Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-07-23
THE sPARsLEYs' BOARDERs.

THE SPARSLEYS' BOARDERS.
The Misses Sparsley were ladies in re-
duced circumstances, who had opened a
boarding house in order to keep body
and soul together, and had hardly man
aged, by dint Of high charges and indif-
ferent fare, to make both ends meet
with an incapacity for business charac-
teristic of ladies III reduced circumstances.
In their secret hearts they despised
themselves for having yielded to neces-
sity in i weak moment, and departed
from the traditions of their fOrefathers-
for having stained their hands with ignO-
bic baking and brewing, sweeping and
busting Genteel penury seemed much
more respectable in their eyes. They
had dreamed dreams, to be sure, of an
invalid lady i'm search of a companion,
who would sit in a crimson b0udOir and
read tie Waycrlcy Novels, and take air
ings in the fashionable square with car
riage and span. But as the invalid lady
failed to put in an appearance, while
boarders did not, choice in employment
was hardly admissible. In the mean
time they We're not old enough to have
renowned that earlier dream of mar
riage, and perhaps the idea that it was
possible for them to be lifted out Of the
0bsCurity which they hated, at some flu
ture day, gave q relish to life that it
might otherwise have lacked 1t was at
this very genteel clearinghouse that
Miss DreZcl and her little sister took
rooms one autumn. They were orphans,
who had been Obliged to surrender the
luNuries of city home after the
settlement Of their fathers estate,
and retire to the little sea-board town
Of Marathon, where schooling and liv-
ing were supposed to be cheap. 1t
had seemed to be a mere matter OF acct
dent that she should have decided upon
this place, with the world before her
where to choose. She had been looking
over the map Of New England one day
with her lawyer, and the name took her
fancy.
Marathon" said she; " don't know
but | should like to go there. 1t sounds
heroic and historic"
Yes, fine place." answered the lawyer
public schOols-twelve thousand pop
ulation-a dozen churches * cotton
mills
Handy in case | should lose my pit
lance" added Miss Drexel
Savings banks, the lawyer continued,
and horse railroad. I've a friend there,
too second cousin Of wife's-introduce
YOU. Ben Jeffreys is a capital fellow, a
lawyer too; it runs in the family. I'll
write and ask him how he thinks it will
do for YOU He'll know about boarding
houses and all that"
And so it happened that Mr.. Benedict
.Jetfreys wrote in answer that he thought
it would do to q turn, and recommended
the Misses Sparsley's clearinghouse,
where he lodged himself. He even
offered to meet Miss DreXel at the sta
ton, which he did; and perhaps he ex-
perienced 3 twinge of disappointment
when she lifted her veil, and showed
trayel-W0rn and tear stained face, with Il
pair of placid blue eyes and an unsym-
metrical nose, relieved by fine firm
mouth and rosy English complexion.
The Sparsleys received her with beaming
cordiality. They had feared to see a
New York girl Of fashion, full of foIlies
and tlirtation-a beauty, perhaps, whose
very umbrellas would have an air of
elegance and bon ten, who would wear
four-buttoned gloves, and French boots,
and real NalenciCnncS; whereas she
seemed from their point Of view plain,
everyday sort Of girl, with no preten-
SONS, and not in the least dangerous to
man like Mr.. Jetfreys. For in truth,
Miss Katherine Sparsley had a tender re-
gard for said Benedict, which her elder
sister fosteTed and furthered-a regard
which nouTiShed itself on very scanty
nutriment, TO be sure; on tickets to con
Gerts anu lectures, on an occasional seat
behind his gray stecd, on Christmas gifts
and birthday tokens, and little kindnesSes
which III was as natural as breathing for
INN 10 otter toward whoever came in his
way. IN return. he possessed a small
yalise full Of embroidered slippers
braided SmokIng-capS, Warehouses, etc,
OF hatherlne's handiwOrl: the walls of
his room were hung with poor daubs in
watercolOrs reminders of BIRTHDAYS and
holidays there were tides on every arm
chair, and his sofa-cuShion had been pur
loned 10 order to reappear in a splendid
toilet OF Gala lilies and ivy leaves. All
these attentions might have given him a
hlnt OF MISS hatherlne's -" open secret" if
Mr.. Jetfreys had lent any thought to the
language, and had rot been toowcll used
to ladyllke attentions In fact If was
due to this amiable weakness on the mart
of Miss katherine that the house was
filled only with elderly widows and anti
quated SpinsterS and clergymen who had
outlived their usefulness, and that they
had been induced TO take Miss Drexel
merely because Mr.. Jeffreys had urged il.
and had proposed giving up his own
DOM nd finding lodgings at the hotel, in
order that they might accommodate her.
Of two evils they naturally chose the
lesser; it would be possible to rid them
selves of Miss Drexel if she proved
troublesome but if Mr. Jefreys depart
ed it might be for years, and it might be
forever.
Miss DreXel, having but Ally at school.
began to make acquaintance with her
new home Mr. Jetfreys brought his
friends to call, others followed suit; the
Misses Sparsley were surprised to find
her quite the fashion in cliQues from
which they had long been omitted
There were new, rich people in Marathon
who knew not Joseph, who made much
of Miss Drexel, and little of the Misses
Sparsley, because Mr.. Jeffreys had in
troduced her, and because they had
found out her talent and wished to en-
rich their fetes with her musical skill
The Sparsleys were not prepared for any
such awkward situation, though they
could have borne it had it not come