The Republican journal., 1874-08-06
From Harpcr's Bazar,
The Sparsleys' Boarders.

| fare to make both ends meet. with an in
capacity for business characteristic of
ladies in reduced circumstances. In their
secret hearts they despised themselves for
having yielded to necessity in weak
moment and departed from the traditions
OF their torefathers - for having stained
their hands with ignoble baking and
! brewing, sweeping and dusting Genteel
penury seemed much more respectable in
their eyes. They had dreamed dreams to
be sure, of an invalid lady in search of a
companion, who would sit in crimson
| boudoir and read the Waverlev Novels,
and take airin@s in the fashionable square
with carriage and span; but rs the inva-
Lid lady failed to put in IN appearance.
while boardcrs did not, choice Of en-
plovment was hardly admissible In the
meantime they were not old enough to
have renonnccd their earlier dream of
marriage. and perhaps the idea that it
was possible for them to be lifted out OF
the obscurity which they hated. ut some
luture day. gave 4 relish to life that ii
might otherwise have lacked. II was at
this very Gontecl boarding house that
Miss DreNel and her little sister tool.
rooms one autumn. They were orphans
who had been obliged to surrender the
Injuries OF their city home, after settle
ment OF their fathers estate. and retire
TO the little sca-board town of Marathon.
where schooling and living We're snppos-
ed to he cheap. 1t had seemed TO be n
mere matter Of accident that She should
have decided upon this place, with the
Word 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. n don't know
but should like to 90 there Ii sounds
heroic and historic"
"lcs, fine place. answered the law
yer public schools twelve thousand
population a dozen churches - cotton
mills
''IIandy in case should lose my pit
lance. added Miss DreXel.
Savings banks. the lawyer continued.
land horse railroad | have friend
there. too, second cousin OF wife'S-intro-
duce YOU Ben. Jeffreys is 4 capital tel-
low, a lawyer. too, it runs in the family.
III write and ask him how he thinks ii
will do for you. He'll know ahont board
ing houses and all that
And 50 it happened that MIR. Benedict
.)cilreys wrote in answer that he thought
it would do to turn. and recommended
the Misses SparSlevs' boarding house,
where he lodged himself He even Of
tered to meet Miss Drexel at the railroad
station, which he did; and perhaps me en-
perienced a twinge of disappointment
when she lifted her vail. and showed a
travel-worn and tpar-stained face. with a
pair of placid blue ewes and an unsvm
metrical nose. relieved by a fine firm
mouth and Il ROSY English complexion.
The Sparslevs received her with beamine
corlialitv. They had feared to see a
New York Girl of fashion, full of tollies
and frtation--a beauty perhaps. whose
very umbrella would have an air of elc-
gance and b0z I'm. who would wear four
buttoned gloves. aud French boots. and
real Nalenciennes: whereas She seemed,
from their point of view. Il plain. every
day sort OF a @irl. with no pretensions.
and not at all dangerous to Il man like
Mr. Jetfreys. For, in truth, Miss Kathe-
rine Sparsev had tender regard for
said Benedict, which her elder sister fos-
tered and furthered - a regard which
nourlShed Itself on very ocanty nutriment,
to be sure; ON tickets to concerts and lee
| lures. on an occasional seat behind his
gray steed, Oh Christmas gifts and birth
DAY tokens, and little klndnesses which it
was as natural as breathing tor him to
/ of1er towards whoever came IN his way.
IN return ,l: ne possessed a small Eallse iull
~ eiii''ioiueleu sllPpeIs' pral'te'' slhohing
iall''iNo[hi 'hc "aiiS oi nus room were
,l",li -" .'n Poo. ','uoo ~ "''ti rololS, re-
llllioerS :, ol plreluays ana mondays; Ihcfe
WIZ li'ies on 9NelN arm chalI' ana ms
sol'' cushion nn !l'''l pe9h ltrlolneu IN of'lef
~, ~ le-'P'e'l ~ Sf'le'i.1n 'olletle ol taIa
lli!e9 @'iiu IVY lt''NtS' All 'iitse a''ehtlohS
inlsnt I, ii''.e slNtn mn " hl,lt o. MISS
h'',iiel ~, llie opel Sttrtl II Nlr' otlireys
iiau iei1t anl 'houSn' 70 'ile lahSuage'
i.pl nii' ii.,I lloI o'li 'oo wen 'se9 TO la1H
ny '.tteh'loi'S' lll i''t' y was que 70 inns
;ll'll,t'ie ~ "tahle>S on 'he part Oh MISS
N:.1nei i,ie my 1ilc l'ouH' was Hile', oiilS
"l'n eloeriN "l'o"9 an'' ''hli4oa'eo SPIN,
sl'ts aha tier9Silleh VINO mao outIlVeu yea
.iI,i ''5ei''iies9' .,,'1 '1l'1 IVY nY't "GeH
lli''''cc,, 10 'ahe ',. MISS i,eNreI lliereiY pe,
,rnroend ~;,.n., nv ~ no., ~ roan, am,
ttindino 1od@inos .t tho hotol in ordo,. to
acrnmnooI5ta bar ar two avis tbo,
no11nalIv choso tho Inssor. i v-an11 hn
noss;lln to ia themselves of lI;eS Dravnl
IF she nrornd troublesome. Int II Mr.
,Jcarevs lonarted # mi~ht bo for ycars
and il ,nioht no tornvnr
H.. nsI ,.: a..
nlsN i'ieNel' Ii''N ~ pul N,lN IT, 1S"o"l ,1
',s''' ~ HUN, 'elf''eti'ltneI VIII ',tl
gm ntl'e , WI or o',iIns p['usnl w, , l'S
Illcllos ~ c'li' o'ncls iolloNe'' S''I' llS
lisses oP'ie.e WY s''i n 'Sc' W my
Il'l 'l'l'I III l'Sll'' III cl.'lueS lroll "li'n
'htN i..1, ioiis pet!l oiiii''uo. oiu liere WHY
new [lcn Ieol'ie @ !" wv, ',''iion, WIZ" MY" ,':
,lot 9oaepi,' Mho ilaoe ~ nl''el oi MISS
'leNel' al'' M lIl,,e VI ine , MISSES ol'lSIes'
'er''''Sc Mi. 'elllef ilI' @ lh,folueto htr'
''lu oec''lse lnes h;'u lou iouhu 1 oul r her 'al- M
ei'1' a'lo "lshtu !" rlill''n F, tileil lt'es pH
leI m'lslcal S shill. me oparsleyS Wele
nol prePafso 1or 'ns s1In d" hMal'' sit'',
tloh' 'nousn eneS eoulu ,, ntse ~ po'iG ] y n.y..
~ not to'''c apou. 1''lo''sli 10 Hr l 'ri,les
Illl''enee' MY l,,,' ~ ol ltll' .'Iiiseii eii
10 iHtH cStitpllSHlilVilt III 9pCiclS, ttH wen