Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-08-24
"THIS HOUSE TO LET"
How Nahum Briggs Broke Up Dachc-
lOr Quarters.


| There it was, most unquestionably-
in fat, black letters
This house to Leland no mistake
about it, either" muscd Mr.. Briggs,
stirring his cup Of cold coffee and look
ing distastefully at the one boiled egg
that lay before him. 1.-The fact is, I'm
sick Of Keeping house; coal always out,
taxes always due. I won't stand it any
longer"
He turned lively scarlet as the door
slowly swung open and his housekeepcr
stalked majestically in.
In fact, Mr.. Briggs was a little
afraid of Mrs. Farley, but Mr.. Briggs
was resolved to break the baleful spell.
MIR. Briggs" began the lady, sol
EMMY, can believe nv eyes?'
We'll. ma'am." said the old bachelor,
II never heard that anything was amiss
with your cyesight."
rs it possible that you have posted a
| bill on the front of this house without
consulting meg"
Quite so, ma'am," responded Nahum.
| And you intend-'
10 Shut up ShOp-to close the cstab-
lishment-to break up housekeeping"
said Nahum; that's exactly my inten-
tion.'
| Very well, SIR said Mrs. Farley,
| grlmly. IF you will settle the trifing
| question of salary between us, 1 will
take my departure"
| Mrs. Farley withdrew and Nahum
was left to his own meditations. They
| took the shape of species of war
| dance executed in the middle Of the
| room.
Bravo! bravo! Three cheers and
tigcr!' chuclled our hero. IF ever
there was miserable slave I've been
o1.a to that hatchet-faced old woman,
and now I'm free
He stopped abruptly; there was a
ring ut the door bell
| A specialized old lady stood on the
door steps, in Il shabby bombazine and
furs that looked as if they might have
grown on the back of some dissipatcd
| cat
This ere house to let?"
| Yes. ma'an."
water pipes in order? Cellar dry?
| Paint new! Furnace work good? Roof
sound! Chandeliers go with the house?
Possession right off? Ncighborhood
good? Methodist church anywhere
near? Any objection to children? Ven
tilators in the rooms? CHEEKY closets
off the dining room?
| Ma am" calculated poor Nahum,
fairly stunned by the torrent Of ques-
| tons.
| whats the rcnt?'
! Twelve hundred dollars"
| 'Twelvc hundred tiddlc-sticks!'
shricked the old lady. why, you must
be crazy. Say nine hundred dollars,
and I'll look at the rooms"
| Il won't say anything of the Sort
| So saying, Nahum Briggs closed the
door in the face Of the old lady with
| the furs.
Scarcely had the old lady got safely
round the corner and Mr.. Briggs re-
covered his ruffied faculties, when there
came another sharp tintinnab ulation Of
the bella languid young lady this time,
with Il stitf-loollins gentleman who ap-
pcared to be engaged in holding OH his
mustache. With this couple Mr.. Ma
hum trOtted to the very top of the
house and down again.
"Adolphus, my DEAR said the lady.
well, my dear?'
Don't you think these ceilings are
very low? And then the back yard is
so very small. And the dining room is
so incOnvcnicnt. And-I'm really afraid
there are obnoxious insects in the bed
| rooms"
Really, ma'am," said Nahum, blist-
ling up, sis there any other fault to
find? Because, if there isn't, there's
! the front door,"
| Two vnitl:i: ~ " ::'';'lStrr
, aunt followed, anl after q lengthy in
spection of the premises came to state
council in the parlorS.
Il like the house very much.' said the
spinster aunt, solemnly, land with Il
few slight alterations l will engage it
for my brothers family
VERY good, ma'am," SAID Nahum,
rubbing his hands and scouting a speedy
termination to his trials. Name EN-"
1.-THE door handles must all be gilded,
and l should like the house new pa
pernd and repaintcd, and the partition
between the parlors taken down and re-
| placed by an arch, and an extensive DIM
ing room built out behind, and bay
window thrown out Of the parlor, and
Il new style Of range in the kitchen,
and Il dumb-waiter put in, and new
bronze chandeliers throughout, and an
other furnace in the sub cellar. and
Hold on, ma'an,--iust hold on one
minute" said Nahum, gasping Cor
breath. wouldn't you like the old
house carted away and Il new one put
in it's place? I think it would be lather
less trouble than to make the triting
alterations you suggest"
With prim dignity the lady lrarshaled
her two charges out, mutIelir;: some
thing about 1.-The eXtortionate ideas Of
some landlords nowadays"
Another lady. but quite different from
the other-a slender, little, cast-down
lady, with a head that dropped like 4
lily of the valley, and a dress of brown
silk that had been lmcnded, and darned,
and turned. and rrtrimmcd, until even
Nahum Briggs, man and bachelor
though he was, could see how very
shabby it was.
Yet she was pretty, with big blue
eyes and shining brown hair, and
cheeks tingcd with faint, fleeing col
or, where the velvety roses Of youth
had once bloomed in vivid carmine.
| And the COlGen-llaired little laSSieS