Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-12-02
TAKING BoARDERs.

ana heaven knows Doarders
didn't help body to work out
her salvation. And so much
money in the family, too, tax
ing it by small and large.
Wasn't her Uncle Ebcn, over at
Dover, well to do, and not a
chick of his own to care for ex-
cept ths boy he had adopted,
who was no credit to him? 1t
was odd, now, that a man with
poor relations should take to a
stranger, when his own flesh and
blood was so needy; but some
times it did seem as if folks had
more feeling for others than for
their own kith and kin. Then
there were cousins IN the city,
forehanded and fashionable, who
never were worth a row of pins
to Della; and there was her
great uncle Johns widow alark-
ing on the continent, a-gambling
at Baden-Baden, and trying the
waters of every mineral spring
in the three Kingdoms, for no
disease under the sun but old
age. She'd been known to say
that her own 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 herUncleJohn had brought
her into their simple life for a
months visit, her French maid
and dresses, her jewels and fall
Ials, which won the heart of her
little namesake. Since then her
Uncle Johns widow had been a
sort of gilded 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 seen nor heard
anything Of the being who had
inspired her youthful imagina-
ton, and was quite uncertain if
such a person as Mrs. John
Rogerson was in the land of the
living. Dead or alive, she seem
ed to have made no material diff
ference in Delia's humdrum life.
After having nursed her father
through a long illness, Della
found that he had left a heavy
mortgage on the homestead, and
her mother and herself on the
high road to the poor-house, un-
less they should bestir them
selves. AS her mother was al
ready bed-ridden, the stirring
naturally fell upon Della, and
she advertised for summer board
ers.
"Good board in the country
by the river side, at 81 a week.
Large chambers, broad piazzas,
fine views. berries and new milk.
One mile from the station. Adj
dress Della Rogerson, Crafts
borough, Me-" ~..~- -F,W
s'Cheap enough" commented
the elderly lady who happened
upon it. "Delia Rogerson. An
old maid, I suppose, obliged toI
look out for herself. | have a
good mind to try her broad pi-l
azzas and new milk. IfT don't
like it there'll be no harm done 7
And so Delia's first boarder
arrived-an old lady with false
front hair, brown, wrinkled skin,
faded eyes, a black alpacca gown
and a hair trunk. Della made
her as welcome as if she had
been a duchess; lighted a wood
fire in Mrs. Clements room, as
the night was damp, and brought
out her daintiest cup and sau-
Ger, with the fadeless old roses
wreathing them. 4
"Wonderfully kinds" reflected
Mrs. Clement, as she combed the
wisp of gray hair and consigned
the false front to a box. "Wen-
derful kindness for 81 a weekl;
She's new to the trade. Shell
learn better. Human nature
doesn't change with latitudes. |
She'll find it doesn't pay to con-
slider the comfort of a poverty
stricken old creature"
But in spite of her worldly
wisdom Mrs. Clement was forc-
ed to confess that Della had be-
gun as she meant to hold out,
though other boarders came to
demand her attention, to multi
ply her cares. The fret and jar
Of conflicting temperaments un-
der her roof was a new expert |
ence to Della. When Miss Gre
some complained of the mosqni-
tos, with an air as if Miss Rog-
erson We're responsible for their
creation; of the flies, as if they |
were new acquaintances; of APP
petite, as though Della had a.
greed to supply it along with
berries and new milk; of the
weather, as if she had pledged
herself there should be no sud-