The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1881-07-29

R0t ~ HIW- = no FEII @At|IHU0H VI
the morning II appeared, q carriage
with trunk strapped on behind drove
mp 70 our door. An old gentleman got
out. hobbled up our steps, and rang our
d0or-bcli.
:" You must see him. Dorothea." said
my aunt, leaving the parlor. followed BY
a train Of her children. 1T Is your A.
fair altogether. Twill have nothing 70
do with Il"
I" We none of Us will have anything
70 do with H." chimed In my cousins.
"We were not born with the souls Of
lodging house Keepers" and away they
sailed rs opened the door 10 the sec
ond little louder than the first ring
OF the caller.
He was short. straightforward old
gentleman. with big. bright. black eyes.
bnshy white eyebrows. and . long.
white mustache and beard.
You have q room to lct? he
asked.
N have" answered, ushering him
into the parlor. where he glanced keen
" around. and then As kecnly into my
face, while he announced in decisive
tone:
~ have come to take il. Ny lug
gage is At the door. Be so kind as to
tell me where TO directthe man 70 carry
it,
But began, in hesitating way.
utterly confused BY the strangers
brusque. not to say high-handed. man
ner.
y. But me no butts. quoted the old
gentleman. - am Amos Griffin. late
" from England, where have been
living for the last twenty years. Since
landed in New York. month ago to-
day. have been boarding At the St.
Nicholas. But where's your mother?"
FASTENED 70 assure him that was
empowered TO negotiate with him.
..Ah. indeed! Wen. then. TIL 60 on.
though il strikes me that you are rather
Young for the business. You have
never taken LOGGER before l am
glad Of it, for reasons which il is not
necessary to explain. You want q
liberal equivalent for YOUR fine room;
/ am prepared to give 1t. That leaves
only one thing to be arranged. should
like my breakfast AZ eight precisely ey-
cry morning.
Y. But We did not propose to give
breakfast"
~ know you didn't; but In give YOU
another liberal equivalent for it. You
can't be very well OF. 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 ?"
.Yes. sir replied, meekly. com
pletely succumbing 70 the big black
eyes and strong will power Of the frail-
looking old man. and totally forgetting
20 ask for the references insisted
upon in the advertisement. Where
upon he stepped 70 the front door and
beckoned 70 the man outside. who. tax
ing the trunk upon his back. followed
him. Is he followed me. to the second
story front room.
..Ah.' said our lodger, as he entered
IL. s.th;s i not bad--not at all bad. ~
And il wasn't As / have said be-
fore. il was the pleasantest room in the
house. and had arranged Il IS prettily
as could with the means At my com
mand. Fortunately these included q
number OF nice engravings and vases
and capacions bamboo chair with q
crimson cushion. and footstool Of like
color. And the fragrance Of the honey
suckles that stole in Al the window
from the balcony. and the two or three
sunbeams 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 indeed.
Mr.. Griffin had been our LOGGER ex-
actly two years, during which 1 had
prepared and superintendod the serv.
ing of his breakfasts and taken entire
charge Of his room. !. Is well IS though
l had been brought up TO that sort 81
thing" as my cousin Cleanthe re-
marked. and the rest Of the family,
with the exception Of uncle, who be-
came quite friendly with him, had only
met him some dozen times--at which
times they assumed their most dignified
dignity when be was taken sick.
Its an old complaint, which VIII
carry me on some time" said he 70 me-
. but hope not this time. Anyhow.
Little Honesty "a name he had given
me from the first II hope deserved it),
s'live or die, intend TO remain here.
Nowhere else could be rs comfortable.
You must engage an extra ser want. and
YOU and she together must nurse me.
I should certainly die 81 professional
By-the-by, who Is your family physi'
cianP
told him.
III am not better. send for him TO-
morrow. am going out now--only d
few steps" meeting my look Of sur.
prise Al want 70 see nv lawyer. and
! sha'n't take 70 my bed for several
days yet
That afternoon, taking care not 20 re-
peat the old gcntleman's exact words,
..a al T.