Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1880-09-08
TAKING BOARDERS.

neighbors said, that Miss Dellf
should be obliged to take boarder'
after what she had been through
and heaven knows boarders did not
help body to work out her saliva
ton. And so much money in the
family, too, taking it by small and
large. Wasn't her Uncle Eben,
over at Dover, well to do and not
a chick of his own to care for, eX-
cept the boy he had adopted, who
was no credit to him. 1t was odd,
now, that a man with poor relation
should take to a stranger when his
own flesh and blood were needy /;
but sometimes it did seem as if
folks had more feeling for others
than for their own kith and kin.
Then there were wealthy cousins
in the city, forehanded and fashion
able who were never worth row
of pins to Della, and there was her
great uncle Johns widow a-larking
on the continent, a gambling at
Baden-Baden and trying the water
OF every mineral spring in the
three Kingdoms, for no disease I'M
der the sun but old age. She'd
been known to say that cher folks
were too rich already, and probably
she would endow some hospital with
her property" Plainly, wealthy
relatives were Of no value to Miss
Della. To be sure, she had never
seen her great aunt since she was a
child, when her Uncle John had
brought her into their simple life
for a months visit, with her French
maid and dresses, her jewels and
follals, which won the heart of her
little namesake. Since then Uncle
Johns widow had become sort of
a golden creation, always young
and always beautiful; for though
Della had received little gifts from
time to time across the seas for the
last fifteen years, she had neither
heard or seen anything of the be-
ing who had inspired her youth
full imagination, and was quite I'M
certain if such a person as Mrs.
John Rogerson was in the land OF
the living. Dead or alive she
seemed to make no material differ.
ence in Delia's humdrum life. Af-
ter having nursed her father
through a long sickness, she found
that he had left a heavy mortgage
on the homestead, and her mother
and herself on the high road to the
poor house, unless they should be-
stir themselves. As her mother
was already bed ridden, the stir
ring naturally fell upon Della, ant
she advertised for summer board
ers:
"Good board in the country, by
the riverside, seven dollars a week
Large chambers, broad piazzas, fin,
views, berries and new milk. On,
mile from the station. Address
Della Rogerson, Croftsborough
Maine.
"Cheap enough" commented al
elderly lady, who happened upo
it. "Delia Rogerson. An oil
maid suppose, obliged to look on
for herself. I've a good mind t
try her broad piazzas and nev
milk. If / don't like it, there'll b
no harm done"
And so Delia's first boarder al
rived-an old lady with a falls
front of hair, brown, wrinkled shil
faded eyes, black alpaca gov
aud hair trunk. Della made he
as welcome as if she had been
duchess; lighted a fire in Mr.
Clements room as the night W;
damp,a and brought out her daintie
cup and saucer, with the fadele
old roses wreathing them. "Wol
derfully kind" reflected Mr.
Clement, as she combed out h,
wisp of gray hair and conGded Il
false front to a box, "wonderf
kindness for seven dollars wee
She's new to the trade. She
learn better. Human nature do
not change with latitude. She
find it doesn't pay to consider u
comfort of a poverty-stricken o
creature" But, in spite of h
worldly wisdom, Mrs. Clement W
forced to confessional Della had b
gun as she meant to hold OF
though other boarders came to d
mand her attention, to multip
her cares. The fret and jar of co