Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-07-13
OUR ONLY BO1RDER.


gested. ave own the house, and don't
want to sell it. But as we can neither eat
1t nor wear it we must do something for
our food and clothing"
"But," l said, "there are only three
rooms we can spare for boarders."
"All double rooms r.
"Well," said, "we'll try it,"
So we put an advertisement in the paper !;
we swept, busted aud secured until the
house fairly shone we told Margaret, our
servant, that when we filled the house she
should have half-grown girl TO assist her.
and we waited.
We were not actually starving-oh, who
were we? Well, l was Mrs. Armstrong,
aged forty, recently widowed. Meta was
my step-sister, orphaned in infancy, aud
the inmate of our household for her whole
lifetime. Philip-my late husband and
myself, giving her all the love we would
have given children of our own, had we
been blessed with them. But all my ba-
bes died in infancy.
Our house was the sole inheritance from
our father, and Philip had left me a very
narrow income, barely sufficient for the
simplest food. For Philip-an arniable,
good man, lovable beyond description, was
one of those unfortunate persons who new
er "get along" He had tried 50 many
schemes, so many kinds of business that
fairly shuddered at every new venture !;
but he died poor man. Meta was just
eighteen at the lime we faced the world to-
getber, hut already her life's romance had
begun, and in tribulation.
The story was brief. Gerald Wharton
had been partner in Philips last venture,
the failure of which, in spite of repeated
experiences of the same kind, broke his
h cart. Gerald was "A young man, twenty
three or four, with crisp, auburn curls,
great, boyish, brown eyes, teeth like milk,
strong and even, tall, broad of shoulder,
and full of animation. A man to take cap
tive any woman's heart, and he had taken
Meta's making a fair bargain by giving his
own in exchange.
But-was there ever a love affair without
but?-Gerald was wholly dependent up
on his uncle, a peppery individual, who
lived in Albany, and who was furious at
the failure of Philips castle ia the air, at
the money lost therein, and at the further
effort, as he deemed it, to entrap his hand
some heir into a match with ponniless
girl.
He wrote a most angry letter to M0ta,
and Meta answered in the same spirit She
begged leave to inform Mr.. John Wharton
that she had given her affection to his
nephew only after the most earnest plead
nd hot cla hoI 10 hold IN
to any promise that he had made 10 her
that would enforce his uncle's threat of dis
inheriting him. She was incapable of SOW
ing dissension in any family, and she au-
thorzed Mr. Wharton to tell Gerald that
she would never be his wife unless his un-
Gle himself requested her to renew the en-
gagement.
Then she wandered about the house for
two weeks, pale and dispirited; sent back
all Gersld's letters unanswered, told me
her lover should never reproach her fol
having beggared him, and then mourned
her love like the tender hearted maiden
she was, until Philips long illness and
death drew her out of herself, and in hel
unselfish devotion to him and to me, shC
forgot her own misery in great measure
With a desire for mutual comfort, We
both assumed cheerfulness we were fan
from feeling, and hustled about preparing
for boarders with energy and hope.
But Green's Ferry-did 1 tell you w
lived in that romantic valley did no
seem 10 offer much attraction for boarders
June passed and our rooms were still
empty. We were rather disconsolate abou
the matter, when, one morning, just afte
the Albany Stage came in, we had an ap
plicalion for room and board.
The individual who applied was the yer,
smallest specimen of a man it was ever m,
good or bad fortune TO encounter.
He was so short, so thin, so dried up
that he reminded one of nothing so mucl
as of little old monkey.
He was old, with gray hair aud marked
crows feet, but his eyes were as bright anC
his teeth as sound as boys.
He ambled-no other word describes hi
little short, quick steps-up to the door
rang the bell, and asked in voice as ami
able as a vicious poodle:
"Does Mrs. Armstrong live hereH"
"Yes, sir" said Margaret.
"The lady who advertised for summe
boarders?"
"Yes, sir, the same intlrely."
"Can see her 2'
"Indade and you can, sir. Walk in,
you plase."
Then 1 went down. My visitor wante,
a double room, southern exposure, pent.
of fruit, plenty of fresh milk, and som
fifty or sixty other items of comfort ant
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