The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-08-11

| 1 opened the door to the second-a little
louder than the first-ring OF the caller.
! He was a short, slightly formed old
gentleman, with big, bright black eyes,
, bushy white eyebrows, and a long white
mustache and beard.
, "You have room to let ?" he asked.
! az have" answered, ushering him
into the parlor, where ne glanced keenly
around, and then rs keenly into my face,
while he announced in decisive tone:
"I have come to take it. My luggage
is at the door, Be so kind rs to tell me
where to direct the man to carry it,"
"But Il began, in hesitating way,
utterly confused by tho strangers
brusque, not to say high-handed man
ner.
"'But me no buts," quoted the old
, gentleman. 81 am Amos Griffin,
lately from England, where have been
, living for the past twenty years. Since
, 1 landed in New York, a month ago to-
day, 1 have been boarding at the st.
Nicholas. But where's your motherT
J 1 hastenod to assure him that 1 was
empowered to negotiate with him.
"Ah, indeed Well, then, I'll go on,
though it strikes me that you are rather
youLg for the business. You have never
taken lodger before 1 am glad of
it, for reasons which is not necessary to
explain. You want liberal equiva-
lent for your fine room; am prepared
to give it. That leaves only one thing
to be arranged. should like my break
fast at eight precisely every morning"
"But we did not propose to give
breakfast"
"I know you didn't; but I'll give you
another liberal equivalent for it. You
can't be very well off, or you wouldn't
take lodger; and the more liberal
equivalents you can get from him the
better. Will you be kind enough to
show me to my room?"
eyes, SIR" 1 replied, meekly, COM
pletely succumbing to the big black
eyes and strong will-power of the frail-
looking old man, and totally forgetting
to ask for the reference insisted upon
in the advertisement. Whereupon he
stepped to the front door, and beckoned
to the man outside, who, taking the
trunk upon his back, followed him, as
he followed me, to the second story front
room.
"Ah," said our lodger, as he entered
it, "this is not bad-not at all bad"
And it wasn't. AS have said before,
it was the pleasantest room in the
house, and had arranged it as prettily
as could with the means at my COM
mand. Fortunately these included a
number of nice engravings and vases
and capacious bamboo chair with a
crimson cushion, and foot.stool of like
, color. And the fragrance of the honey
sucllles that stole in at the window from
the balcony, and the two or three sun
beams that had found their way through
the half.closed blinds, and danced in
triumph on the wall, and the half-dozen
gayly bound books (mine) on the mantel,
and the ivy growing from red pot on
the bracket in one corner, all combined
to make the room pleasant place in
: deed.
Mr.. Griffin had been our lodger ex-
actly two years, during which [ had
prepared and superintended the serving
of his breakfasts, and taken entire
charge of his room, as well as though
1 had been brought up to that sort OF
. thing" as my cousin Cleanthe remarked,
and the rest Of the family, with the ex-
ception OF uncle, who became quite
friendly with him, had only met him
some dozen times-at which times they
, assumed their most dignifed dignity
| when he was taken sick.
; cts an old complaint, which will
carry me of some time" said he to me;
"but I hope not this time. Anyhow,
, Little Honesty" IA name he had given
me from the first-T hope deserved it),
"live or die, intend to remain here.
Nowhere else could be as comfortable.
You must engage an extra servant, and
you and she together must nurse me.
, 1 should certainly die of professional.
By-the-bye, who is your family physi-
, clan ?"
I told him.
eff am not better send for him to-
morrow. 1 am going out now-only q
. few steps," meeting my look of surprise.
"I want to see my lawyer, and shan't
take to my bed for several days yet"
That afternoon, taking care not to re-
peat the old gentleman's exact words,
! but putting his remarks in the form OF
request to be allowed to remain, ]
: stated the case to the family.
"Going to be ill 2" exclaimed Alethea.
= "Dear me how disagreeable p
r "I'm sure l don't want him to stay
= he might die here" said my aunt, who
had the utmost horror of death.
/ "He's an old nuisance, anyhow" pro,
} claimed Ethel, "and always has been,
and I blush that any relative Of mine
4 should have degraded herself so far as
to become his servant-maid."
+ Here 1 will mention that my cousin
3 Roland, a month or so before this, had
a married young lady with large for
: tune, and out of this fortune he gener
ously proposed to make the family G
! liberal yearly allowance, besides which
| came many gifts from the married sis
3 ters. whose husbands had prospered
l and thereupon been obliged by theil
l wives to share their prosperity with us
3 that we might live at least, as Minervi
l expressed it, "with elegant economy.
t And so we were not entirely dependen
4 upon our lodger for desserts and sev
, eral other things.
, But to go back. "He is not an ole
e nuisance" said 1, Indignantly. "He il
] a kind-hearted old man, and I'm yer,
fond of him."
8 "Good graciousp
"Yes, Miss Ethel" 1 went on, &c.
4 am very fond of him. And if my aun
: will allow mel am sure my uncle will
t i will take all the extra care resuitin;
from his sickness upon myself, and NJ
# one else shall be annoyed in tn,
| L I.