Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-10-21
THE SPARSLEY'S BOARDERS.

The Misses Sparsley were ladies in
reduced circumstances, who had opened
q 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 in reduced circumstan-
ces. In their secret hearts they despised
themselves for having yielded to neces-
sity Ill a weak moment, and departed
from the traditions of their forefathers
for having stained their hands with
ignoble baking and brewing, sweeping
and busting. Genteel penury seemed
much mere respectable In their eyes.
They had dreamed dreams, to be sure,
of an invalid lady In search of COM
panion, vino would sit in crimson
boudoir and read the Waverley Novels,
and take airings In the fashionable
square with carriage and span. But as
the invalid failed to put in an appear
ance, while boarde1s did not, choice
in employment was hardly admissible.
In the mean time they were not old
enough to have renowned that earlier
dream Of marriage, and perhaps the
idea that it was possible for them to be
lifted cut. Of the obscurity which they
hated, at some future day, gave relish
to life that it might otherwise have
lacked It was at this very genteel
boarding house that Miss Drexel and
her little sister took rooms one autumn.
They were orphans, who had been
obliged to surrender the luxuries of a
city home after the settlement of their
fathers estate, aud retire to the little
seaboard town of Marathon, where
schooling and living were supposed to
be cheap. It had seemed to be mere
matter of accident 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 Eng
land one day with her lawyer, and the
name took her fancy.
"Marathonp' said she; 81 don't
know but / should like to go there. II
sounds heroic and historic"
''Ie7, fine place. answered the law
yer public schools-twelve thousand
populations dozen churches-cotton
milla-"
Handy in case I should lose my
pittance, added Miss Drexel.
s'Savings banks the lawyer con-
tinued. land horse railroad. I've a
friend there, too, second cousin of my
wife 's-introduce you. Ben. Jeffreys
is capital fellow, 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 50 it happened that Mr.. Bene-
dict Jeffreys wrote an answer that he
thought it would do to a turn, and rec
commended the Misses Sparsley's board
ing-house, where he lodged himself.
He even offered to meet Miss Drexel at
the station, which he did; and perhaps
he experienced a twinge of d1sappoInt-
nent when she lifted her veil, and
showed a travel-worn and fear stained
face, With. a pair Of placid blue eyes, and
n symmetrical nose, relieved by fine
firm moath and a rosy English complex
non. The sparsleys received her with
beaming eordiality. They had feared
to see the New York girl of fashion, full
of follies and firtation-a beauty, per-
haps, whose very umbrella would have
an air OF elegance and bon ton, who
would wear four-buttoned gloves, and
French boots, and real Valenciennes:
whereas she seemed from their point of
view. q Plain, everyday sort ofgirl, with