The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1881-08-31

puddings for dessert on week days and
apple tarts on Sundays, was allowed
to prepare an advertisement for the
mornings paper, in which was offered
to can elderly gentleman, who must
have excellent references, fine room
in the house of lady of refinement,
who had never before taken q lodger,
for the privilege of occupying which he
would be expected to pay a liberal
equivalent"
1 disapproved highly of the wording
of this call for help, but my aunt and
cousins insisted upon It's being couched
in these very terms, and so was COM
PEELED to yield, inwardly convinced that
it would bring no reply.
But it did. The very afternoon of
the morning it appeared, carriage
with trunk strapped on behind drove
up to our door. An old gentleman got
out, hobbled up our steps and rang our
door-bell.
"You must see him, Dorothea," said
my aunt, leaving the parlor, followed
by train of her children. "It is your
affair altogether. 1 will have nothing
to do with it."
"We none of us will have anything to
do with it," chimed in my cousins. "We
were not born with the souls of lodging
house keepers ;" and away they sailedas
1 opened the door to the second-a little
louder than the first-ring OF the caller.
He was short, slightly-formed old
gentleman, with big, bright black eyes,
bushy white eyebrows, and long white
mustache and beard.
"You have a room to letY he asked.
CT have" 1 answered, ushering him
into the parlor, where ne glanced keenly
around, and then as keenly into my face,
while he announced in a decisive tone:
81 have come to take it. My luggage
is at the door. Be so kind as to tell me
where to direct the man to carry it."
"But u began, in hesitating way,
utterly confused by the 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 I have been
living for the past twenty years. Since
1 landed in New York, month ago to-
day, have been boarding at the ST.
Nicholas. But where's your mother"
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
young for the business. You have never
taken a lodger before 1 am glad OF
it, for reasons which is not necessary tC
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"
CT know you didn't; but I'll give you
another liberal equivalent for it. You
can't he very well off, or you wouldn't
take lodger; and the more libera
equivalents you can get from him thu
better. Will you be kind enough tC
show me to my rooms"
eyes, sir" I replied, meekly, com
pletely succnmbing to the big blacl
eyes and strong will-power of the frail
looking old man, and totally forgetting
to ask for the reference insisted upol
in the advertisement. Whereupon h,
stepped to the front door, and beckonet
to the man outside, who, taking tn
trunk upon his back, followed him, a
he followed me, to the second story from
room.
"Ah," said our lodger, as he entere,
it, "this is not bad-not at all bad"
And it wasn't. AS have said before
it was the pleasantest room in tn
house, and had arranged it as prettil
as I could with the means at my com
mand Fortunately these included
number of nice engravings and vases
and capacious bamboo chair with
crimson cushion, and foot-stool of lik
color. And the fragrance of the honey
suckles that stole in at the window fror
the balcony, and the two OF three sun
beams that had found their way throug
the half-closed blinds, and danced i
triumph on the wall, and the half-doze
gayly bound books (mine) on the mante
and the ivy growing from red pot o
the bracket in one corner, all combine
to make the room pleasant place il
deed.
Mr.. Griffin had been our lodger ez
actly two years, during which ha
pISpdISu anu ouPOAAhOOhNOA ul4O DOL 'Iu
of his breakfasts, and taken entir
charge of his room, cas- we'll as thong
1 had been brought up to that sort c
thing" as my cousin Oleanthe remarked
and the rest of the family, with the e1
ception of uncle, who became quit
friendly with him, had only met hiI
some dozen times at which times the
assumed their most dignifed dignity
when he was taken sick.
"It's an old complaint, which Wi
carry me off some time," said he to me
"but hope not this time. Anyhow
Little Honesty" IA name he had give
me from the frst-I hope deserved it
"live or die, intend to remain here
Nowhere else could be as comfortable
You must engage an extra servant, an
Won and she together must nurse me-