The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1883-08-30

II did hope we should never come Y
that. said Panic in an injured tone
And 10 think that father was once Tho
riches. man In Baryille, almost sobbed
Lonisa.
II know !, is very hard, girls, said Hell
en- Marsh. as she carefully darned long
rent In pillow slip hut il mnsi be done
aud We may as well face tho FAC. arss as
last. We are ia sore nc ID OF money, you
will all admit, and the only way we can
make II is by taking boarders. We have
four unoccupied rooms in this house, aud
we ought to have made something out OF
them long ago"
ut does seem such degradation,
though, for us TO take boarders. moaned
Fannie.
"And OF course Helen will think II i'm.
proper to take In any one nice, ssid josie
III by nice you mean young gentlemen
JOSIE, you may be sure will think II de-
cidediy improper.
"And imagine waiting on stutiy old WON
en- and catering to their whims." said
Louisa plainiively, ''or having the house
overrun by crying, dirty children
"The fat has gone forth, said Fannie.
Owe must make up our minds to the inev-
liable. When Helen says thing, she
meaps it. as we all know by experience;
but /, for one, shall see as little OF her
boarders as possible.
at is shame that Aunt Emma didn't
leave us her property cried Josie my
soul burns with indignation whenever l
think Of it. II she had spark Of natural
affection she never would have been guilty
OF leaving it away from us, and we would
not have been reduced TO such strait as
this"
Helen smiled, for Aunt Emmas lack OF
natural affection" was Josies hobby, and
she rode it almost daily. Aunt Emma
had been their fathers only sister, rich
old maid, who had gone to Europe when
Josie was an infant and had never been
heard OF since. That she was dead no one
doubted, but how she had disposed of her
fortune remained mystery. But having
been very eccentric woman. full OF alb
surd crotchets OF every sort, it was gener-
ally believed that she had left her money
to found hospital for lame cats and dogs
or home for aged spinsters, or something
OF that kind.
The four sisters who lived alone in the
great old.fashioned house, the only piece
OF property which had been saved from
the wreck OF their fathers estate, would
have been only too glad to have received
only small slice Of their Aunt Emma's
fortune, for there was more pinching econ
ny in the old house than outsiders ever
Or. '.ed, and it was only by exercise Of
imagil 'sreful management that Helen
the most axe both ends meet. Helen
NJ. 4 most energetic, and
was the Oldest an. q larger part of the
consequently by far tL 'uon her slender
care Of the household fell " nnselfsh
shoulders. She was thorough. sisters
and so sweet tempered that her -.
could impose upon her with impu Ut. I
They never seemed to think that she cot III
grow tired or have q headache, and ap-
peared TO look upon her as machine that 3
went by regular winding through its allot-
led work. They were even jealous Of that q
portion Of her time taken up by the visits |
of young Tom Harding, and looked upon o
he hours spent with him in the dimly. '
lighted parlor or the sweet old orchard as +
wasted. not caring that they were source 8
If rest, relaxation and happiness to her.
)f course lthe girls argued) since she c
.ould never marry him, there was no use
u sense whatever in clnging to her en- i
yagement TO him. For Helen actually
vas engaged to the struggling young PHI, u
ican, whose practice was small as yet, h
nd on whose shoulders rested the burden
4 support Of an invalid aunt and an un- a
married. sister. The engagement was al u
eady five years old. and still there was no 9
respect of wedding. Bnt Helen loved o
'om and clung to him. deaf to the reason o
ng and arguments, OF her worldly wise sis il
ers.
Helen had not arrived at her decision 10 1
IKE summer Eoarders without many in N
ard struggles, OF which she said nothing. Fl
/ hurt her pride to take strangers into
er dear old home for the sake OF the mon b
y they would pay her, and she dreaded b
ie trouble and additional labor her large W
lmily would entail upon her. She knew in
etter than TO expect help from her sisters. NJ
he knew she must shoulder alone the b.
sre and responsibility OF her venture, NJ
nd she wouId never have decided upon it
nd not the small income from the railway m
ocks they owned suddenly become mad 81
luate 10 provide sufiiciency Of bread r
I'D butter for them all. to say nothing Of je
ie clothing required for the outer adorn
lg Of their perishable bodies. Perhaps le
Ielen was in measure to blame for the 81
OF her sisters She INDUCED d
lem to pcrilous degree. and never com. th
lained or reproved when they shut them. in
lives up in their rooms 10 read novels
Id moan over their poverty. leaving to te
er the work and care OF the home. But 10
was not in Helen's nature TO find fault, o.
ID though she saw the selfshness OF her !,
sters, she did not know how TO check H. ca
he advertisement for boarders was duly
iscrted 10 several Of the city papers. Hell
D giving her full name and address. much "a
the horror Of Louisa, who declared that W
ow all the world would be conversant sI
ith their piiiable poverty. hs
A Mrs Darby was the first arrival. She
as an old lady with false teeth, false hs