The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-04-15
skirts Of the town, and eked out a
very slender income by letting slodg-

to-. lll. llIl.
skirts Of the town, and ieked out a
very slender income by letting slodg-
:ings. 81 -... 4,<~.:. ..:- ..~
sEight-and-twenty years: had gone
by since Esther Greenock's elopement.s
Harriet,and Mary Baxter were now
two quietlooking women with, iron
gray hair, always dressed5in; gray OF
neutral tints, and with a look 4 fsset.
tied spinsterhood about them, ,>gen.
teel faded air, and most scrupuiousI
neatness and purity in: the details of
their Quaker-like costume. They.
were happy together in a quietmonot-
onous way, and, loved each other;
very tenderly. Thingshad gone toler-:
ably we'll with them, for they were
liked and respected by all Lowmin-
ster, and people were always pleased
to do them a turn. Mr.. Greenock's
young wife had brought him two
bouncing sons, to the ruin of Esther's
expectations. She: had never T. receiv-
ed more from her father than the
three: hundred a year, and had long
ceased to receive that. News of. her
death had come to Lowminster about
ten years after her marriage. She
had died at Nice after a lingering ILL
ness, and had died childless. ID.
The house in which Harriet and,
Mary Baxter lived was in a quiet
little street on one side of an old arch
ed gateway at the beginning of Low
minster-a gray old Gothic arch, be-
yond which there we're only a few
struggling villas on the broad: high
road. 1t was a modest little dwelling.
place, lying some way. back from its
neighbors, with patch of garden be-
fore it, where the flowers grew almost
as luxuriantly as in the old garden
by the mill-stream. The inside Of
the house was a picture in its neat,
ness and spotlessness, and there was a
quaint faded elegance about every
thing, and an all-pervading odor of
dried rose-leaves and lavender, that
had kind Of melancholy charm. All
the furniture was old and out Of date ;
but the spindle-legged mahogany:
tables and brass-handled bureaus
shone like so many mirrors, and the
roomy old easy-chairs' were brighten
ed by cushions with the freshest chintz
covers, all rose-buds and: apple-blos-
som.
One cold autumn evening an inval-
id gentleman came to take the lodg-
ings. He. had been recommended by
the chemist, he told the two spinster
ladies, and he expressed himself much
pleased with the rooms they showed
him. He was a tall man, with. a
thick gray beard that: concealed all
the lower part Of his face, gray. hair,
and black eyebrows, and very. bright
black eyes-eyes that gave Mary
Baxter a>strange, puzzled feeling as
she looked at them. He told them
that his name was Howard, and that
he meant to spend the winter at
Lowminster.
Every thing was settled very easily.
The stranger agreed to the terms, and
took the lodgings from that moment,
establishing himself at once before the
newly-lighted fire in the pretty little
parlor. His luggage was to be sent
for from the railway station.
Mr.. Howard was very quiet lodg.
er. He used to rise very late, sit all
day reading and writing, and stroll
out at dusk to smoke a cigar~in the
shady little street. He seldom walk.
ed much farther than this, and seemed
indeed have very little strength
to spare. He was not a trouble.
some. person by any means, but was
selflndulgent, and very particular
about what he ate. Harriet made
him nice little dishes, and pampered
him good deal in this respect. .
He complained sometimes, of being
very lonely, and would send the old
servant-ofall-work to the sisters some
times Of an evening, with his com
plimcnts, to ask if he might come: te
their room for half an hours chat
The request was always politely an.
swered and he would come and sij
with the two ladies for the create,
part Of the evening, telling then
all the news of the busy world
which he had read in the days paper
and hearing their little humdrum
gossip about the people Of Lowmin'
ster. By-and-by he proposed a hand
at cards; and after this it became al
established thing with them to play
| whist with dummy every evening
This lasted for some time, during
which he paid his weekly bills with
unfailing punctuality; but after sever
or eight weeks he began to fall in ar:
rear. His health grew worse, and he
was no longer able to write, nor die
he care now for the evening rubber
of whist. His spirits sank very low
with the change in his health, and he
entreated the sisters to sit with him
of an evening and to hear him com
pany, and in the day too, sometimes
II am very low," he said 'Fbut ]
shall be better soon, I dare say: You1
money will be all right, Miss Bax
ter"
This was to Harriet; he never