Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-03-29
OUR SPARE ROOM.

nation could it be called country. 1t is
exceedingly difficult TO get 10 the city
where ! 90 every day-from there, OF
get anywhere else. for the matter of that
But | think our chief reason for going
70 live there was that we had the chance
of taking house that had been built by
a friend of mine for his own occupation
who found after it was finished that he
would have to live abroad for two Ol
three wears. Houses that people built
for themselves are always SO much nicel
than those they build for other people
So we at once decided to take it, and
ever since have been trying to get away
from it.
We both wanted to live in town, il
London proper. l wanted my clut
handy, and Margaret wanted the bonnet
shops Choosing a new house is &
weighty and important matter, and VIZ
braced our minds beforehand by many
conversations on the subject, and at last
began seriously to house-hunt.
We looked at a good many desirable
residences" in the regions of South Ken
singtOn and Baywater, and saw few
that we liked pretty well, and large
number We did not like at all. \ good
many of the houses had just been new
" and smartly done up for the season
it was the month of February when we
began our search-with an evident view
of attracting the public. But although
they were magnificent with paint, pa
per, whitewaSh and Jacobean mantel-
pieces, we frequently found that they
were deficient in the less apparent de-
tails of drainage, cisterns and boilers,
with which unimportant trifles the land
lord had evidently considered it not
worth while to busy himself.
Some houses, on the other hand, were
not done up in any way, but were
dark, dirty. and cobwebby, and haunted
bv cadaverous caretakerS. 1t was use
less to try and investigate any of this
species, as Margaret refused to go any
further than the drawingrOOm floor,
and would not entertain the idea of
them for single instant. First i'm
preSSiOnS are everything" she would re-
mark emphatically when | tried to con-
vince her that painting and papering
were not vet lost arts, and that the care
taker would not, of necessity, form part
of our establishment.
Our house hunting, was, therefore, a
long business, and we made quite pic
mic of it, Margaret declared, for we
frequently retired to confectioner'S for
afternoon tea instead of going back to
Finchley for that meal, which was al
ways great point with Margaret. She
would not have thought the day COM
plete without it. So as the afternoons
at the end of February are long and
light we frequently walked about look
ing at the houses till nearly 6 O'Clock.
One evening as were sitting together
in my smoking room after dinner talk
ing, as we usually did, about our pros
pective new house, Margaret seemed
suddenly to be struck with an idea.
Charley" she said, leaning forward in
her chair and placing her pretty fore
finger on her pointed chin as she spoke,
"there is one thing that our new house
must not have, and that thing is spare
rOom."
mo spare roOm!' cried, nearly drop
ping the end of my cigar in surprise.
"Why, where shall we keep all our box
es, my dear; and your sewing machine,
which you never use, and"
Il mean spare bedroom" interrupted
Margaret reproyingly. "And | wish you
wouldn't say my dear it makes me
feel so old"
"OldI" l said, astonished and mysti-
fed.
"Yes," returned Margaret. Mr.. White
lock calls his wife My dear and they
both are over seventyr'
This argument was unanswerable. |
did not attempt to refute it.
We'll, then" | continued. "Mv-my
love" (''Ah! that's better" said my wifej
would you mind explaining to me your
objections to that time -hOnored inStitu-
ton, guest chamber? Are you afraid
Of a ghost taking up its quarters with
u.s."
NO." answered Margaret, still keep
ing her finger on her chin and regarding
me with a fixed and steadfast gaze.
She had not even blanched when | allu-
ded to the sewing machine. But in
London, he who keeps a spare room
keeps hotel"
1t was too true. | dropped the end
Of my cigar into the CRATE outright, Aunt
Georgina from bennington, .'just run
ning up from Saturday till Monday"
with her maid, her aSthnatic pug. and
her array Of imperials, coursed through
NY brain.
Aunt Georgina-she was Margaret's
lunt not mine-had frequently perform |
I'd this athletic feat since our marriage.
and we had soon found out that her
Saturday till Monday" was not bv any |
means the same as that period of time |
recorded in the almanacS. 1t was some |
times week, but more often ten davs.
md it had been known to extend itself to |
4 month. | do not think We either of us !
disliked Aunt GeOrgina. In
fact, if any one had asked us what we
Jdl IlCuIdtlN ODJtCtCu W III neT, we should !
nave been somewhat puzzled to reply:
out she was like a rich plum pudding "a
title of her went good wav.
They say that everything comes to
hose who wait. Still more does every /
hing come to those who search long
and diligently enough, and in due time
our house was found. 1t was in every
way satisfactory. 1t had been freshly !
lone up with paint, paper and the new
est things in mantelpieces and dados,
md proper attention had been paid to
such things as drainage, gas pipes and
boilers. 1t was in the Bayswater direc-
ion; it was close to an omnibus route:
t was only shilling cab fare distance
% my club, and there was a very tolera-
Die bonnet shop not far off. In fact.
Margaret said that by putting her head !
nut of the bathroom window and cram
ng her neck only a very little she couId
uSt catch glimpse of it.
But in this world of ou-c upf,rt,,