Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-09-17
Mr.. Halls Mistake.


pressed, the ssgreat confagration. .
She kept boarders, and the struggle
she made to at least come out even
at the end of the month, gave her
face pinched and worried express
sion which her blandest smile could
not wholly obliterate.
Her boarders were five in number,
and were all gentlemen.
Mr.. Hall, an old bachelor of fifty,
had boarded with Miss Carson for
six years, though he threatened to
leave on an average of once a week.
Mr.. Wilson, Mr.. Crane and Mr..
Stowe were statesmen in large dry
goods house. They occasionally pre-
sented their landlady with gloves,
handkerchiefs, and the latest thing in
neckwear, in return for which kind
ness she darned their stockings and
replaced missing buttons.
Last, though by no means least,
for he was six feet tall, there was
Mr.. Fay, young lawyer, who had
taken room Immediately under the
mansard roof, and who spent most of
his evenings reading ponderous vol
umes that his landlady declared made
her head ache even to look at.
At first Miss Carson was inclined
to weave romances about Mr.. Fay
he was so handsome, so quiet and re-
served. Was he something in dis
guise or was he suffering from an un-
reqnited love? However, as months
passed on and nothing startling was
heard concerning him, she ceased to
think much about him, excepting as
a rather unsocial young man totally
wrapped up in his studies.
Miss Carson made 1t point al
ways to show ready sympathy in
whatever interested her boarders.
If Mr.. Stowe told her the White
Stockings had beaten the Bostons,
OF some other thrilling item of news
connected with the national idiocy,
she would exclaim, 81 am surpris-
ed !" or "What PITY" with an in
terest that was only equalled by her
ignorance of the great American
game.
But it was a severe trial to the
orthodox lady when Mr.. Hall, who
was an admirer of Ingersoll, would
say:
''I tell you, Miss Carson, it is only
a question of time when church-go-
ing will be regarded as mere super
stition. People will laugh about it
as they now do about witchcraft.
Miss Carson would not argue. She
would merely throw him sickly
smile and adroitly change the sub
ject, wishing with gentle sigh that
Mr.. Hall would marry woman who
would change his wicked ways.
One cold winter evening the land
lady did not appear, as was her usu-
| a1 ha ~
the dinner-table.
''Old girl sick? ?" as Mr.. Crane of
the company in general.
"No," replied Mr.. Stowe; "she' S
gone to the Twenty-second street
station to meet her neice, little girl
who is coming to live with her."
eff she's going to take child to
raise, that settles it with me" growl-
ed Mr.. Hall in a deep bass voice; 81
shall leave at the end of the month.
What is that in front of you, Stowe
A meat-pie, of course! Meat-pie is
an invention of boarding house keep
ers to use up scraps. Miss Carson
says she never gives us hash, but she
either puts it between crusts and
calls it meat-pie, or else adds onions
and calls it an Irish stew"
ga rose by any other name woulC
smell as sweet" observed Mr.. Will
kins
"To-morrow will be Sunday" con
tinued Mr.. Hall, "and that means
codfish-balls and Sunday morning
that they should appear regularly or
that particular day? Is there any
creed that insists on codfish-balls fol
Sunday breakfast?''
AS no one volunteered an answe
to this question, Mr.. Hall finished
his dinner with the remark that b,
hoped soon to take his meals wher'
he would be served as a gentleman
ought to be, and not be fed like /,
tramp.
Miss Carson's boarders were rath
er surprised to find her niece a full
grown young lady instead of the lit
tie girl they had expected to see. l
would be difficult matter to describ
Flo Sheldon. She was not beauty
her nose was a trife "tip-tilted'' ant
; her mouth little too large, thougl
! her teeth were white and even. Blu
t her eyes were the glory of her face
. They were large, dark and bright
they were shaded by long, curlin
e lashing, and were such alluring, pro
voking, bewitching eyes!
81 have always mentioned Flo a
my little niece," said Miss Carso
e at the breakfast table. 81 can scarce
o ly realize that this tall young lady
the little girl in short dresses | part
. ed from five years ago. All well!
have changed great deal in ths
time myself
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