The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-10-09
OUR BOARDER.

When Miss Dehone came to our house
to stay it was well understood that if
we were to her liking she was to re-
main with US for the rest of her days.
And as we thought that the payment of
her board would be quite an item in our
little housekeeping, we were resolved
that, of course, we would be to her lik-
ing. Moreover, Miss Dehone was
distant-indeed n very distant-connec.
ton; mammals great-aunt's second cou-
sin by marriage, or something of the
sort. And distant as that was, we were
the nearest and only connection she had
in the world, so that-1 am ashamed to
acknowledge that we were so poor as
to be obliged to encourage a mercenary
thought in the matter-so that we might
possibly come in for something by her
will, if she decided not to leave all and
everything to the Society for tie Pre-
vcntion of Cruelty to Cats, us she had
once formally declared her intention
to be.
Sarah did not look on the innovation
favorably. Sarah was our beauty of
beauties I wish you could have seen
her in those days-dark and tall and
straight as an Arab, with such II carna-
tion on her olive check, and such blue
black hair, and eyes like midnight and
stars, Just rs different from Emma as
dark from dawn; for Em was all fair and
rosy and dimpled and yellow-haired.
while Kate was gray-eyed, black dashed
and pale. As for me, ! was always a
little dud; but I was mighty useful.
Well, Sarah said she had rather go
without everything forever than intro
duce II stranger. and such a stranger
among us, and Em seconded her. EN-
didn't say it. but she was pretty sure it
would interfere with her beauX to have
an old lady always sitting round, with
her blanket-shawls and foot-stoves and
big tabby cats on each side of her, to be
waited on every minute or two, or else
to give you n heartless appearance; and
it was well known that Miss Dehone had
the greatest contempt for the young
men of to- day, who had deteriorated so
sadly since her time. But Kate and /
persuaded mamma to our side, and that
was a majority, and Miss Dehone came.
And she was an old woman, with
blanket.shawls, and soap-stones, and
rubber bags of hot water, and terrible
attacks of collie, and a lap-dog, and
ily cf Persian cats; and for tue rest. the
most inquisitive little body, with her
sharp black eyes peering from all her
wraps and caps and strings and things
like mouse from a bundle of rags. And
to Sarahs CONSERVATION, she singled her
out for the royal favor at once. You
have the Dehone eye, my love-" she said,
with series of queer little mods; Il
looked Just like you at your age" And
Sarah said afterward, with asperity,
that if she was going to look just like
her at her age. she wished she might die
now!
"Just think how horrid 1t will be
when Arnold comes," said Sarah to me.
"There she is perched with her pets in
the corner, and there she always will be
with those dreadful eyes of hers, too.
Dehone eyes, indeed! And she will be
asking all sorts of hateful questions
she'll be asking him his intentions, for
all know"
Asking Arnold Parnell his ir tentions
Sarah guessed that mamma had been on
the point of it any time this twelve
month; for mamma held her husbands s
girls to be serious responsibility, and
here had Arnold been, rs she would have
said if she had put it into words, in the
way of Sarah's making an eligible settle
ment all this year and more. Mamma
is cheeky-I beg her dear old naughty
pardon, she calls it her habit of self-re-
spect-but som chow, like 'grandfather's
clock" she always stopped "short" OF
asking Arnold any questions that she
could not have asked a prince of the
blood royal; and if anybody ever looked
like a prince of the blood royal it was
Arnold Parnell. That he was madly in
love with Sarah there wasn't the least
doubt in my mind, and / doubt if there
was any doubt in Sarah's, although l
dare say that about some things one is
hardly quite sure till the articles are
signed and sealed. But she was such a
proud and stately piece that she would
have died sooner than have given him,
on anybody but me nobody ever mind
ed me much-one sign concerning her
feelings; and all we exactly knew was
that if young DR.. Parnell had given us a
good chance, we, at least, should have
been equally madly in love with him.
But then Sarah wasn't like the rest of us,
and had never said as much as this about
him before.
"Oh, no." answered her on this occa
sion, "she won't go out of her way to
make herself disagreeable.
"She won't have to-" said En-, COM
ing in with Kate and overhearing me.
"It is just going to destroy our home
having that woman here. She'll have
the best chair, the best corner, the best
morsel, the best room and the best man
ners all the time. There'll never be "A
bit of freedom; we must speak with
bated breath; we don't know how she'll