The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-08
TOO LATE.
lrha conhiil Magazine.

LAWYERS office. on . very small income, and
unmarried. I then lodged In Ebury sueet,
Bslgravia, In . lodging and boarding house
kept by 90 eminently respectable old maid,
Niss Jones, Who treated all her boarders
with consideration and did not exact from
them more than they were able to pay. We
dinsd 1t her house only on Sundays and on
Christmas Day-that 10, unless invited out.
The dinner Was al ways esrly-st O'Clock
and always followed the same order. Oathe
nnt Sunday In the month We had chicken
and bacon: ON the second. boiled beef, gar
nishsd with carrots and turnips alternating
with parsnips). and suet pudding; OH the
third Sunday We had roast mutton and fried
potatoes; ON the fourth, roast besf and
mashed or boiled potatoes. When there
were Ave Sundays il month, the additional
Sunday was supplied with beeisteat pud-
ding, three pounds of beef to pudding.
do not know how it Was that the boiled
potatoes ut Miss Jores's always tasted OF
dish clout. know very we'll tina potatoes
are not boiled In q cloth; nevertheless the
pudding which 10. did not taste OF the c'out
and the potatoes aid. There are several In.
soluble mysteries encountered in lifs--this
Wa one.
Our landla5y was tall, pale, sandy haired.
She lived en- deshabille in the kitchen eli
the morning; bat al 8 q. M, at breakfast,
and at 4 D. M, when We boarders drops d IN
from our WORK, she Was prim, laced, CURED
and stately. How she managed to be,om
% In few minutes. never knew. That
also was one of the insoluble mysteries OF
life.
When ere OF rs stayed at home indis.
p1sed, we found that by $3.50 a. M, she " a.
what We called in our slang dish shovelled";
not Q curl in place, smirch across her
cheek, and heat merino gown replaced by
ragged dress not ft for lady to wear. Miss
Jones was the ideal maiden lady OF propri
ETY., dignity, and thrift. She was good-na-
tursd; on one point, however, che was mex.
orable-she never allowed her dodgers to fell
into debt: we paid seekly, beforehand, one
pound Der head. She had an atfable smile,
and similar remarks on the weather for all
her boarders Each had Tasher OF bacon OF
the same size ct breakfast, and tao Jumps OF
sugar In his tea, and one sponful OF brown
sugar in mis- coffee. Each. also, had an egg,
and oil the eggs tasted of limewater or saw
dust alike.
All the boarders were males except one,
IN old lady with o false front, who combed
her back hair with an antimoniacal comb t.
blacken 1t, and this always made her collar
grimy. she wore also set OF faise teeth;
both Jaws were thus furnished-how con
triyed We never quite made out That also
remains one of the insoluble mysteries OF
life. They were somehow contrived to nj
wepe SO badly contrived that in eAtiag che
did not look her beat, and sometimes pre-
sented . very unattractive spectacle indeed
The old lady did not like us and We did not
like her. She often had deviled kidneys for
breakfast, We never, but she paid extra for
them, and when she had them, then invaria
bly, the teeth went out OF gear. Behind her
back We were accustomed to mimic her She
knew II by some extraordinary intuition,
mysterious 20 rs for q long time, till we
discovered that the maid of all-work had
sneaked to her OF what We said and did. She
scarcely spoke to us at meals, except In
peronptory way, to have the mustard or
/. toast passed to her. We took malicious
pleasure in negls citing to anticipste her
wants. and force her to demand the butter
or toast, etc and not 10 hear her requests to
have them passed till abe raised her voice
angrily and repeated them very loudly
when We Immediately began to serve her
with mustard, pepper, eg spoons, empty SAT-
dine tins. any and everything, With mocs
oagerness to forestali her little wants. We
wns W ~ aegravsting However. my stors
has nothing to do with her. TO may dismiss
her: il concerns an old gentleman Who Wa.
our CO ledger and boarder at Mss Jones
ponsion. He was Major Cornelius a thin,
eray-hAired man. with q refined face, and
ever saw. he vas closely shaver. He wa
scrupulousiy careful alb out his clothes, and
though they were old and threadbare, no one
could doubt that be was Q gentleman b.
birth. breeding. and in feeling. There was
something very sweet and prepos-
ss:iDs .ns about ,,.xi his f sSs 1t .,n sss
smile lurked about the delicate mouth. and
the gray eyes were soft He was rather lame
from . woand he had received at Waterloo
He had his pension. aud he lived on that:
he had nothing beside 10 live on. That,
however, would have suf1iced to keep him in
comfort had he not in an evil hour stood Sc
curtty for . younger brother. We Zone OF
u knew the circumstances exactly, and
can not now say what was truth and what
Wus oniecture in the story whispered anon
%. Ny impression Is that the brother, to
whom he was devotedly attached, had not
behaved honorsbly; be had left the country
and the Majors resources were strained to
the utmost TO meet the demand that came
= d him q secur ~. We none Of Us ventured
m allude to this topic: the disgrace ranked
IN The old mans heart there was an ever
Omen wound there, which We we're careful
not 70 touch.
Tbsrs was childlike simplicity in the old
man which rather amused rs youngs ers
theu: nov, looking ba X on him, l find it
~ infinitely t0uching. We, however.
Iaughed over tive knew much more OF the
Vor,d than he. To Miss Jones and the old
ia6v With the teeth be was courteous, with
~ old-fa hioned courtesy that hastered
them . I'd son their hearts. He paid Miss
49,. "A. s.me al ve Il per week bat he
SinSd 6ai,v as home. We used to say that
0;s, ZONES set her cap at the Major, AID that
sbe only allowed him to remain on those
moderate tsrDs because che desired TO be
1910 Mrs. Cornelius 1 do Tot believe il
~ "A Think she strained point 80 as 20
,.fstn An old waterloo officer In her hoos.
to give it sn air ossuPerior:sy above beard
ine hous - Ia the ttreet
Gbenever think OF Major Corr elious
,>wsr. mar mia hair. have already said II
vss q q; If Ms always s'ahorsts'y brushed