The Van Buren press. [volume] (Van Buren, Ark.) 1859-1914, 1877-08-07
MISCELLANY.
The Sick Artist.

| W = hOpb boal Aii'tl o''
l. To be sure, people said it was great
shame that MIR. Fontaines daughters
should stoop so low in life as to deal out
their hospitality for money But NIFTY
said--aud NIFTY has great deal of com
mon sense--that we must live, and all the
genteel company that came to visit us
wouldn't put so much as penny in our
pockets towards coal and taxes.
Mrs Hall. who lived next door TO us,
said she knew we wouldn't make it pay.
No one but an experienced housekeeper
could make it pay.
Miss Cynthia Caldwell thought that it
would have been much nicer and more
select to do fine sewing, or get place
as governess, or something of the soft,
which wouldn't have been quite 50 pub
| lie.
Old Fernleaf said his daughters should
not visit us, and DR.. Milett looked the
other way when he brought his fhshona
BILE new bride to town and met NIFTY face
to face in the street,
II Dear me- said NIFTY, laughing
what a queer world this is"
But l was angry enough to cry.
mo matter, Nifty" said | "we'll
teach them that we can be quite indepen-
dent without them"
Well, as time went on, we had several
boarders. Old Mr. Pettigrew and his
niece Clarssa, the two Mr.. Henleys, and
the minister's niece, who gave lessons in
wax flowers and water-color paintings.
| Our rooms were full, all except the little
one over the wing.
Kate said NIFTY, triumphantly, +" we
are making money. 1put eleven pounds
in the savings bank to-day, over and
above all expenses for the past month "
Il dare say Mrs. Hall saves more than
that" said |.
81 think very likely" said NIFTY.
"Only, you see. Mrs. Hall does every
thing on grander scale than we can pre-
tend to keep up with"
1--WE do our own marketing, wash and
iron our own table linen and sift the
ashes on the sly, while Mss Henrietta
Hall is practicing The Maiden's Pray
er on the piano"
| " But them" observed I, "we are n OF
such fine ladies as Mrs. and Miss Henri.
eta. We are only two poor little old
maids, who are obliged to earn our own
living
Kate, you are not an old maid" in,
dignantly cried out NIFTY.
And you are as fresh as rosebud
beside Henrietta Hail." said l, patting
her cheek. "Do you know, dear, |
| think hard work agrees with both of us."
! SO things went on, until one summer
evening we were out on our steps, when
there was quite connection in the car
peted hall of our neighbor, Mrs. Hall
or course he must co. Mrs Halls
voice shrilly announced. at was a
great imposition on me that he should
ever come here. l supposed he was an
author, or lawyer, or some such genteel
occupation, and now. you see, he's moth
ing but painter. A common painter"
"Au artist, ma'am,' suggested Mr..
Birdseye
"And where's the difference, should
like to know?' sputtered Mrs. Hall.
Except that one has at least daily wa
ges to depend upon, and the other hasn't
And now he is down with scarlet fever or
small poX. or some such hideous ailment,
and"
Only a malignant form of intermit-
tent fever, ma'am,' again meekly put in
Mr.. Birdseye.
No matter what name they call it by, -
said the lady, waxing hotter and hotter
in the ardor of discussion II don't
keep a hospital here, and if l did,
wouldn't harbor any such low trash So
the sooner he packs off, the better | shall
be pleased"
" But where is he to go I" asked young
Diederman. He has no friends that
any body knows of, and"
"All the more reason should get him
off my hands as quickly as possible"
said Mrs Hall "The idea of my be
coming responsible for his funeral ex-
penses, or"
Hush, Waller will hear you," inter
rupted Mr.. Birdseye. His window is
open.'
Il don't care if he does hear me, ;"
snapped Mrs Hall "He ought to have
been ashamed of himself, coming here
under such circumstances as this. But
he goes, sick or well, before sunset this
very night. There are public hospitals
r,Ducb y