The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-07-25
From Harper's Bazar.]
The Sparsley's BOarders.

gether, and had hardly managed, by dint
of high charges and Indifferent fare, to make
both ends meet, with an incapacity 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 forefathels-for
having stained their hands with ignoble
baking and brewing, sweeping and dus-
ting Genteel perjury seemed much more
respectable in their eyes. They had dreamed
DIRE ms, to he sure, of an invalid lady in
search of a companion, who would sit in
a crimson boudoir and read the Waverly
Novels, and take airings in the fashionable
square with carriage aud span; but as the
invalid lady failed to put in an appearance,
while boarders did not, a choice in employ
ment 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 out Of the obscurity
which they hated, at some future day, gave
a relish to lite that it might otherwise have
lacked. 1t was at this very genteel boarding
house that Miss Drexel and her little sister
took rooms one autumn. They were Or
phans, who had been obliged to surrender
the luxur!es Of city home after the settle
melt of their tather's estate, and retire to
the little sea-board town of Marathon, where
schooling and living were supposed to be
cheap. 1t had seemed TO be a 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 England one day with her
lawyer, and the name took her fancy.
''Marafhonr' said she, 81 dent know but
/ should like to go there. 1t sounds heroic
and histolic.''
Eyes, fin e place." answered the lawyer
''public schools-twelve Thousand popula-
tioE-a dozen chdrches-cotton mills"
"Handy in case should lose my pittance,"
added Miss Drexel.
Savings banks" the lawyer continued,
"and horse railroad I've friend there,
too, second cousin CT 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 boardiD g-houses and all
that"
And so it happened that Mr.. Benedict
Jeffreys wrote in answer that he thought
ii would do to a turn, and recommended
the Misses Sparsley's boarding house, where
he lodged himself. He even offered to meet
Miss Drexel at the station, which he did;
aud perhaps he experienced twinge of
disappointment when she lifted her vail, and
showed travel-worn and tear-stained face
with pair OF placid blue eyes and az un-
symmetrical nose, relieved by fine firm
mouth and rosy English complexion. The
Sparsleys received her with beaming cordiality.
Thew had feared to see New York girl OF
fashion, full OF folles and flirtation-a beauty,
perhaps, whose very umbrella would have
an air OF elegance and bon ton, who would
wear four buttoned gloves, and French boots,
and real Vaenciennes; whereas she seemed,
from their point OF view, plain, everyday
sort of girl, with no pretensions, and not
in the least dangerous to man like Mr..
Jeffreys. For, in truth, Miss Katherine
Sparsley had tender regard for said Bene-
dict, which her elder sister fostered and
furthered-a regard which nourished itself
on very scanty nutriment, % be sure: on
tickets to concertsH and lectures, on an
occasional seat behind his gray steed, OH
Christmas gifts and birthday tokens, and
little kindnesses which it was as natural as
breathing for him to offer toward whoever
came IN his way. In return, he possessed
a small valise full of embroidered slippers,
braided smoking-caps watcn-cases, etc., of
KaIherine's handiwOrk; the walls of his
room we're hung with poor daubs in water
colors, reminders of birthdays and holidays;
there were tides on every arm chair, ard
his sofa cushion had been purloined in order
to re-appear in a splendid toilette of Gala
lilies and ivy leaves. All these attentions
might have given him hint of Miss Kath-
crimes 'open secret" if Mr.. Jefreys hal
lent any thought to the language, and had
not been too well used to ladylke attentions.
In fact, it was due to this amiable weak
ness on the part of Miss Katherine that
the house was filled only with elderly widows
and antiquated spinsters and clergymen who
hal outlived their usefulness, and that they
bad been induced to take Miss Drexel mere
ly because Mr.. Jeffreys had urged it, aud
had proposed giving up his own room, and
finding lodgings at the hotel, in order that
they might accommodate her. Oftwo ev Is
they naturally chose the lesser: 1t would be
possible to rid themselves of Miss Drexel if
she proved troublesome; but if Mr.. Jeffreys
Departed it might-be for years, and it might
be forever.
Miss Drexel. having put Ally at school,
began to make acquaintance with her new
home. Mr. Jefreys brought his friends TO
cali, Others followered suit; the Misses Spars
ley were surprised to ind 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 Spsrsley, because Mr.. Jeffreys had
introduced her, and because they had found
out her talent. and wished to enrich their
fetes with her musical skill. The Sparsleys
were not prepared for any such awkward
situation, though they could have borne it
udu III uob COilc dUOuG JurouSu MI. JeHrey s
influence. Why had he not lent himself to
their establishment in society, as well as to
that OF this stranger? Had she already
b ewitched him? Perish the thought!
"YOnr paTlor looks like an oasis among
the sands of Sahara" Miss katherine over
heard him say to her, as he left it one day.
Il believe you've appropriated every atom Of
sunshine there is in the house. I always
thought my own room was charming, till
uf,r II oh toI - =
Miss Drexels parlor deserved his encomIums.
1t overlooked the country through four
broad windows, whose embrasures were filled
with Towering plants; here and there were
little treasures saved from the wreck of
once luxurious home; a writing stand of En-
lish lacquer-work, an antique chair. few
amily portraits OF ladies in satin and jewels,
and grandfather by Copley; an ormold
clock, with chime like a distaat cathedral
bell; Dresden china vase; and a Pompeian
lamp. which illuminated the ordinary board
ing-house furnituring, and lent the room an
air OF quaint picturesqueness. The sun
heaped great bars of gold on the dingy carpet,
which fnade amends for its depressed express
sion, and touched aud intensified every bit of
color with its magic, I'LL the place made one
dream OF painted windows and the fash of
tropical wings, while the flowers in the Ores
den vase palpitated like gems, and the odd
ous from their dull background, and the gera-
NUNS and fuchsas burned like torches in
the iniowledges. Miss Huldah suggested
that she should shut out some of the glare
after this, palpably limiting an injury 10 the
Carpet. TOO much sunshine is bad for eyes
and carpets, Miss Drexel," she said. She
din not care farthing for Miss Drexeps eyes:
she was merely afraid Of the effect on Mr..
Jeffrey's. The room was getting too pleas
ant to him. Il was aggravating enough, no
doubt, to hear Mr. Jeffries AMI Miss Drexel |
on the stairway going up and down,
and in the hall; to know thai the conversa-
ton sometimes dropped into such an under |
tone that it was impossible for the best regu- |
lated ear to catch the import: to find that |
when they went out in different directions |
they almost invariably returned together 90
if under the influence of some Magnetism
harl lily understood by their andladies. r
was surely little annoying that Mr. Jeffries |
should spend evening after evening in Miss |
brexers parior at the whist-table, especially |
as he had excused himself fiom the game on |
previous winter evenings, on the score of ig-
noranee.
"Oh. thought you didn't play whist" es-
sayed Miss Huldah, with feigned surprise.