
things should have lasted here in Con-
necticut when they'd died out in Eng
land-what's that?"
They were at the front door by now.
II was closed. Of course, bat one OF
the long French windows that Eve
remembered as smashed and boarded
over. glazed now and painted white.
was ajar. and a mans rough voice
was shouting from within. George
sprans inside, followed by the girls.
In the middle of the parquet floor
Mrs. Cleveland. with strength no.
body would have expected from her
limp frame. was struggling with
tall thin man in ragged clothing.
George jerked him aside. Here.
what does this mean?"
Mrs. Cleveland bent over and
dragged an oil painting up from the
floor. Apparently they had been
struggling over it. She had It fast. as
she dropped into a chair. She painted:
This mans thief. George. Tell him.
Mrs. Power"
Mitzi, who had been crouched
against the wall. Strengthened up
now on her high heels and said. 1T
was perfectly terrible" She caught
her breath. III nearly tainted away"
George took a firmer grip of the
Yiimp heightened lad and said impa-
tientiy. TAlbright, what's this about?"
His mother got her breath, cast a
scornful glance at the terrified Mitzi
and said: 1--WE just got back from q
long drive. I'd been told about this
painting that was supposed to be the
portrait of the man who built this
house. So got up early and we drove
to the antique shop that had 1t; away
off in Torrington it wasl And bought
IL Naturally. on the way back
stopped at the post Office. And this
tramp must have seen it in the car
and followed US. He came in and be-
gan to shout that it was his and he
had to have it."
copyright. 1887, Margaret WiddemerJ
Georges father comes TO Ewes for