The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-07-23
MY CURIOUS COMPANION.

wanted, by q young married lady, n
Cmpanion to reside with her during her
husbands absence III India. A liberal
salary will be given, with every home
comfort, to any one suitable. Apply,
personally, if possible, at No. $40 Upper
Berkeley street. W."
The foregoing advertisement was dis
patched by me after considerable cogita-
ton, and / awaited the results of it with
some anxiety.
My husband, Major Conyers, had
been suddenly ordered to India and
having no sister or any available cousin
whom could invite to stay with me
during his absence, thought COM
panion was the best thing with which l
could provide myself accordingly, in
dited my small paragraph which l had
the satisfaction of seeing placed in a
very conspicuous part of the paper on
the morning after | sent it. / lived in
London, consequently felt certain that
the personal interview would be easily
managed but / had committed an error
IN not naming a particular hour, as from
III III the forenoon until quite late in the
day the applications for personal inter
view with my unfortunate self never
ceased. The first arrival was a very
handsomely dressed lady of about so,
who came, evidently, quite prepared to
enter upon her duties at once, and quite
overpowered me with series of Gues-
lions and statements, without giving me-
She faintest chance of making any in
,quiries myself. She had lived with
Lady This and the Honorable Mrs. That,
and one and all had treated her like n
1gf. e1,. Ill \ L
saJie-ndeed, she quite knew me al
ready. Home comforts were exactly
what she cared for; as TO salary, it was
40 object to her-a hundred year was
az she asked, though dear Lady Golding
had said she was never to take less than
two.
O. am afraid, put in at this juno
5ure, ." that even one hundred is beyond
wnaV intend to give, and 1 live SO
quietly -
I'VE won't quarrel about salary" in
terrupted my would-be companion ::
:" aud as to quietnoss, it is just what l
+, want"
a peal at the door-bell emboldened me
roe7fIu greater determination, so I re-
piled very resolutely for me 81 do
not think we should snt / am sorry
you have had the trouble of coming"
''S SO am /, +" she rejoinel dryly "but
one ought not to trust to advertise
menfs. "
Hardly noticing my good-morning,
she got up and flounced down stairs, evil
-dently III great wrath at her rejection.
-" Another lady to see you, ma am" an
nounced my parlor maid.
A very quiet, sweet-looking, little per-
sou came forward, and at the first glance
i fsgcied / had found suitable COM
pani0I. But alas her story was a sad
one, end there were reasons which rem
dcred it impossible for me to avail my
Of her society. She was married. Her
hUabaad was hopeless invalid, and
they were very poor. She had not been
educated highly enough to be gov
eruess and when she saw nay advertise
ment, she fancied, if the salary was
good, she might be my companion by
day, and return Mt night to her own
home, which was at no great distance
from my house. She looked so thin and
40 III that j was almost tempted to make
some arrangement with her, but as / in
tend q leaving town occasionally, sec
ond thoughts showed me it was out Of
the question. Besides, could not have
borne to think that while she was with
me, che would always be in an agony to
be with her husband-which, had / en-
gagged her, would most naturally have
followed. j told her so as kindly as
possible and, after making her take a
Bass of wine and some cake--which lat
yer i saw her fuutively convey to her
pocket, for the sick husband, supposed
,-she gave me her direction, and took
her departure. 1 afterward went to see
,her, and her tale was sadly verified. But
10 proceed
MY next visitor was most pert dam
Sel' without any pretensions to being
A""S' who informed me that her pa was