The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-12-20
HOW KATY OPENED THE DOOR.

HOW KATY OPENED THE DOOR.
1t is not comfortable to be poor. do
not mean merely very, very DOOR like the
man who goes about with a hand-organ-
though, by the way, Judging from the
quantity of pennies he gets, [ shouldn't
wonder if he were rich, and simply pur-
sued his occupation because he is fond of
exercise and classical music. But suppos-
ing him to be poor as he looks, | do not
mean that alone. Anybody is uncomfort-
ably poor who owes money and can't paw
1t, or who really needs and desires some
thing but can't afford it. In this sense
most people are poor very often. And
there are only two remedies: one is, to
have more money, which is not always
easy to manage, and the other is, not to
want so many things, which is also not
easy, but, on the whole, more advisable.
Yet 1t Is quite as uncomfortable and
twice as absurd to feel poor when one is
not poor. This is what allied Mr.. Crabbe.
He had money enough, if he had only
thought so. He lived as well as he knew
how. If his house was rather gloomy and
lonesome, IL was because he chose TO live
alone. His wife had died many years be-
fore this story begins. His only daughter
had married against his will and he had
never forgiven her-not even when she
often did at first, or begging his help, as
she once did afterwards. He had simply
burned the letters without opening them,
and had even forgotten the postmarks. 1t
was now at least eight years since she had
left him, and he did not know, and thought
he did not care what had become of her.
All that time he had been getting rich as
fast he could. l suppose that in most
cases, if a man will give up everything for
it, he can get rich, but it is a fearful price
to pay. Old Crabbe had not found out this
truth fully. He fancied that if he
wasn't quite comfortable it was be-
cause he was still poor. "How
can a man be happy" he used
to grumble, closing money every day:
Such times! people pretending they can't
pay their rent, and real estate going
down all the while"
Old Crabbe's business was to get money
from the tenants of his houses; and his
only pleasure was to take that money and
buy more houses. He had been merchant
in earlier days; but he had given that up,
because he thought he hated to see and
speak with people. Folks talked such rub
bish, he said, over the counter; and a
woman shopping was enough to drive a
man mad! There was some truth in that,
l confess; but not sufficient to justify him
in despising the world altogether. The
real secret was, that having cruelty
wronged his daughter, he tried to believe
y
was somehow wrOnging him, or would do
so at the first opportunity. At all events,
he had retired from business, put his money
into houses, and employed an agent TO look
after them, 50 that lie need never person
ally meet his tenants. They're all alike"
said he; ''if they can't rob me they'll bore
me. What do l care for their smoky CHM
neys and poor kitchen ranges, and the
pip~s and roofs that leak, and the doors
that won't shut, and the moldy wallpaper,
and the three coats of paint that every
thing needs, and all the rest of it,"
Bat, although he took so much pains land
was willing TO pay an agent n moderate
very moderate-Salary) to avoid having
anything TO do with his tenants, he really
attended to tine whole business. The agent
was little more than Il go-between, and
was obliged to report to old Crabbe almost
every day and take his orders. "Don't
tell me their Names" said the landlord,
land don't tell them my name. But don't
you dare to do anything or promise any
thing till give you leave!"
The agent was a jolly IriShman, who, if
he could have had his own way, would have
demanded no rent at all, and lent money TO
the tenants into the bargain. ''Sure,
it's little good the money does the loille %
him." he used to mutter, as he received the
monthly payments from people who looked
as if they laid down with every dollar bit
of the pale flesh from their bones. But he
WAS uOltSL HI ODSN ul- anu, III
though lie gave plenty of cheering words
and sympathy, he wasted none of old
Crabbe'S money. Indeed, he could not
well have done so without being found out,
for the old man used to cruise around early
in the morning or late in the evening, when
he thought he would not be seen and in
spect matters FOR himself.
The day l am now writing of was the
9th of December. The agent was Just
leaving Mr.. Crahbe'S gloomy house after
making his report. He had managed to
give satisfaction in every case but one, and
in that one case he had obstinately insisted
that the rent ought to be reduced.
'sFaith, yer HONOR" said he, sits too big
proice for the little ould house at all, am
itnot fit to live in without new front shtepS
to it an power % patchin' on the roof,
am no gas nor water, am the furnace as
good as wore out intirely. Sure the WILDLY
ID after LAWN long ago av she hadn't lived
there so happy with ner husband-rist his
sowli It's foine man he was, an good as
gowld-barrin' the gowld he hadn't
enough 20 that to HURT him!'
"There. thereo interrupted old Crabbe;
shaven'tI told you 1 don't want to know
anything about the people that live in my
houses? Widows and husbands-it's all
one to me. Let them pay their rent or get
Quit"
"Av coorsev' replied the agent ''rhat's
what | said to the wildly name the tin
ant-and says she, Il think I'll have 10 give
you the rig'lar notice. So thought yer
honor'd better be tould, for it's not many
tinants you'd be after gettin' for that place
arsnyhow; in the did OF winter, too, more's
the pity" With that tie agent departed,
and when he had reached the street and
could not be overheard by old Crabbe, he
chuckled and said to himself: THAT con-
cludin' consideration was an illigant bit of
logic. That'll do the businessw
Apparently he had guessed correctly, for
after be had gone old Crabbe, sitting alone
In the house, began to think the matter
over. He wasn't quite ready to tear down.
No. I42, the house 20 which the agent had
referred, and build ''flats" in the place of
it. He wanted first to secure the next lot,
which he did not yet own. And if the
present tenants should leave, it would be
difficult to find others who would take it on
any terms, except those of thorough and
extensive repairs. Yet to reduce rent,
even to retain a coed tenant, was against
his principles. 1t is enc of those things
~hirh should be done only as last resort.