PICTURES FOR WEDNESDAY

We have pictures instead of words for this Wednesday.  Go over to Elephant Child's blog to read the details.  Here is my story and the photo I selected that was taken by Bill. These were offered for WORDS FOR WEDNESDAY by Margaret Adamson and Sue Fulton.

 

It was an exciting day when we bought the old school house at an auction for $600. There were only a few bidders because not many wanted such a monstrosity. Could it ever be restored? Nevertheless, Ron started work immediately.

Day in and day out he would talk of the progress he was making and tell of the valuable items he was finding. He would clean those items up and bring them home for me to sell on eBay.

Ron would also tell of the man who would visit from time-to-time to observe the work. The man, standing at a distance, would not speak but he would nod. The rough old man seemed to be very interested in the success of the restoration. He would show joy and nod "yes" if he thought things were going well or he would nod his head "no" and storm off if he believed Ron was doing something wrong.

We never saw this old man around town. Inquiries were made but nobody seemed to know who he was. The man was tall and heavyset He wore overalls and a floppy straw hat. His attire was as strange as his actions and attitude.

As Ron's work progressed, I decided to research the history of the old school house. There were actually elderly residents in the town who had attended school there in the mid 1900's. The few who still had their mental faculties about them were able to recall happy moments playing and learning in the once sturdy building.

I was very joyful one day upon coming across an old woman who had a very good memory. She loved talking about the school because her husband Morris had been the caretaker/janitor for the school all his life. Morris took great pride in the upkeep of the school and loved the children who attended. He had died years before but his wife missed him every day. Morris was a tall, heavyset man who always wore overalls and a floppy straw hat.

THIS STORY IS BASED ON TRUE EVENTS