The Columbus journal., 1883-08-22
MIR. HALLS MISTAKE.

MIR. HALLS MISTAKE.
Miss Carson came to Chicago before
the great fire, or, as she always ex-
pressed it, the "great confiagration. !"
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 expression which
literate.
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.. Wilkins, Mr.. Crane and Mr..
Stowe were statesmen in a large dry
goods house. They occasionally pre-
sented their landlady with gloves, hand
kerchiefs, or the latest thing in neck
wear, in return for which kindness 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 a room
immediately under the mansard roof,
and who spent most of his evenings
reading ponderOus volumes 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 reserved.
Was he somebody in disguise, or was he
.
months passed on. however, and moth
ing startling was heard concerning him,
she ceased to think much about him.
merely regarding him as a rather un-
scciable young man totally wrapped up
in his studies.
Miss Carson made it point to always
show a ready sympathy with whatever
Interested her boarders.
II MIR. Stowe told her that the White
Stockings had beaten the Bostons, or
some other thrilling item of news con-
nected with the National idiocy, she
would exclaim: Il am surprisedr' or
"Whst PITY with an interest that
was only equaled by her ignorance of
the great American game.
One cold winter evening the landlady
did not appear, as was her usual Gus
tom, behind the coffee-urn at the dinner
table. "Old girl sick?" asked Mr..
Wilkins of the company in general.
mo-" replied Mr.. Crane; "she has
gone to the Twenty-second street depot
to meet a little girl. her niece, who is
coming here to live
"If she is going to take a child to
raise that settles it with me-" growlsd
Mr.. Hall, in deep bass voice.
Il 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 in
vention of boarding-house keepers to
save scraps. Miss Carson says she
never gives lis hash, but she either puts
il between crusts and calls it meat pie,
or she adds onions and calls it an Irish
stew!' "
"A rose by any other name would
smell as sweet" observed Mr. Wilkins.
"To-morrow will be Sunday" cons
tinued Mr.. Hall, IS and that means cod
6sh-balls for breakfast. VIII somebodrs
tell me the connection between codfishr
balls and Sunday morning, that they
should appear regularly On that particu-
lar day. Is there any creed that;ipsists
on codfsh-balls for Sunday W fast?"
As no one volunteered an d6swer to
this question Mr.. Hall finished his din
nor with the remark that he hoped soon
20 take his meals where he would be
served as a gentleman ought to be, and
not be fed like tramp.
Miss Carson's boarders were rather
surprised to find her niece a full-grown
young lady instead of the little girl they
had expected to see. 1t would be q
difficult matter to describe Flo Sheldon.
She was not a beauty. Her nose was q
txife "tip-tilted" and her mouth a
little too large, though her teeth were
white and even; but her eyes were the
glory of her face. They were large,
dark and bright; they were shaded BY
long curling lashes; they were such al
Turing. provoking, bewitching eyes!
"I have always mentioned Flo as my
little niece" said Miss Carson at the
breaHast-table. II can scarcely real
ize that this tall young lady is the little
girl in short dresses parted from five
years ago. All. well! fhave changed a
great deal in that time myself"
mot at ALL" said Mr.. Hall, with q
sudden and most unaccountable attack
of politeness. Il assure YOU YOU look
as young and as er-er-rosy as you
did six years ago. Time has not put
silver threads among the gold. or er-er
--trified with your appearance in any
way" This was true. Miss Carson's
hair was drab, and her complexion
matched it. Time could make no start.
ling change in either. ...-
4 gradual but very perceptible change
came over the house after Flo's arrival.
She was q very industrious girl, and
knew how to employ her time. The
curtains were looped less primly, the
parlors had a more comfortable, home
Ike appearance, while delicate pud-
dings, faky pies and delicious coffee
showed her acquaintance with the culi-
nary art.
"You are certainly the personifcs
ton of youth, health and happiness
combined, Miss Fo." said Mr.. Fay, as
he found her late one afternoon singing
gayly as she was spreading the cloth for
dinner. "It does one good merely to
look at you"
Thank you; pray continue to look at
me then, by all means. As to the first
observation you made, l can say that I
deserve it. lam young, am certainly
healthful, and am Uery happy, for to-
night l am going to the opera. When
you learn that I am fond of music, and
that / never saw q real opera in my life.
you will not be surprised to hear that 1
can scarcely keep from dancing with
glss. as well as singing"
"Your parents do not approve of that
kind of amusement. suppose?'
"Oh, that was not the trouble. We
live in the country, and my father could
not afford to take his six daughters to
city merely for q pleasure trip. You
have no idea how glad I was to get my
sunt's invitation TO come to Chicago.
and how much enjoy myself when I
70 downtown. It is stale to city poo
pls. I suppees. but I like 10 watch the
9oWdA to so0dy the different 1aess. -