Historic Hood River
Short Story
4-14-2023
Notes
There is an apocryphal claim that Ernest Hemingway wrote his shortest story on a bar room napkin to win a bet: “For sale: baby shoes, never used.” For some reason this photo reminds me of that story. There is so much more in what is unsaid than what is said.
This is from a stereocard, so it wasn’t something that was casually snapped. What is unsaid definitely exceeds what is said. My first thought was this was an abandoned house– broken windows, overgrown yard, window treatments in disarray. Yet there is a woman and her child standing posing for a portrait. You’ll have to let your imagination fill in the details. What’s the story?
Tom Kloster
Arthur, for me this seems so much like a Dorothea Lange photo of a Dust Bowl mother forced to move her young family in search of a new life. Quite an image.
Marilyn
Daddy says a couple new windows and a little paint and it will be a fine house for us.
Bill Seaton
Arthur, I liked the subtle analogy you used in this case, it raised some good questions.
nels
A lovely house that looks like it has good bones. And the builder added some flourishes. Was it the result of a depression or a bank repo or the death of the wage earner? I guess we’ll never know.
Have never seen a machinery entrance like that with more living area above.
L.E.
OK. Here is my story. It is a former stage stop. The stage could drive through the door (although the door doesn’t look tall enough) and unload the passengers in a dry, covered area. They could go to the upper floor which was a dining hall, wash up and have a meal. Perhaps rooms were available for overnight stay. Mean while the stage driver switched to a fresh team of horses and was ready to load his passengers in a dry covered area and be on his way.
Years later, the newly married lady with her baby is glad to have a run down home to start her new life.
Rico
Great story L.E.!