The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1882-06-16
THE NEW BoARDEn

1nh ND W 0OAhU6h
| Ii was not long after the diamond
| robbery that he came, and his coming
| giving up as it did something new K
| talk about, might have been regarded
| as a blessing. for we had all speculateC
/ and surmisedsand wondered about thai
robbery until the subject had been worn
threadbare. The story is briefly told
Miss Cartwright, wealthy lady of ma.
ture years, had been at our boarding.
house on a visit to her married sister
much younger than herself, and on go
ing away had at this sisters request left
| her diamonds for the latter to wear at q
charity ball the following week. But
| before the ball did come off it was found
that the diamonds had disappeared, and
| thereupon every sympathetic heart in
the clearinghouse bled for poor Mrs.
Bronson. the married sister, and began
| to give advice to Mr.. Bronson as to the
best method of recovering the lost jew
els. Old Mr.. Cartwright came down
| from the country, swore great deal
| (the diamonds were worth $3O00), de-
nounced the house as a den of thieves,
and was thereupon ordered out of it by
the indignant landlady. Mrs. Bronson s
historical rawlings had given way to q
gentle melancholy; Mr.. Bronson had
said the whole affair was horrid nui-
sance, and he was sick of it; Miss Mo-
lette, our boarding house beauty, had
begun to yawn at any mention of the
matter, and Mrs. Banks, the landlady,
had ceased to make the daily remark
that such thing had never happened
in her house before.
The new boarier was from the coun-
try. His clothes were country-made,
his gait was suggestive of the pillow.
His hair had been cut at home, and
above all his face had that look of back
woods innocence, that letter of recon-
mendation which Nature writes for the
rustic and which the grewn-up gamin
of the city must needs make his way
without. =
.sOh, isn't he q darlingi' exclaimed
Miss Molette, the day after his arrival.
'EW hen went down to dinner yesterday
with my train on and he dropped his
knife and fork to stare at me. Ifelt that
that was q compliment worth having"
Now, Lady Clara We're, said Mr..
Steele, newspaper man, don't go to
breaking a country heart for pastime af-
ter it comes to town. If that young
ster would follow my advice he would
take the back track tomorrow. IL he
stays here there will be a number one
plowman spoiled TO make very infer
ior salesman, to say nothing of the
probable damage to his young afec-
TONS
II gave him that very advice yester-
day evening"" observed Mr.. Thornton,
o commercial traveller, who sometimes
made short stays at our boarding house.
1.-THE fellow came to me after dinner,
and after informing me tl.at he feit
.x,-1 1 Il, I
let him talk to me. Blaze :i'vay.'
I, and thcreupon he began to give me
his history with that of all his relations
thrown in. He happened to mention in
cidentallv that he had brought all his
money with him, whereupon / warned
him of the dangers of town life, telling
him among other things of the diamond
robbery. He took Q vast amount of ia
terest in the diamond affair, and asked
no end of foolish questions. However,
when | told him what the jewels were
worth he grinned, shook his head, and
remarked that 1 couldn't fool him with
my big talk, as he knew something
about such things. His cousin Nathan
had bought diamond shirt-pin last
time he was in New York. and it was
French diamond at that"
1T takes these. country folks to know
it all,'' observed Mr.. Steele. 81 hope
the fellow won't take to hanging around
me, for I do hate afool-n
Poor young rnaii' sighed Miss
Prince, our scbool-fna 'am boarder. ss1t
is a shame for an innocent creature like
that to come walk ing into u trap as it
We're, and be ruined by gamblers and
sharpers.'
al don't know what you mean by
L - LII
am sure there are no gamblers or sharp
ers in this house,
IF he will only let whisky alone he
may get along observed Mr.. Thorn
ton before Miss Prince could give one
of her usual meek answers, @but if the
fast men around town find out that he
has money they viii do all they can to
make him drink, and then the first thing
he knows he will be cleaned ont. Ishan
give him another hint that he had bet
ter take care how he lets himself be
roped in, butt knew it will be throwing
words away. as those sort of fellows
never listen to reason"
And so it would seem in the case of
young Billings (that was the new board
er's name). who in very few days af-
ter his arrival was seen in very shady
company indeed. NV alking arm-iR-arm
with one of Carew's gang 50 Mr.
Thornton remarked casually to Mr..
Steele, land as drunk as II coot."
Poor. misguided creature! exclaim-
ed Miss Prince.
..Get Miss Molette TO take him to q
temperance meeting" suggested Mr.
Thornton. HE follows her about in
regular Mary little lamb-fashion. i
don't think / ever saw a more sickening
case ofsspoens.
lie is pretty far gone. that's fact"
exclaimed Mr. Steele, ..but / believe it
is her dress that has captured his heart 2
ssShe does dress uncommoniy well for
a girl who elacks away all day at type
W riter.n observed Mr.. Thornton. How
ever, / suppose her relations give her
an occasional lift, and it is only right
and proper to dress up handsome girl
and ret her married off. Don't you re-
member that Miss Kline who was here
last winter2 Fhst giri, hadn't q cent TO
her name, and wasn't SO wonderfully
pretty either, but q ssensible old aunt
kept her dressed up within an inch of
her life and the consequence is she is to
be married very shortly, so 1 hear from
Miss Moletfe, to one OF the richest men
in r.
YES observed Miss Prince, s'she Is
to be married ut Jer aunt's house IN I
R., and Miss Mol,lte has been invited
to the wedding. Poor Mr.. Billings look
ed quite black when he heard that Miss
Molette was going to h. and asked
he might not accompany her, but she
would NOT t.t,llSenf -