Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1893-08-26
THIS HOUSE TO LET.

tat, black tstterA
'"rhis hoase 10 Leland no mistake about
u, either" unused Mr.. BnggA SlSrtAg his
cup Of cold coffee and looking diatsstefully
1t the one boiled egg that lay batore him
"Thefact Is, rm sick Of keeping house; coal
always out. taxes always duA ! won't
ptand 1t sny longer"
He stopped abruptly, there was ring at
ohe doorbell.
A spectaclsd old lady stood on the door
steps, in O shabby bombazine and furs that
looked as II they might have epown on the
back of some dissipatsd o.
This ere house to letfS
| "YeA ma'am."
| "Water pipes IN orderi Cellar dryi
Paint newi Furnace work goodt Roof
soundi Chandeliers 30 with the housei
Possession right Off Neighborhood goodf
Methodist church anywhere nsarf Any
| objection to childrepf Ventilators In the
roomsi CHEEKY closets Of the dining
| roomf"
'Ma'amp calculated poor Nahum, fairly
stunned by the torrent OF questions.
Whats the rentw
Twelve hundred dollarA"
Twelve hundred fddlestisksI' shrieked
the old lady. why. you must be crazy.
Say 5000, and I'll look At the rooms."
| " won't say anything Of the sorts
| 30 saying, Nahum Briggs closed the door
| In the face of the old lady with the furs.
! Scarcely had the old lady got safely
around the corner and Mr.. Briggs recovered
his ruffled faculties when there came an
| other sharp Standardization Of the bell-a
languid lady this time, with stin looking
| gentleman who appeared to be engaged in
holding on his mustache. With this couple
Mr.. Nahum trotted to the top Of the house
and down again.
"Adolphus, my deaA" said the lady.
| "Well, my dearf"
"Don't you think these ceilings are very
lowi And then the backyard Is 90 very
small. And the dining room Il 90 incon-
venient. And-pm really afraid there are
obnoxious insects In the bedrooms"
Really, ma'am," said Nahum, bristling
up, lis there any other fault to fndf Be
cause, II there isn't, there's the front door" 4"
| Two young damsels and a spinster aunt
followed, and after a lengthy inspection Of
the premises came to state council In the
paSlors.
II like the house very much" said the
spinstsr aunt solemnly, "and with few
slight alterations I wnl engage 1t for my
brother's family"
VERY good, ma'am," said Nahum, rub.
bing bis hands and soenting speedy ter
mination to bis trials Name EN-"
"The door handles must all be gilded, and
I should like the house pew papered and re-
painted, and the partition between the par
iors taken down and replaced BY an arch,
and an extension dining room built out be-
hind, and bay window thrown out of the
payloP, and o new style Of range in the
kitchen, and dumbwaiter put In, and new
bronze chandeliers throughout, and anothes
furnace IN the subcellar, and"-
Hold on, ma'am-just hold on one min
ute," said Nahum, gasping for breath.
Wouldn't you like the old house carted
away and new one put In its placei
think 1t would be rather less trouble than
to make the trihinR alterations you sug.
gest."
With prim dignity the lady marshaled
her two charges out, muttering something
about the "extortionate ideas OF some land.
lords nowadays"
Another lady, but quite different from
tho other-a slender, little, cast down lady
with head that dropped like lily of ths
valley, and dress of brown silk that had
been mended and darned and turned and
rstrimmed until even Nahum Briggs, mar
and bachelor though he was, could see how
very shabby 1t waA
Yet she was pretty. with big blue eye.
and shining brown hair and cheeks tinged
with faint, heeting color, where the vel
vety roses Of youth had once bloomed IL
vivid carmine
And the golden haired little lassies who
clung to her dress were as like her a. tiny
lily buds to full bloomed flower bells.
AS Nahum Briggs stood looking at he,
there came back to him the sunshiny day.
Of his youth~a field Of clover and blue
eyed girl leaning over the fence, with hel
bright hatr barred with sunset gold-and
he knew that he was standing face to fac.
with the girl whose blue eyes had kept him
an old bachelor all his life.
"This house Is to let, believer she asked
timidly.
~ believe 1t is, Barbara Wylie."
She looked up, starting with q sudden
6ush of recognition.
"If you please, Mr.. Briggs, will look al
the house. / am widow now and yery
poor, and-and think of keeping board
Ing house to earn my bread. hope the
rent Is not very high"
"We'll talk about the rent afterward. y
said Nahum, swallowing big lump in hi,
throat "Come here, little girls, and kis,
me. ! used to know your mamma wher
she wasn't much bigger than you ere"
Barbara, With her blue eyes still droop
Ing, went all over the house without find
ing word Of fault, and Nahum BriggI
walked st her side. wondering II II really
was Is years since the June sunshine LAY
% brightly on the clover field.
~ think the house u beautiful" said th,
meek Barbara xviii you rent Il to mef
"Well, yes" said Nahum thoughtfully
"rp let you have the house IL you want
II, Barbara"
"with the privilege a keeping few
boerders'"
'Nor'
Barbara stopped and looked wistfully a
him.
But don't think you understand how
very poor am, Mr., Briggs"
''I'll tell you what, Barbara" !" said Mr.
Briggs dictatorally. "I'll give you the priv
ilege of keeping just one boarder, and him
you've got to keep all Jour life II you oncs
take him."
"I don't think quite understand you
Mr. Briggs" Ssid Barbara. But one q
rather inclined 10 think she told little flb
"What do you say TO me for q boarder