Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1878-05-16
A FEW BOARDERS.
BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.

"My DEAR" said Mr.. Pensico to his
wife, don't you think it would be
good idea for us to take few hoard
ersY
"Boarders ?" echoed Mrs. Peter
Pensico. "What for?"
To turn an honest penny, my dear"
said Mr.. Pensico.
"Pshaww said Mrs. Pensico.
But you've got money enough" re-
torted his wife, with toss Of her curly
head.
"Sylvia," said Mr.. Pensico, gravely,
" do you know that nobody ever has
money enough?"
NO" said Mrs. Pensico, Smelling
away with great vigor at the pan Of
lima beans in her lap. az don't know
anything of the sort"
Just think how nice it would sound"
said Mr.. Peter Pensico, with his eyes
half closed and his head on one side,
"Select board for few gentlemen, in
a cottage on the HudsOn-fine view
excellent boating plenty of shade
milk and vegetables-terms moderate.
think ] see it now in the columns of
the paper"
g thought you rented this cottage to
please me !" said Mrs. Pen8ico, raining
down the emerald shower of lima
beans at double quick rate.
$50 | did, my dear-so | did," re-
sponded her husband. "But why
should not we please few select board
ers, tooW
Mr.. Pensico was retired grocer,
I" fat and forty" if not fair" Mrs.
Pensico had been pretty ward school
teacher, full twenty years younger than
her husband, who had boarded at the
same house with the dealer in nuts,
spices and moist sugars.
Love is like the whOoping cough, a
more dangerous disease the older you
grow Mr.. Pensico took it very hard
so hard, indeed, that he married Sylvia
Smith at the end of fortnight's ac-
quaintance, and took her to live in a
pretty little cottage on the Hudson.
You are a jewel, my DEAR" said
Peter Pensico, "and | mean to place
you in an appropriate setting"
But as the conhagration of his young
love died into more steady and uneven
flame, Mr.. Pensico's old spirit of thrift
arose within him. Love in Il cottage
was ali very charming; but the wages
of cook, chambermaid and handy man
counted up amazingly at the end of
the month. A cow grazing in the
meadow was picturesque, to be sure,
but the feed bills were something to
shudder at. Sylvia in white muslin
was an adorable object; but it some
times occurred to Mr. Pensico's per-
turbed mind that calicoes would have
been more economical, viewed from the
laundress' standpoint. In short, love
and economy were at daggers drawn
in the noble soul of the ex-grocery
man.
Don't you think it's good idea, my
love?' persisted Mr.. Pensico, brushing
fly away from the circular bald spot
on the top of his head.
No, l don't" said Mrs Pensico.
But why not?"
don't like the idea of keeping
tavern" retorted the bride.
My dear" said Mr.. Pensico, you
exaggerate. \ few select boarders-"
A few select fddlesticks !" inter-
rupted Mrs. Pensico, as she rose up,
dinging the lima-pods all over the
floor.
Mr. Pensico looked at his wife with
calm ana speculative eye.
She don't like boarders," pondered
he. and she don't like to submit, rs
wife should, to her husbands author-
ity. Good I'll enforce both questions,
or I'll know the reason why p
And Mr.. Peter Pensico sat down to
write the advertisement whose glowing
periods had been floating in fragmen-
tary radiance through his brain for the
last five or ten minutes.
9 | arOnt take boarders," said Sylvia.
My DEAR" said Peter, ''you will do
just re-cisely-as [ think best"
"We'll see?" cried out Mrs Pensico.
"A woman ought to be proud to have
an opportunity of helping her husband
on in the world" oracularly observed
Mr.. Pensico.
Il believe the richest people in the
world are the meanest," said Sylvia,
with jerk of her pretty brown curls.
Economy, my dear economy p
said Mr.. Pensico. '"Take care Of the
pence, and the pounds will take care
of themselves A penny saved is
a penny earned Money makes
money"
And Mrs. Pensico, fairly overwhelm-
ed by this cataract of proverbs, ceased
her unavailing remonstrances. After
all, what good would they do?
Poor little Sylvia was beginning to
comprehend that marrying rich old
screw was not the shortest way to per-
feet happiness.
But woman defied becomes a wo-
man dangerous, and Mrs. Peter Pensico
determined that she would not be con-
quered.
Four days after the appearance ofthe
advertisement which cost so much time
and pains. three young gentlemen APP
piled for board
Mr.. Pensico assumed magisterial
aspect.
Ten dollars a week is my fixed
price" said he; "but as there are three
ofyou, | don't mind saying $25."
And on these terms Messrs, Smith,
Brown and Jones became possessors of
t. .nree best bedrooms of the cottage.
e wing Mr.. Pensico and his wife to So
ia bedstead in the back parlor
''Are we always to live sop plaintive-
ly demanded Mrs. Pensico.
Gone shouldn't mind little inconve-