OCR Text |
Show HHf Brooklyn. Thero aro tlireo new, Hf beautiful houses In Brooklyn that BHV hear "For Salo" signs In their win- HHl (lows. There uro three disconsolate BHb young nrchltects who built thcae BY houses, hut who nover go near thorn. BBB And In a llttlo thrco-room Hut In the BBB Flathush district Mr. and Mrs. Cllve Bfl x Stevenson uro happy. BBS It was for Mrs. Cllve 'Stevenson that BBb the three homes were built or rather BBl for Miss Helen Strain. Or rather, to BBH bo exact, one was built for Mrs. Hen- BBJ ry L. Ryder, another for Mrs. Noble BBB T. Shaw, and yet another for Mrs. M. BBB L. Pettinglll. But then Mrs. Steven- BBB son, Miss Strain, Mrs. Ryder, Mrs. BBB Shaw and Mrs. Pettinglll are all tho BBB same person. She was Miss Strain, BBB nho became Mrs. Stevenson, and tho J 'thrco architects who built tho three houses expected her to become Mrs. Ryder, Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Pettinglll. BBB Was a Spoiled Beauty. BBB Miss Strain was a beauty, and Mrs. BBB Stevenson Is u beauty, and sho would BBB havo been a beauty If sho had become BBB Mrs. Ryder, Mrs. Shaw or Mrs. Pet- BBB tluglll. And, being u beauty, sho was BBB spoiled, although a few months ago BBB it would havo been hurd to convince BBB Stovenson, Ryder, Shaw or Pettinglll BBB that sho was spoiled or anything else BBB than tho personification of perfection BBB In femininity and Stovenson still bo- HBH llevos she Is perfect. Sho Is now 22 BB years old, tall, ulcndcr, graceful, and BBB as pretty as a girl may be. BBB Sho was tho daughter of Benjamin BBS Strain ho signs It BonJ. wno Is a BBB contractor and builder living on Eqst- HBB eru parkway. Her mother died when BBB tho girl was small. Sho was raised HB by her fathor, usslstod by housekoep- HB ors, who bowed down before Miss BBB Strain, and tho fathor grnntcd hor BBB every desire Sho was a sweet tem- BBB pored, good natured, merry, lovablo BBB girl especially lovablo us Is proved BBB by tho experiences of Stevenson, Ry- HHl dor, Shaw and Pettinglll, but, having BBB tWl her own way all hor life, sho eon- HHB rflnued to have It. HHV "Bossed the Ranch." BH Sho was sent, when 17 years of age, HBB to an exclusive school In Now York, HB and two years later uho returned to BY hor fathor's houso "finished," as far BBB as education was concerned. Sho BBB- know but few of tho girls of tho nolgh-BBB nolgh-BBB borhood, and her frlonds woro chlef-BBB chlef-BBB ly among her father's friends and BBB business associates whom sho mot at BBB tho houso. Sho presided over her fa-BBS fa-BBS thor's ostablUhmont, lavished hor nl-BBB nl-BBB lowanco on dress, and "bossed tho BBB ranch," ns sho expressed it. BBB It happened that ono of hor chlof BBB delights was to rldo with hor fathor BBB In his light runabout while ho visited BBB' tho houses ho was building, and In BBB this wny sho Impressed her Imago BBB upon scores of hearts In many parts BBB or Brooklyn. Hor father, who till ro-BBB ro-BBB garded her as "lus baby," and forgot BBB that she had grown up and become n BBB, beautiful young woman, was puzzled I because so many of tho young orchl-tocts orchl-tocts nnd builders thnt ho mot In n business way camo dropping Into his houso In tho ovenlngs to tnlk over unimportant un-important matters of business with him, ml then promptly forgot why U6y hnd como and turned tho musle at tho piano whllo Miss Strain playod. And nmong thoso that camo wore Noblo T, Shaw, Honry L. Ryder nnd Myron L. Pottlnglll all fair to good looking, nnd all young contractors who were gottlng a foothold, nnd who, through thplr business dealings with BonJ. Strain, had mot nnd fnllon In BBf lovo with his daughter. BBf It wasn't long boforo even Benjamin HHf Strain realized that the young men BBf did not come to talk business, and he dropped out of sight or went Into i tho library to smoko his plpo when they called, instead of discussing materials, ma-terials, spcclllcatlons and labor with them. During last summor Miss Strain went to her father's uummcr home down Long Island, nnd It was drulng her stay thero that sho received three proposals. Each of tho young mon knew of the intentions of tho others, and they, wcro vastly jealous of each othor, but tho girl showed no preference. prefer-ence. Her answer to the proposals wsw unique Sho did not refuse or accept any of them. Sho simply stated that sho admired and esteemed them all, that she loved no one, and that sho Intended In-tended to marry the one of them that built the prettiest and best homo for her. She stntcd that on May 1, 1900, sho would Inspect tho homo offered to her by her lovers, and If satisfied with tho arrangements, the decorations, the, general surroundings, nnd tho architectural archi-tectural beauties of ono house above tho others she would accept it and Its owner. dot Busy at Once. She wanted n homo, and she stipulated stipu-lated that tho cost of tho homo, exclusive ex-clusive of tho lot nnd furnishings, should not exceed $7,000, and that the total cost should bo less than $10,000, and that not more than halt of tho cost price should bo secured by mortgage. mort-gage. Building operations In Brooklyn Immediately Im-mediately boomed. Shnw purchased a lot on Utlca avenue, near Eastern parkway; Rydor bought land In Prospect Pros-pect park south; and Pottlnglll, who owned a lot near Bedford park, nt onco broke ground. Tho threo young architects burned midnight electric lights drawing tho plans and poclflcatIons, creating Ideal homes, and 'each pushed tho work on his houso ns rapidly as possible. Thoro was much figuring of costs, much planning for convenience, beauty beau-ty and utllty to create n harmonious whole for each hoped thnt tho girl would fall In lovo with hla houso. Pottlnglll elected to build an olght room brick nnd stono houso, with n wldo stono front porch facing tho lawn, and harmonizing with tho quiet, shaded streot. His cntlro Id n was for comfort and utility without wnsto of spaco. Ho dovotod moro tlmo to tho kitchen than to anything else, and it was Ideal, with nn Inserted lco box, cnpablo of being filled from tho outside, out-side, with oxcollont laundry facilities. Tho depth of his walls gavo opportunity oppor-tunity for cozy window seats in tho bedrooms. As for Rydor, ho oroctod a cottagy looking house, half of cement, with wide porches and ninny nooks and' angles. It was sot down nmong tho treesnnd was surrounded by large grounds, and nt tho rear was a tiny building for an automobile. It had a wldo opon flreplaro In the library. Tho library, recoptlon bnU, stairway und tho dining room were done In dark oak, tho dining room having leaded windows, opening out upon a trollraed veranda overlooking tho lawn. Ho furnished It In mission stylo. And all the flvo bedrooms up-stulrs up-stulrs woro lu white woodwork, tho floors hardwood, and tho walls in tho Xavorlto colors of his bride to be for when ho looked over the house he considered hor as good as won. Ho did not sco how any girl could resist It. Shaw adapted bis house to tho neighborhood, and orcctod a preton-I preton-I loin placo of tho modified colonial itylo. His dining room nnd library arrangements were much llko thoso of Ryder. Ho ndCed u den for him self, and, with much forethought, sot asldo one of the largo upstairs rooms as n nursery. Ho built a big Inclosed porch nt tho second story rear, surrounded sur-rounded by n- flvo foot wall, wired In, as an outdoor bedroom for summer dsc, nnd ho put tho sorvnnts' rooms In tho garret. Outsider Won Bride. Tho houses were finished nnd furnished fur-nished early in April, and Shaw, Pettinglll Pet-tinglll nnd Ryder awaited anxiously for the test. Each called on Miss Strain nnd arranged to drive her to what each hoped would be her new home. Rydor was to call nt ten n. m., Shnw at two p. m., and Pettinglll nt Ave p. m. Thoy cnilod. Thoy grow Impatient. They called ngaln. It was not until the noxt day that thoy learned that Miss Strain had gone to Now York early In tho morning morn-ing and married Cilvo Stovonson, a hnndsomo young electrical engineer Just out of scientific school. Then they w'oro angry. Also BonJ. Strain wns angry. Ho was so nngry he told tho young couplo to shift for thomsolves when they sought his blessing, nnd ho was ongrlor when Stovenson took him at his word and departed with his brldo. And ho grow still nngrlor when, after wultlng n week, ho discovered that his daughter nnd his son-in-law wero keoplng houso In thrco rooms In Flatbush. Ho sought them, asked them to for-glvo for-glvo him, nnd offered to buy nnyono of tho throo houses thnt Mrs. Stovonson Stovon-son would select, but Stovonson told him ho could support his wlfo. So tho young couplo nro living In a thrco room tint, whllo tho thrco beautiful now homes constructed specially spe-cially for honoymoons nro vacant. |