News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-05-25
HIS LANDLADY.

| LILO AANULAU ].
81 won't say beware of the widows
Uncle Simpn," laughed Mr.. Feverfew's
nephew, as he parted from his respected
uncle as the railway station. sBut I
Will say beware of the landladies. They
are dangerous.
'Hum, hum ! Never fear, nephew
Merryvane, never fear |" retorted his
uncle. "It's hard to catch an old bird
with chaff. ="
But nevertheless he resolved to be on
his guard.
''She's an excellent housekeeper,"
muttered MIR. Feverfew to himself, as he
finished his coffee, wiped his mouth on
the freshly ironed napkin in his lap and
retired to his own room. can excellent
housekeeper, he repeated, 'but there's
no danger in that quarter. 1t is nice to
have the house always in apple pie
order, the floors as white as soap and
elbow grease can make them, but do
not mean to be made a cat's-paw of and
marry my landlady, housekeeper or no
housekeeper Miss Sparsely is not ex-
actly my style. She's every whit as old
as I am-thirty-six, if she's a day.
Now if she was young and pretty, like
that girl on the train, with veivety
cheeks and dimpled chin, might be
done for but as it is, I'm safe enough.
Besides, there's a mystery here L never
see any help about the house and it
stands to reason Miss Sparsely don't do |
all herself. Most likely she's got some
poor neice or cousin that does the work
when TIM not here. Snubs her unmer-
cifully, too, I'll be bound. H'ml
must look INTO this
''Not gone yet, Mr.. Feverfew %
cried Miss Sparsely in a mincing voice,
as she made her appearance with
long handled-brush and dust-pan in
her hand. ''Never mind; I'll come
back after a while"
And she whisked away, returning in |
short time to find the room vacant.
"He's gone," nuttered Miss Sparsely |
to herself; 'tand won't be back no more
till noon. Reg'lar as waxworks he is,
and don't give no trouble at all. Never
grumbles at the applesass, and can eat
griddle-cakes if they have been off the
stove five minutes. That's something
for an old bachelor like him. But here,
'twon't do to be a-fooling the morning
away Ike this; we must make hay while
the sun shines. Where can Diantha
be ?"
1t wanted two long hours till noon.
The dew was scarcely dried on the
long meadow-grass, and the morning
glories, shading Miss Sparsely's west
porch, had not yet closed their purple
cups, when MIR. Feverfew sauntered
quietly up the neat gravel walk.
He walked softly through the freshly
secured hall, opened the door of his own
room, and started back in surprise, for
there, carefully arranging q neat towel
over the washstand, stood vision-a
lovely vision, with veIvety red lips and
dimpled chin-the very girl whose
sparkling eyes and gold-brown braids
had attracted Mr.. Feverfew's attention
in the train.
Mr.. Feverfew was nopplussed.
'I-I-came back for my" spec
tacles he was going to say, but changed
the word to handkerchief "I didn't
know Miss Sparsely had company" he
added artfully.
"Oh, l am not company" exclaimed
the girl. 'I'm only Diantha-Miss
Sparsely's niece-and I've been clean
ing up your room"
Mr.. Feverfew glanced around the
| room.
''But don't your aunt keep any help?"
ventured Mr.. Feverfew, with an admir-
ing look at the little brown fingers
which had accomplished SO much.
"No one but me-" said Diantha
brightly.
"Diantha |" called q shriIl voice.
The girl darted away, and Mr.. Fever
few sat down to compose himself.
"Just exactly what I thought" he
muttered. Sand Miss Sparsely keeps
that girl hid when I'm around. Artful
creature But I'll get ahead of her
yet"
III it was Mr.. Feverfew's intention to
surprise Miss Sparsely, and worry her
life out by popping in on her at the
most inopportune and unexpected mo-
ments, he was ennmently successful.
For what with expecting him when he
did not come. and not expecting him
when he did come, "she couldn't
scarcely tell whether her soul was her
Own" as Miss Sparsely expressed it
herself.
She never asserted now that Mr..
Feverfew was Gas regular as wax
works. Indeed, she declared that'''he
was as unregular as a body could be,
aud must be a-getting unsettled in his
mind"
But, with all his maneuvres, Mr..
Feverfew never canght Diantha clean
ing his room again.
Once or twice she whisked past him
in the hall, and disappeared ike will
o'-wisp, and once he met her in the
lane, carrying basket of red raspber
ries that her own nimble fingers had
picked.
And still Mr.. Feverfew persisted.
Diantha, will you be my wife +?
| minc to love and cherish while life shall