Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-05-12

WANTED A HOME.

one morning, about year ago.
WANTED, A HoME.-A young lady,
alone IN the world. desires to enter fami-
y as a boarder Liberal terms offered"
There was a touch of pathos in the
wording of this want that appealed to me,
and l became nervously impatient for my
husband to come home, in order that |
might try to win his permission to write
and offer the advertiser home with us.
We were young married people, blessed
with an increasing family and small set
tied income, and, as we had a large house
and large expenses, it seemed to me that
this would be the very thing to meet our
wants.
/ Our house was situated on the landward
side of cliff that reared itself on the
beautiful western coast, and the situation
possessed many advantages. We were
only mile from a fashionable watering
place. The views from our windows were
not to be surpassed for grandeur and wild
beauty on the coast-side or for sweet,
smiling, peaceful prettiness on the inland
quarter. And the interior was well ar
ranged, and gracefully furnished. The
only disadvantage, indeed, that the house
possessed, was the great one to us of be-
ing high-rented one, and of demanding
rather large establishment. However,
if this young lady who wanted home
would come and pay us literally, neither
the high rent nor the large establishment
would be drawbacks any more.
Now, for ourselves. We were, as
have said, young people, and our friends
were wont to aver that we were very at
tractive young people. Ny husband was
a junior partner in a good, old-fashioned
clearinghouse, and l was more or less
known to the public as a painter of scenes
in domestic life, that always commanded
good places in the exhibition, and good
prices. Notwithstanding this latter fact,
we wanted more than we had, for had
not been able to work very much of late,
and my three babies took up a goodly por-
ton of the time that ought to have ex-
pended on my breadwinning art.
AS soon as my husband came home that
night. showed him the advertisement.
and propounded my plan to him.
at would be nice addition to our par
ty if she's a nice girl" / argued. and he
refused to admit that that was a reason for
having her.
''We are very happy as we are, Flo" he
said. "Our little party is too perfect in
my eyes for me to wish to see it increased"
but, Edgar, housekeeping on what we
have is such hard work. pleaded; :" and
if she would come to us and pay us liber-
ally, what matter whether she is nice or
not? We could endure her."
"If you take that tone, Flo, what's the
worth of anything but so much money as
twill bringP' l may conclude that you We
made up your mind to try the expert
ment," he said, laughing.
Not without your permission-but il
would be such help to us, Ted" said
eagerly.
And then with little more ado, we wen
into committee of ways and means, ant
finally rose up with the determination to
try how fortune would favor us with re-
spect to this young lady, alone in the
world, who wanted home.
wrote to the address she had given,
and stated our terms as concisely as
could. also mentioned our respective
professions, thinking with n justifable
pride in my own, that any cultivated girl
could but be glad to be admitted as one of
the family of an artistic.
to my terms, and asking if she could come
to us early in the following week
"She doesn't say word about refer
letter to my husband. ''What pretty
name she has-Isabelle Cleveland"
The pretty name mayn't be her own, ~
Edgar said, laughing. "Well, little WON
an, you must gang your own gait; all
tween yoa run on too long, or you may
find yourself in the wrong box"
"She writes the hand of a frank, open
. I fbc al
under discussion.
said, looking at it-''rather like a mans
However, decipheripg character by means
of calligraphy is all bosh one of the clev.
crest, most original woman | ever met
with in my life, wrote the most conven.
PREJUDICE Miss Cleveland, though
'And l may write, and say she may
come next week." interrogated.
"Yes, dear, if you're anxious to rush in
to your troubles SO soon," he said, laugh.
ing.
"Oh, Edgar. won't foresee trouble in
the matter at all.' | demonstrated; ''she is
going to pay us so literally that my load
of housekeeping care will be lifted off my
shoulders at once, and additionally, being
! yOuHS lttuN, oiiC tuih ooe :" AiOSe
delightful companion for me. ! won't
foresee trouble"
"And hope you won't have any, DEAR y
he said, lightly; and then he went off to
business, and went over to my house to
see about making it put on its fairest as
pect in the eyes of our new inmate.
My house was very pretty one, and ]
was fond of it, as women are fond of the
homes in which they are happy, and which
they have arranged in a great measure
according to their own taste. 1t always
gave people blessed with the "artist's eye
the impression of being well furnished
though an upholsterer would have deemed
it wanting in much that the upholsterer's
mind deems strictly essential. For in
stance. the carpet and curtains, the chair.
and couches, We're no longer new anC
bright and fresh. But the colors of al
had been chosen judiciously. and. as now
their first bloom was brushed off, there wa:
harmony of tint about them all that Of
ten made me find other peoples furniture
| candy and ylarino