The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-10-22
I" Boarding Around"


IT was cold November afternoon, six
years ago, when alIghted at the door
of Mr.. Philip Clarkson's farmhouse, and
the wagon and the friend who took me
there drove away. was a young man,
aged 10, who was driven by circumstances,
and by want of cash, to teach a district
school. The directors in the town of Su-
gar Loaf had hired me at $25 q month and
my board, in lieu of which l agreed to
continue teaching their school for four
months. That was what took me to Mr..
Clarkson's. He was the director who had
hired me. was to board at his house
first, and then circumnavigate the district.
l propose now to narrate my experience
while making this grand tour.
Mr.. Clarkson owned farm, Mr.. Clark
sons wife owned her husband, and Mr..
and Mrs Clarkson's two children owned
Mr.. and Mrs. Clarkson. Mr.. and Mrs.
Clarkson's two children were, therefore,
the owners of the entire establishment
The first thing l was asked to do after en-
tering the house was to kiss the eldest,
an obstreperous little termagant aged 8. i
survived the operation, and thought had
performed my whole duty to Sally, Jr.-
she was called after her mother or her
mother after her, don't know which
but discovered my mistake when Mrs.
Clarkson gently insinuated that her first
born was handsome, and asked me if did
not think so. Of course, | thought SO,
pro tenn, for if had any doubts upon the
subject, and l rather think had, they
were hidden in the mysterious recesses OF
my bosom. / wanted to be popular, and
was fully prepared to agree with every
body on everything. Sally, Jr., was placed
in my arms to nurse, while her mother
was getting supper and her father doing
the chores found had my hands full.
She may have been very handsome, but
certainly she was equally troublesome, if
not more so.
Her beauty did not compensate for her
badness by any means. l was doing my
best to preserve the peace of the family
by dandliDg Sally, Jr., on my knee, and
making faces at her, when cry from the
cradle showed that the sleeping partner
of the firm had awakened. At the request
of Mrs. Clarkson l undertook to rock the
cradle with my feet, retaining the precious
Sally, Jr., in my arms all t time. My
hands and feet were both full. Sally, Jr.,
had thievish propensities wonderfully de-
ve!oped for one of her age, and in a fit of
abstraction she stole a cigar out of my
NOob JONhSt, oiii, II lOl otlCh
of candy, began TO suck it with all her
might. While my attention was engrossed
by little Tommy, who, by the way, accord
ing to his mother, was the dead image of
her husband, the beauty in my arms bit
off the end of the cigar, and, as it was
never seen afterward, l have always been
under the impression that she swallowed
it. She was one of the youngest chewers
of tobacco | ever was acquainted with.
Whatever was the cause of it, the young
lady took sick forthwith. Then trouble
began. She grew pale with remarkable
rapidity. l timidly suggested to Mrs.
Clarkson that Sally looked as if she were
thirsty, and recommended the application
of water internally. By this time Sally
looked very bad indeed. l got alarmed.
Tommy began to yell, for ceased rocking.
thought Sally was fast approaching the
condition of a corpse.
Believing that l. would be more satis-
factory TO both parties, and to myself, that
she should die in her mothers arms, told
Mrs Clarkson that il she took Sally,
would look after the ham she was frying
in the kitchen. She must have thought
up to this time that l was joking about the
water, and Sally being thirsty, for Sally
attracted no attention. She was weak
and sick, and awfully quiet Poor little
thing, pitied her. Had she died I would
never have forgiven mysel. Anyway
Mrs. Clarkson responded to my second in
vitation and came into the parlor. She took
one glance at Sally. Her maternal in
stincts were at once aroused. She snatched
her from my arms. In tone of alarm
she asked me what was the matter. /
plead ignorance. She proceeded to make
diagnosis. One symptom which in my
confusion had escaped my eye attracted
her notice Sally clenchcd the remains of
the cigar in her chubby fingers. Mrs.
Clarkson Immediately informed me that
l was villain. / almost began to believe
it. She accused me of attempting to poi
son her darling did not believe that. She
said was no nurse l fully believed that
Informed her that l understood was en-
ployed as a school teacher. Also, that my
experience as housemaid and nurse was
very limited for one of my years. This
dialogue was over in far less time than it
can be told. All this time the ham sizzled,
sizzled, sizzled, and Tommy bawled,
bawled, bawled. Mrs. Clarkson rushed to
the door and yelled for Tom, which meant
her husband. She told him to come quick,
that Sally was dying. He rushed in ex-
cited, with horsewhip in his muscular
hand. did not like that There was
something eminous i'm the appearance of
the whip. A whip in the hands of fond
father, under such circumstances, was, to
say the least, alarming. Not that had