Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1874-08-04
Sclcttc0 Storp.
PROM Harper's Bazaar.
THE SPARSlEYS B0ahDERS.

The SPAaSlETS BUAk0iRS.
The Misses Sparslcy were ladies' in
reduced circumstances. %hO had opened
Il boarding house in order To keep body
and sou! together, and had hardly man
aged, by dint Of high charges aud in.
I.lercni iare, 10 makc both ends meet.
wiki an iucapaciyy ior business. charac.
terisiic OF ladies in reduced eircum-
stances. la their secret heats they
Gespi,el them elves .o- having Yielded
to necessity in weak moment. and
dcpaucd from the traditions of their fore
lalherS-lor having stained their hand,
with isnoble baking aud brewing, sweep
Ing and dus;iug Genieel ponury scemoII
much more reSpec;ableln ihoireycS. They
had drcamc creams. b bo sIre, OF m
invalid lady in search Of companion,
who would sii in crimson bOudoir and
read The Waycrly Novels. aud take air
iuSs ia the fashionable square with
cauiayc and span; but as The invalid
lady failed 10 pat ia an appearance.
while boar,lers drl not. = choice in en-
ployncni was hardly admissible. In tho
meantime ,h,Y were no; old enough 10
have renounccd their earlier dream of
marriage. aad perhaps tho idea that it
was possible f,- them u be iificl ont OF
the obscuri,y which they hate.l. =, som1
u,mc day, gave = relish tn lite that Il
might otherwise have lacked. Il WAS n
this very gcntecl boarding house that
Miss D;cxrl and her little sister tooS
rooms one autumn. They were orphans.
who had been obliged 10 surrender the
llxurics OF city homo a1,r The settle
men, Of lhciy fathers estate, H7d retro
% The LITTLE Sc4hoard town Of Marathon,
where schpo.ing anl living wee sGnpo7
cl e. bc cleap Ithyl s,amaI 10 be 4
mere m-ucr OF accident that she should
hlyc i,cidc.l uplH ,his piRcc, wiki tao
world before iec whore To choose. Shc
had 0scn loo.inE over IN, map OF Nc%
E4..and coc d,v with her lawyer. aad
tine uamc took hey fancy.
"AIara,hon ." sail sho. Il doat know
bat should Ike to - lheTc. 1t sounds
heroic and historic"
Yes. line place." answered the law
yer-'public schools thousand
population-a dozen churchcs-co,ton
mills
Handy in c.se should lo'o ms pit
tance." added Miss DreSel.
Savings banks. the lawyer continued,
and horse rai;roal I've friend lhei q,
too, second cousin of wile's--inlrodace
you. Ben Jefrrcys i capital fellow. n
lawyer too; it ruas in the hmiiy. III
write and ask him how hc>thinks 1t will
DO for YOU. He'll know aboa, boarding
houses and all that"
And SO it happened that Mr. Benedict
JrfTreys wrote in answer that he though;
il would DO 20 turn. AMI recommended
The Misses SpArsley's boarding house.
where he lodged himself He even offer
ed 10 meet Miss Drexcl at the station,
which he dill; and perhaps he experienced
= twinge Of disIpp1intmen: when she
lifted her vail. aud showed a travel.worn
and tear stained face. with 4 pair of placid
blue eyes and an unsymmetrical nose,
relieved by fine iirrn mouth and 4 rosy
English complexion. The SpavslcYS re
ceiyed her with beaming cordiality. They
had feared to see q New York girl oi
fashion, full of follios and hirtation-a
beauty. perhaps, whose very umbrella
would have an air Of elegance and bon ton,
who would wear four -bultoned gloves,
and French boots, and real Valenciennes ;
whereas she seemed, from their point ol
view, plain, every day sort of girl, with
no pretcnsions. and not in the least
dar gerous TO man like Mr.. Jeffrcys -
For. in truth, Miss Katherine Sparsley had
tender regard for said Benedict, which
her elder sister foslered and iurIhered-a
regard which nourished itself on very
sclnty nutrimcnt. 20 be sure; on tickets
10 concerts and lectures, on an occasional
seat behind his gray stced, or Christmas
gifts aud birthday tokens, and little kind
nesses which it was as natural as breath
inc for him to offer toward whoever came
in his way. In return, he possessed 4
small valise full Of embroidered slippers
braided smoking caps, watch eases, etc,
of Katherine's hluIiTOrk; the walls OF
his 70 IN were hung with po.r danbs Ia
water eolors, remi dcrS OF birthdays ana
hO.id5ys; there were tides on every arm
c air. an his sofa cushion hal been pur
/ loined in osLer to re.appear in 4 splendid
toilette OF ealla lilies aud ivy leaves. Al