New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-09-01
AFTERNOON COMPANY.
A COMPARISON OF BoARDERs.

mo foiiard Neighborhood, Aug. 1o-Mrs. Bennett
'o"arhed this morning at breakfast that she under
s'ood nom Lizzie Pollard that her mother thInkn'
sumo OF havin' afternoon company fore the week
out
Old not think much about this informatt the
momon', Out It appeared to have a great G. u on
MARIA. That little girl when her mother spoke.
.ad Just put so much slowed sweet apple and milk and
bread into her mouth that she could not articuIatc
urecry She made one effort to speak before she
iuy able to do So and the result so disastrous
'hAt towels and dshclohs brought forward to
absorb what had been in the childs mouth. Her
iather threatened to send her away from the tabl0
out as no rarely did what he threatened, his words ia
not cause much alarm.
"hen peace and quiet were restored and Maria was
piacidiy going on with her bread and milk, Mrs. Ben
net gave permission for her to speak
Maria eagerly asked II 1t was thought that She her
self, would be invited Her face fell dismally when
she was told that of she wouldn't She pro
ceeoed TO relate that when the Pollards had had
a'erhoon company they had also had ice-cream, and
she would bet they'd have 1t now, account Of city
ooarders Maria apparently understood that people
who dweit in city Just lived on ice-cream"
Mrs Bennet turned to me and said she hoped Pd
Do wiin TO spend the afternoon at the Pollards for
hey'd be sure to ask me, and would feel hurt II l
didn't CO. They'd think you was so stuck up" went
rye always told 'em you wasn't stuck up one bit but
was Just as common IS dirt. You'll CO. won't ye!'
secretly was annoyed at being called as common
As dirt" To my mind this phrase did not seem com
phmentary in any way. l told my hostess that
thought I wouldn't go, even If had invitation.
At these words Mrs. Bennett looked painfully
alarmed, that began to modify my statement
That's Just what Lizzie Pollard sad' she cried. dc
tectodly. "she said she felt sure you thought you
md IN cppn
m wouldn't bow to nobody, m guessed FOLKS that
took boariers want fit wipe your shoes on. m she
felt s If she IS good IS anybody, If they had lived
in Boston,
was aghast, I heard this incoheren description
Of how had affected Miss Pollard. If person was
so unfortunate to be near-sighted and absent
minded, must that person be thus described!
My friend went on to say that Lizzie said that she
guessed their lady boar1er just IS good IS any
body, m she wished everybody could Mrs Minors
teagown Lizzie had asked Mrs. Bennett if had
tea gown, and had been told that If had, had never
IT, so fur's any one knew" At this Lizzie had
tossed her head and asserted with emphasis that any
woman that had one Of them gowns would be sure to
wear IT, She told Of several articles Of apparel pos
sessed by Mrs. Minor all going TO show the superiority
Of Mrs Polards boarder Mrs. Bennet's boarder
IL was while Mrs. Bonnet and Maria were gath
ering up the breakfast dishes and putting them I'm the
a call made lately by Miss Pollard. During the
progress Of the recital Maria became very much eX
cited, and manifested every inclination to be my
champion She would stamp her foot and make such
CALCULATIONS these:
The dunn old fool" "The great hog' The
nasty old skunk!'
All these descriptive cpthets were applied to Lizzie
and her mother and fell unreproved from Maria's
lips. l felt that my did not lack defender
AT last when her mother stopped Tor moment, the
unanimously that she didn't care what the Pollard
boariers had but her boarder had something they
hadn't none of em got over there, much they talked
bout what they'd got
We looked with such curiosity at the maker of this
announcement that she became quite triumphant.
what are you hlntin' at?n asked Mrs Bennett.
Maria pointed at mo.
They amt got a tripod, m she has; they amt got
a camera m she has they can't take things m she
cam she replied with impetuous shrlness.
You mean can try to take things l responded
modestly But was not modest in this remark
As I should have been a few days ago, for the day
before had actually succeeded in getting negative
and in printing a picture Of the Bennett house True
il was blurred and had spots on 1t, and one white
stripo through the CENTRE and had strong reddish
tinee over the whole still it a photograph, and
was highly priced by our entire household thought
that had by this work of Photographic art redeemed
mvseIf from the disgrace into which my former fail
ures had thrown
"Tbars sop said Mrs Bennett, with much satisfac
ton She looked complacently at her daughter. 1t
was plain they were going, as they eApreS9eu Il" l"
stand up for their boaIder.'