doubtless having been
put there by some recent owner and seeming quite out of harmony with the
details of the house; consequently they were replaced with small panes,
twenty-four to a window, and the new windows were all of the casement
type.

The interior of the house with its ugly paint and paper, presented a
rather hopeless appearance, that only a vivid imagination and an
unwavering enthusiasm could have transformed into the attractive home
that it is to-day. Beginning at the front, the cramped little hall was
enlarged as has already been explained. This made a trifle more stair
room, and the first seven steps reaching to the little landing were
rebuilt with lower risers and broader treads that made ascent to the
second floor a less arduous matter.

On the left of the hall was the living-room, on the right a bedroom, and
in the rear of the house the room originally designed for the kitchen;
in each of these was a fireplace opening out of the one central chimney.

The first step in the restoration consisted of tearing off the many
layers of hideous wall-paper, removing the plaster where it was
crumbling, and scraping the woodwork free from its dingy paint. In these
operations a number of unexpected discoveries were made concerning the
fine old paneling and great, hand-hewn beams that had been entirely
covered up.

[Illustration: A Corner of the Living Room]

The only change made in the plan of this floor was in the corner beyond
the living-room and at the end of the kitchen. This was originally
divided into a tiny chamber opening from the living-room, and a pantry
off the kitchen. These were thrown into one, and the openings to
living-room and kitchen enlarged. The former bedroom window was changed
to a door leading on to the screened veranda, and an attractive group of
three casement windows replaced the one in the rear wall, overlooking
the charming vista of winding lane and old apple-trees and meadows
beyond. This little apartment has been treated as a sort of anteroom
or really a wing of the living-room, and wall finish, paint, and
furnishings all harmonize.

[Illustration: The Living Room]

In the living-room the fireplace holds the center of attention. It is
faced with queer old Spanish tiles inserted at intervals in plain
cement, the rich colorings of which give a quaintly exotic air to the
fine white woodwork. The moldings about the frame and over the mantel
are unusually fine for this type of house;