The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1880-03-18
md she advertised for summer board

and she advertised for summer board
erS:
GOOD BOARD IN THE COUNTRY BY THE
~ riverside, at seven dollars week. Large
and new milk. One mile from the station.
Address: DELLA ROBERTSON, Croftsborough,
Maine.
"Cheap enough" commented an
elderly lady who happened upon it.
"Delia Rogerson. An old maid, sup
pose, obliged to look out for herself.
I've good mind to try her broad piaz-
zas and new milk. If I don't like it,
there'll be no harm done.''
And so Delia's first boarder arrived
an old lady, with false front of hair,
brown, wrinkled skin, faded eyes, a
black alpaca gown, and a hair trunk.
Della made her as welcome as if she had
been Duchess; lighted wood fire in
Mrs. Clements room, as the night was
damp, and brought out her daintiest
cup and saucer, with the fadeless old
roses wreathing them. "Wonderfully
kind" reflected Mrs. Clement, as she
combed out her wisp of gray hair and
confded the false front to box.
/" Wonderful kindness for seven dollars
week! She's new to the trade. She'll
learn better. Human nature doesn't
change with ATTITUDES. She'll find it
doesn't pay to consider the comfort of
poverty stricken old creature" But,
in spite of her worldly wisdom, Mrs.
Clement was forced to confess that
Della had begun as she meant to hold
out, though other boarders came to
demand her attention, to multiply her
cares. The fret and jar of conflicting
temperaments under her roof was new
experience to Della. When Miss Gre
some complained of the mosquitoes, with
an air as if Miss Rogerson were respon-
sible for their creation; of the flies,
as if they were new acquaintance of
want of appetite, as though Della had
agreed to supply it, along with berries
and new milk of the weather, as if she
had pledged herself there should be No
sudden changes, to annoy her boarders
of the shabby house and the Anticipated
furniture, s'too old for comfort and not
old enough for fashion, Della
doubted if taking boarders was her mis-
sion. "What makes you keep us, my
dear?" asked Mrs. Clement, after day
when every thing and every body had
seemed to 90 wrong. "Why didn't YOU
ever marry? You had lover, dare
say?"
ayes; long, long time ago.
"Tel me about him-itp"
"There isn't much to tell. He asked
me to marry him. He was going to
Australia. / couldn't leave mother and
father, you know (they were both fee
ble), and he couldn't stay here. That
was ALL
"And you-you-''
"'Now all men besides are to me like
shadows
"And have you never heard of him
since?'
eyes. He wrote; but where was the
use? 1t could never come to any thing
1t was better for him to forget me and
marry. was a milestone about his
neck. didn't answer his last letter. -
"And, supposing he should return
some day, would you marry him?'
~ dare say" laughed Della, gently,
as if the idea were familiar, sslet the
neighbors laugh ever so wisely. I've
thought of it sometimes, sitting alone,
when the world was barren and COM
monplace. One must have recreation
of some kind, you know. Every body
requires little romance, a little poetry,
to flavor every day thinking and doing.
Pm afraid you'll think me silly old
maid, Mrs. Clement
"No. The heart never grows old.
The skin shrivels, the color departs, the
eyes fade, the features grow pinched !;
but the soul is heir of eternal youth
is as beautiful at fourscore as at sweet
and twenty Time makes amends for
the ravages of the body by developing
the spirit. You didn't tell me YOUR
lovers name. Perhaps you'd rather
not.'
Ellis name was Stephen Langdon.
Sometimes Capt. Seymour runs against
him in Melbourne, and brings me word
how he looks and what he is doing
though never, never ask, and Stephen
never asks for me, that can hear.''
Delia's summer boarders were not a
success, to be sure. If they took no
money out of her pocket they put none
in. She was obliged to exc out her sup
port with copying for Lawyer Dunmore
and embroidering for Mrs. Judge Dorr.
One by one her boarders dropped away,
like the autumn leaves; all but old Mrs.
Clement.
81 believe I'll stay on,' she said.
-" I'm getting too old to move often.
Perhaps you take winter boarders at re-
duced rates. Eh?'
"Do you think my terms high?''
g By no means. But when one S purse
is low