St. Landry democrat., 1882-06-24
Taking BOarders.

is probably as harassing an occupa-
| ton as can well be found, especially
with the risk of hiring a large house and
furnishing it for the purpose. A great
deal, however, can be said on both
sides. The case is not so difficult with
the owner or occupant of her own house,
who, having room that can be verv
well spared chooses to diminish her
| household expenses by adding to the
number of the inmates. 1t increases
her cares also, but money cannot be
made in any way without effort of some
kind, and this method seems preferable
to ordinary teaching or sewing.
To succeed, however, in taking and
entertaining boarders, either on large
keeping, and what may be called a gift
of economy, which does not mean pro-
viding poor things, but getting the
most for one S money. An economical
housekeeper who understands her bust
ness will furnish good table with a
sum which, N the hands of one who
thinks of saving money, would produce
the most unsatisfactory results. The
manner of cooking and serving food
has quite as much to do with its at
Effectiveness as the quality of the pur-
chase made; half-cooked vegetables, and
meats scorched without and raw within,
can never be inviting, whatever the
original cost or quality may have been.
AS general thing, there is a sort Of
airy unconcern about those who take
boarders, in regard to all matters not
absolutely ''down in the bond,' which
is highly exasperating; and considering
all things, the wonder is not that SO
many fail in this calling, but that any
succeed. Were it not that there is al
ways an abundant supply of homeless
people in the world, landladies who
trouble themselves only about what is
barely necessary, and do even that in an
inefficient way, would oftener find that
cit dosen't pay to take boarders."
How often, for instance, does any one
looking for board chance to find a room
that has home look about it? Do not
the apartments generally shown look as
if some one had Just died there, and
everything had been dismantled in con-
sequence? Not bit of drapery to bed
OF windows, not a bracket or table
cover, not cushion Or footstool. The
four walls are there-often with an ug-
ly paper on them-with the orthodox
bedstead and bureau and chairs, pos
sibly a hard lounge, but probably none
at all. What possibilities of cheerful
ness are there in such a room, if the oc-
cupants have no furniture of their owfE'
with which to brighten it?
but we can't afford to ornament
rooms" say the struggling landladies;
it wouldn't pay. We can scarcely
make both ends meet as it is
This is just where they make a mis-
take, because it acould pay. 1t would
pay to drape the windows with cheap
and tasteful curtains those of white
muslin, cretonne, unbleached muslin,
Canton flannel, or low-priced worsted
stuffs being particularly serviceable for
winter-to drape the mantel with the
same, and to have table cover that
matches or harmonizes A lounge im-
provised from a packing-hox, with
springs and small husk mattress over
them, could be covered to suit the dra-
peries. A few touches of this kind
would completely transform a bare,
ugly room into something homelike,
and the small outlay required would
certainly be returned tenfold.
A lady who desires to receive into her
family one additional inmate, as a
means of increasing her income, will
find no difficulty, if she reside in the
city, in obtaining a desirable lady or
gentleman boarder willing to pay iber-
ally for home comforts. Many such
people detest boarding houses, and
would dispense with a great variety at
the table for the sake of having what is
put upon it made inviting. Even so
Simple thing as the popular breakfast
dish of oatmeal is seldom cooked so as
to be fit to eat. Often placed upon the
table half raw, because SO few cooks
seem to understand the immense
amount of moderate boiling or simmer
ing that it requires, it quite deserves tbs
name of chicken feed' facetiously be-
slowed upon it. 1t can be made,
though, very delicate and nour-
ishing dish-bearing in mind the fact
that cream Or good rich milk is its nan
ural congener.
1t Is not necessary, however, to 60
into the details.of breakfast, dinner and
tea dishes, a passing allusion to the
causes of failure on the part of those
who attempt to take boarders being
sufficient for our purpose. The asser-
ton can easily be proved from facts
that more people are looking fruitlessly
for home-like quarters than there are
people having such quarters to offer.
1t follows therefore, that any one who
will furnish something more attractive
than is usually offered will have no rea-
son to complain of want of success
Ella Rodnaaa Church, in Haper's Mag
dzi7ae.
In the Mine Run campaign of 1868
Lieutenant G. A. Longfellow fell, shot