The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-17
.Wsiasa TO, ae Phaodo;ph'a Evening TceJraphl
Mrs. .JennisOn's Thanksgiving Guest
BY A. e. LANcAsTER.


on the day before Thanksgiving Day.
A fortnight previous to this, gentleman,
perfect stranger, had called upon me and
asked for few moments interview On
going into the parlor 1 found myself con-
fronted with tall and most gentlemanly-
looking man. His was no pigmy order of
beauty 1t was stern and massive. His voice
was deep and rich, and he spoke like man
accustomed to De obeyed. The only thing
about him which struck me as being par
ticuhrly disagreeable was his cold. glittering
grey eyes. These were fixed upon me slowly,
deliberately, relentlessy, whenever he spoke,
and whenever l answered him.
Were the rooms which 1 had advertised
still untaken? They we're. Could he see them?
He could. They consisted of bedroom and
sitting-room opening out of one another, and
commanding such view as was alone worth
the price asked for them. 1 will venture to
say that no one in the suburbs had rooms to
let commanding more spacious and pictur-
esque coup d'GI than was to be seen from
those windows.
My visitor regarded the rooms attentively,
and seemed to be very well pleased. The
mirrors, the lace curtains, the carpets, the
bed-hangings, the fauteuils, the lounges, all
underwent the rapid yet careful inspection
which the connoisseur is accustomed to make.
and when he had completed his examination
he announced himself quite satisfied, and pro-
missed to communicate with me in a few
days.
The few days passed, and the expected
communication came. IL was to the effect
that might consider the rooms engaged, on
my own terms, from the following Wednes
day, and that their occupant would be Mr..
Arthur Hillary, the brother-in-law of the
strange gentleman who had called upon me.
I got my rooms ready, and pride myself
in saying that they never looked nicer. The
weather was particularly cold for that season
of the year, so caused Elizabeth, the house
maid, to build rousing fire in the CRATE so
that at any rate his welcome might be warm.
At about five o'clock in the afternoon of the
day on which he was expected was sitting at
the front parlor window, when was aroused
by the opening of the gate at the edge of the
lawn which extends in front of the house. In
an instant knew that this must be nv gem
tleman. He was an excessively fine-looking
man, of perhaps forty years of age. His fine
black hair had already become thicky inter-
spersed with grey His complexion was
fiorid, but not enough SO to possess that
beefy look which too often ensanguines the
British skin. AS he approached nearer, I
could see that his eyes were of deep, serene
blue, and shaded by thick lashes that were
almost black. But in every nook and corner
of his grand face dwelt the indications and
r. 1.
preston of such disposition to make the
best of things, and insure happiness to all it
found itself in contact with, that | found my
self lost in admiration of my lodger before he
raised his hand to the bell.
WE'LL if ever any man understood the art of
making himself at home, and setting himself
at ease, Arthur Hillary was surely that man.
We had dinner at half past six, and at half
past six, just as though he had been living
with me for the last twenty years, instead of
hardly more than twenty minutes, he took
the bottom of my table, and assisted me in
the carving. / don't know when felt more
thankful forwhent two dishes, each hdemanding
a carver, are placed at opposite ends of the
table, and only one individual willing to
officiate in that capacity is present, what is
that one Individual to do? This had been
precisely my position during the many months
had taken boarders, and how grateful felt
to Mr.. Hillary for halving that duty with me,
cannot easily express.
He chatted all dinner most gaiy, vet
always with discretion and taste; had some
thing to say to everyone, and said the plea
santest things with such charming air of
sincerity that you never despised yourself for
yielding to it as fiattery. Yet his was not the
success of the mere brilliant adventurer. Had
it been discovered the next hour that he was
a penniless impostor, foisting himself upon
me, poor widow, for the sordid sake of get
ting gratis board and lodging for a few weeks,
I will venture to say that any one would have
exclaimed that he had played the gentleman
to perfection.
After dinner he joined our little party in
the parlor, played and sang for us, told us of
his travels in Europe and his adventures in
Africa, and finally started off to bed about
midnight after having fairly captivated all
our unsuspicious hearts, and that was the
last 1 saw of Arthur Hillary for several
days; and here the mystery commences.
At breakfast-time next morning he did not
appear My experience however, had ac-
quainted me with numerous odd and excep-
tional specimens of humanity, and was not
at all surprised to receive word from Mr..
Hillary, through James, my long-tried and
trusty man-servant, that he was not feeling