Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1878-06-14
A Romance OfDebt.

st. Louis furnishes romano, in real lite.
with moral in it for impccunious gentlemen.
At one Of the hotels there, second class hotel,
but with a fair patronage and good annual
profit, boarded some time ago gentleman to
whom With the hard times had come hard luck.
Engaged iu a fuctuatiDg business, he had
struggled on after tho panic OF 1878, and alter
time failed entirely. The failure was com.
plete; it was hard to gain foothoId again, and,
although single man, be found it difficult to
make livelihood.
At the time when he began boarding at tho
hotel mentioned it was conducted by widow,
the former proprietor having died and lett
everything to his wife. The widow proved
equal to the task imposed upon her, managing
tho affairs of the hotel energeticay, exhibiting
the possession of decided business TACT and
soon becoming the terror of all Delinquent
boarders. Among this class was the gentleman
out OF business. Do what he could, the door
of all profitable enterprise seemed barred to
him, and ho found himself uoable to meet tho
monthly bill, accumulating with painful reRu'
larty, for his broad and butter.
The laudlady could not understand how any
man should be penniless, and Informed hiu,
with the pointedness of which only IA vexsd
woman Is capable, that if this bill was not paid
by certain fixed time he must leave the house.
leaving at tho Same time his few personal Ell
fccts as part liquidation of the debt. Tho poor
fellow was 10 despair. There had been two or
threo suicides 10 tho city within day or two
and his thoughts Involuntary reverted to II =
pistol or the moose as affOrdiDg him the easiest
solution Of the problem
lie had little too much pluck, though, for
such resource, and 10 his desperation seized
upon an idea which would never have occurred
10 him, rather fastidous man, under other
circumstances. Why not try 10 soften the
heart of the widowed landady by little sen.
tment? lie dressed himself as best he could
from scanty wardrobe, visited the grim
widow and promised to settle up soon. con.
trived to mofy and then to please her, and,
10 the course Of week, became m ardent
Wooer
He was good looking fellow; tho landlady
had, with all her business vim, " weak spot in
her heart and she finally surrendered AT dis
cretion. They were married. and the husband
became sort of confidential clerk and assistant
manager in the concern So the honeymoon
passed., when there came suddenly still another
phase to the situation. The middle sged bride
sickened, and almost before thu bridegroom
had settled quietly down to the fact that he WAS
married man, he had become wldower.
All the property was left TO him, and nc had
become sufficiently familiar with the business IL
venture 10 carry on the hotel. He is doing ii
now, successfully. He may be soon any day, tho
digniaed landlord and owner of all where he was
so recently troubled about his board bill, and
possibly wondering occasionally, sttor mons
iorpetful manner, how it is that soma of his
guests are hard up and cannot settle. He has
passed from one extreme TO the other, and has
furnished an example for unfortunate slngl"
gentlemen Still deliberative in his ways ss h"
now ia, it must sometimes be little hard for him
to recognize himself.