Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1891-06-04

ing bOarders ran in the family or not,
cannot be decided, but upon her face
was written as plain as print, Furnished
apartments for single gentleman; in
uuire within" And why the bachelors,
in presence of notification so attractive
and so legibly written, would perversely
insist on passing by on the other side Is
one of those mysteries of life which we
need another and better world to clear
away.
Sophia was thirty, but at thirty dark
woman is still growing. She had
pleasing, if not strictly handsome face,
and a fine, ripe figure. Her head was
elegantly shaped and poised upon spread
| ing, sloping shoulders. Her hair was
dark, glossy and abundant, curling
easily and adapting itself readily and
gracefully to the requirements of fash
ion. She really had features. Nature
had done some genuine modelling on her
face, and so when she smiled or frowned
it meant something. Then she was not
like one of Sir Joshua Reynolds cherubs
all head and wings; but had whole
some, substantial body. She was good
woman and weighed 155 pounds. Her
health was vigorous, and always had
been. Her temper was even and happy;
she was tolerably well read; could drum
on the piano, could cook and, in short,
as the advertisements say, could make
herself generally useful, and had no OBJ
lection to children. And yet there she
was, unmarried, and wearing that I'M
mistakable placard, Furnished apart
ments for a single gentleman; inquire
withinr'
Next to her-it might have been by
chance, the usual way was placed
Lieut.. Quire, of the navy, on duty at
the department. The lieutenant had his
faults, among them a trick of coming
home very late at night, or sometimes
the next day, but he had a stanch de-
fender in Miss Sophia, who charged all
the gossiping comment of the other lodg-
ers on this fact TO civilian jealousy of
brass buttons. But nobody was disposed
to be very harsh with Mr.. Quire, for he
was a dashing, handsome fellow, who
had been all over the world, and was
very easy and companionable in his
manners.
Next to Mr.. Quire was a member of
congress, Il brisk, big, ordinary man,
with an appetite like pitcher plant.
The honorable gentleman owed his sue
cess in life to doing one thing at time,
and doing that well. Thus, at meal
time he ate, and that, too, fast and long.
Poor man, perhaps he hurried through
his meals to save them, for he was very
likely to be interrupted at such hours,
when he was known to be at home, by
callers.
The other boarder, besides Stevens
and Bassett, was Il pale young man, who
was stenographic secretary to a railroad
magnate; quiet, sensible fellow, who
minded his own business, and like the
honorable gentleman, found his bust
ness, at meal time, laid on the table.
Windward soon discovered, some
what to his amusement, for he was
fresh from New York, that by being a
Doarder at Mrs EXS he was Sin society"
In New York city clerks, typewriters
and boarding house keepers are not
fashionable people, but here he found
they might be, and in the present case
were. Mrs. Elk had given a literary re-
union only few days before his arrival,
and he was astOnished to learn from
Stevens how many really distinguished
persons had attended and taken part.
The Sunday press had long and glow
ing notices of the musicale" as they
called it, in their society news, and it
had evidently been quite an ''event."
Miss Sophia had danced with a senator
and firted madly with full colonel,
though this she denied in the most shame
less manner to Lieut.. Quire when he re-
preached her for her heartless conduct
the next morning. 1t did begin to look
serious for the lieutenant, however, when
on the night after Windward's arrival
the colonel came with a coach and bou-
quet and carried the beaming spinster off
to german" at one of the most fash
ioHable houses in town.
And why, pray, should not Mrs. Elk
be society woman if she chose! She
was a cultivated, agreeable, well dressed
lady, whose only fault was that she
earned her own living. She was poor,
of course, but no poorer than other nice
people. The then president of the United
States, for example, was saving up money
from his very moderate salary to pay his
honest debts. His cabinet officers, with
but one or two exceptions, looked for
ward to their monthly pay day, and
found use for all their modest income.
which would scarcely pay the rent of
what Wall street broker or a prosper
GUS wholesale merchant in any of our
larger cities would consider a suitable
house for his family to live in. The JUS
tees of the supreme court live on sal
aries less than many attorneys charge
for fees in the important cases they de-
eide. The army and navy colony is, of
course, impecunious. The diplomatic
corps are beggars in velvet.
Members of congress are, as class,
prosperous, commonplace country law
yers, who are not inclined to live beyond
their income, but who find they will do
SO, with home and Washington bills to
pay out of $1,000 year, unless they are
economical. The body of well to do re-
spectacle people are either ''in Office" or
dependent on those who are, and sala-
ries in the departments range from 5000
to S, 200, in very few cases rising above
1900. There is very little business
done beyond retail shop keeping, and
no manufacturing or commerce to speak
of, so that there are no nabobs of trade.
In short, the capital of the poor mans
country is the poor mans city. As