The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1860-12-25
THE PRINCIPAL BOARDER.


sci an apprentice then with certain city
op'ican; secondly, there We're the Misses Sin
gleton. tlr lIv. IN" willow of coas' -nuard
lieutenant, who "a led herself Mrs. Captain
Brown; aud fpurthy, Mr.. Siminglon, an
East ludil merchant, who VAS believed 10
have mad" his fortune long ago, aud to ke' ?
a basin - IL Leadenhall Street by way Of &C
cupying his spare time. The archbishop, the
cardinal, the pope Of our establishment, in
short, the principal boardcr, WAS Mr.. Shining
ton, the East India merchant.
H. was stout, rosy man, abort torlv-tive
gool humorrd, aud we disposed to make
himself comfortable and keep frenls with
every body. NJ Simington was bachelor
too; his two married sisters in Pimlico, his
three brothers in the city, his nieceS in Wor
cestershrc, and his ncphews in Kent all
agreed-it was said to be the only point Of
agreement among them-thst Mr. Simngton
never would marry Mrs Somers and her
maiden sisters declared themselves Of the
same opinion, whenever occasion served. -
He was too fond Of bis comforts too confirm
cd in his bachelor WAYS, ever 10 change them.
And why should Mr.. Simington think Of
marrying at all! 1t was not pretty face
that would beguile him--he was a great deal
too sensible for that; it wa, not fortune nor
famiIy-ho had money enough, and did not
care for high connections; it was not to
havea comfortable home-where could he
be better cared for, and more studied, than
in Mountford Place? Such was the publish.
ed confession of tho fair trio. To it Mrs.
Captain Browne gave her adhesion now and
then; but, like many manifestoes it's true
reading was to he made out by contraries; for,
to my certain knowledge, the four ladies had,
every one, private and deeply laid designs
on Mr.. Smington. He was one Of those
gentlemen giving TO pay attentions-I think
most men between forty and fifty get into
that limo. As a principal boarder, with four
ladies' studying him, the East India merchant
could scarcely do otherwise; SO he paid at
tentions to each Of the four according to her
standing in the house, giving the largest share
to my respected aunt, the next to Mrs. Cap
tain Browne and the third to the maiden SIS
tiers, whose claims he balanced with such
even.handed justice that both were equally
sure of his heart. 1t is candor and not spite
which compels me to declare there was not a
pretty face in tho quartette.
| had an inferior in the shape Of Bessy the
orphan niece. Bessy was sixteen but it wo'd
have been high treason against my alnt's
crown and dignity, and brought down light
nings and thunders from the three next in
command, to have called Bsssy anything but
a child. In fact, she did double duty in our
establishment, filling at once the Offices Of
drudge and little girl. Bessy had to bel her
in domestic difficulties our one female servant,
Sally Stubs, whom my aunt called her cook
or her housemaid as exigencies required.-
She had also TO wear short frocks, take bread
and milk for breakfast, and 60 to bed pune
tually at eight. A small, slender figure,
face that might have served as model in
wax, but for the light of its laughing blue
eyes, which no doll could borrow, and the
soft fair hair that would 90 into wavy rnglets
however clipped and combed-all helped the
illusion, which her seniors did their best to
promulgate by always speaking of Bessy as
that pcor little child. My aunt was accus-
toned to labor over the years which must
pass before she would grow up, and the ex-
pense of her education would be when Bessy
was old CROUCH to be sent to a finishing
school. The good lady was to do wonders
for her protege, when the proper period Of
womanhood arrived; but she considered it
decidedly sinful to put notions Of dress and
vanity in children's heads. Bessy was never
allowed to appear in the drawing-room except
in the capacity of duster; and as she got
nothing but old dresses shortened, the orphan
niece went out only with messages to the
greene grocer on week days, and to evening
church on Sundays with the maid.
Ny Aunt Somers always allowed that
was a young man Of well-reyulated mind
and she was right. On that prudent princi
pal did my best to think Bessy child tho
it sometimes struck me that going to bed in
broad daylight on a summer evening, when
there was little dancing party in the Graw.
ing-room, could not be to her tasie and |
could not help fancying how well she would
look in long muslin frock aud ringlets a.
mong the young ladies. The sare judicions
inclination to what was ordered and expected
of me to bow down before Mr.. Simngton.-
Oh, the warming Of slippers tho !peeling of
walnuts, the muing Of wine that went on
Tor that old gentleman in cold winter oven-
ing,! Oh, the falling on his neck when be
came home from his summer rambes, as tho
the East India merchant had been three
prodgas rolled into one! What well gov
erned youth would not have p,ostrated him
self in spirit before such manifest superiority
so bowed down to Mr.. Simington and serv-
ed him. Yet Notwithstanding my awe and
Worship it sometimes occurred to me that he
went ont regularly on Sunday evenings, just
after Bcssv and the maid set forth TO church
that he must have taken particular fancy TO
the greengrocer nv aunt patroniz,d, as | Of
ten noticed him lingering near the shop; aud
probably sent intirnstions of his good will 10y
Bessy, for more than once csped him speak
ing to tho child on the stairs, and evidently
intcnding not to be seen.
had heard that great men were often &C
centric, and doubtless these were the eccru-
trcitirs of Mr.. Simington; but A. is ppcu
lisrilies were 100 sacred to he observed by au
opticians apprentice, made no report on the
subject, and nobody else appeared to have
taken any notes. Thus things went on, /
cannot say precisely how long. The ladies
were every day getting stronger in their pub
lie convictions Of Mr.. Simington's perpetual
celibacy, and more resolute in carrying on
their private seiges. l could have taken ten
A. Il ., Al l.