, 1881-11-11
TAKING BOARDERS.


help Il body work out her salvation. And
so much money in the family. too. tax
ing it hy small and large. Wasn't her
Uncle Eben, over at Dover, well-tO-do,
and not chick of his own to care for eX-
cept the boy he had adopted. who was
no credit to him? 1t was odd, now, that
a man with poor relations should take
stranger when his own flesh and blood
was needy; but sometimes it does seem
rs 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 were never worth
a row of pins to Della, and there was
her great-uncle Johns widow a-larkln' on
the continent, a-gambling at Baden Ba-
den, and trying the waters of every MN
eral spring III the three kingdoms, for
no disease under the sun but old age
She had been known to say that her 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
niece since she was child, when her
uncle John had brought her INTO their
life for month visit. with her trencn
maid ana dresses. her jewels and falials,
which won the heart of her name
sake. Since then Uncle Johns widow
had become a sort of gilded creation, al
WAYS young and beautiful; for, though
Della had received little gifts occasion
ally from across the seas for the last tif-
teen wears, she had neither heard nor
seen anything of the being who had IN
spired her youthful imagination, and was
quite uncertain if such a person as Mrs.
John Rogerson was in the land of the
living. Dead or alive, she seemed to
have 10 difference III Delia's humdrum
life After having nursed her father
through a long sickness, Della found
that he had left heavy mortgage on the
homestead, and her mother and herself
on the high road to the poor house, un-
less they should better themselves. As
her mother was already bedridden, the
stirring naturally fell upon Della, and
she advertised for sundry boarders
Good board IN the country to the
river side, at seven dollars a week.
Large chambers, broad piazzas, fine
views, berries and new milk. One mile
from the station. Address
DELLA ROGERsON,
Croftsborough, Maine.
"Cheap enough commented an
elderly lady who happened upon it.
''Delia Rogerson. An old maid, L sup
pose, obliged to look out for herself.
I've a good mind to try her broad piazzas
and new milk. If don't like it, there'n
be no harm done"
And so Delias first boarder arrived
an old lady with false front hair, brown,
wrinkled skin, faded eyes, a black alpac /
gown and hair trunk. Della made her
as welcome as if she had been a duchess
lighted fire in Mrs. Clements room, as
the night was damp, and brought out her
daintiest cup and saucer, with the fade
less old roses wreathing them. ''Won-
derfully kind, +" reflected Mrs. Clement,
as she combed out her wisps of gray hair
and confided the false front to a box
"Wonderful kindness for seven dollars a
week! She's new to the trade. She'll
learn better. Human nature doesn't
change with 1atitudes. She'll find it
doesn't pay to consider the comfort of a
poverty stricken old creature" But in
spite of her worldly wisdom, Mrs. Glenn
ent was forced to confess that Della had
begnn az she meant TO hold out, though
other boarders came TO demand her at
tenhon, to multiply her cares. The fret
and Jar of conflicting temperaments
under her roof was new experience to
1CllS. w dCh MS NElSCOLlC
of the mosquitoes, with an air as if Miss
Rogerson were responsible for their Gre
alton; of the flies, as if they were new
acquaintances; 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 would be no sudden changes to
annoy her boarders; of the shabby house
and antiquated furniture, "too old for
comfort and not old enough for fashion"
then Della doubted if taking boarders
was her mission. "What makes you
keep US, my dear?" asked Mrs. Clement,
after day when everything and every
body had seemed to go wrong. why
didn't you ever marry? You had lover,
dare say"
''Yes; long, long time ago."
''Tell me about him-it?''
''There isn't much to tell. He asked
me to marry him. He was going to Aus
trala. I couldn't leave father and
mother you know (they were both fee
ble,l and he couldn't stay here. That's
ALL"
''And you-you-"
"'Now all men beside 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 anything.
1t was better for him to forget me and
marry. I was q mill stone about his
neck. didn't answer his letter"
'And supposing he should return
some day, would You marry him?"
81 dare say" laughed Della, gently,
as if the idea were familiar, .'let the
neighbors laugh ever so wisely, I've
thought of it sometimes, sitting alone,
when the world was barren and common
place. One must have recreation of some
kind, you know. Everybody requires a
little romance, little poetry. to flavor
every day thinking and doing. I'm afraid
You think me q silly old maid, Mrs.
Clement"
mo. 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-it is as
beautiful at fourscOre as ut sweet 20.
Time makes amends for the ravages of
the body by developing the spirit. You
didn't tell me your lovers name. Per-
haps you would rather not"
His name was Stephen Langdon.
Sometimes Captain Seymour runs
against him in Melbourne, and brings me
word how he looks and what he is doing;
though 1 never ask, and Stephen never