The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1896-08-06
HOW WE TOOK In
SUMMER BOARDERS.
BY JOSIAH ALIENS WIFE.

Last summer, as the days grew not,
Josiah grew fearfully cross. And his
worst spells would come on to him. as
he would come home from Jonesville.
You see, an old friend Of hisn, JAKE
Mandagood by name, was a-takin In
boarders, and maxim money by en-
And / s'pose, from what I learned az
terward, that he KEEP a-throwin' them
boarders into Josiah's face, and sayin
II 1t wuzn't for his wife, he could make
Jest as much money. Jake Mandagood
had heerd me talk on the subject time
and agin. For my feelins about sum-
mer boarders, and takin' of 'em In. had
always been cast-iron. wouldn't take
'em in, had alters said.
Josiah, like other pardners OF his Sect
is very fond of havin' things as he
wants em; and he is also fond OF
maxim money; and spose that wus
what made him SO fearfully cross to me.
But l wus skairt most to death, seem
him come home lookin' 80 manger. and
crosser than any bear out Of circus.
Thinks / to myself: "Mebby, he Is
a-enjoyin' poor health" And then,
thinks I: "Mebby, he is a-backslidin',
or mebby, he is backslid."
And one day, says to him, says I:
Josiah Allen, what is the matter
with you? You don't act like the same
man you did, several weeks ago. l
am goin' to steep you up some catnip.
and thorough-wort, and see If that
won't make you feel better; and some
boneset."
II don't want none of your boneset
and catnip," says he, impatient-like. Il
wall then" says l, in still more
anxious tones, IF it faint yur health
that is a-sufferin', is it yur morals?
Do you feel totterin' Josiah? Tell yur
pardner."
my morals feel all right"
Says I, anxiously: IF yur hain't en-
joyin' poor health, Josiah, and yur
morals feel firm, why is there such a
change in yur mean?" says I. "Yur
mean don't seem no more like the mean
it used to be, than If 1t belonged to
another man."
But instead Of answering my affec-
tionate arguments, he jumped up, and
started for the barn.
And, oh! how feerfully, feerfully cross
he wus, for the next several days.
Finally, to the breakfast table, one
mornin', I says to him. in tones that
would be replied to:
Josiah Allen, you are a-carryin' sun
thin on yur mind" And says I, firmly
"Yur mind hain't. strong enough tc
carry it. You must and shall let yul
pardner help you'll"
Seem I was immovably sot onto the
determination to make him tell, he W
and told me all about 1t.
Says he: Summer boarders Is what
ails me; want to take 'em In"
And then he went on to tell how aw
fully he wus a-hankerin' after EN-
Now, he knew, piles and piles of money
wus to be made by it-and what awfu
pretty business 1t wus, too. Nothin
but fun, to take 'em in! Anybody coult
take sights and sights of comfort will
'em. He said Mandagood said so. And
it wus so dreadful profitable, too AM
he up and told me that Mandagood WI
a-twittin' him, all the time, that, If
wuznt for me, he could make jest
much money as he chose.
nrzxl.~oo5 I,paxxy xua11 how 7 falt n
the subject. He knew well was prin
cipled against it, and sot. / don't lik
Mandagood He misuses his wife, i
the wurst way. Works her down a.
most to skin and bone. They don't liv
happy together at all. He is Away
envious of anybody that lives pleasan
and agreeable with their pardners, an
loves to break 1t up. And shall Away
believe that 1t wus one great reaso
why he twitted Josiah so. And, fo
Mandagood to keep at him all the tim
and throw them dozen boarders in h
face, 1t hain't no wonder to me the
Josiah felt hurt.
Josiah went on, from half to three
quarters Of an hour, a-pleadin' with NJ
and a-bringin' up arguments, to prov
out what beautiful business 1t WI
and how awful happifyin'; and. finall
says he with sad and melancho
look:
II don't want to say a word to tut
your mind, Samantha, but, I will So
this, that the idee that I can't tai
boarders in, is a-wearin on nae; it
a-wearin' on me so, that / don't kno
but ii will wear me completely out"
I didn't say nohtin'; but fek stranl
and curious. I knew that my cor
panion wus a man of small heft-I kne
1t wouldn't take near so much TO we
him out, as it would a. heftier man
and the agony that see printed on b
eyebrows, seemed to pierce clear to n
heart But, didn't say nothin'.
see how fearfully he was a-sufferil
and my affection for that man is like [
oxes, as has often been remarked.
And, oh! what a wild commotlon b
gan to go on inside Of me, between n
principles and my affections.
AS 1 have remarked and said, / W
principled aginst takin' in SUNNI
boarders. / had seen 'em took in, til
and agin, and seen the effects Of
And had said, and said it calmly, tn
boarders was moth. had said, a
had weighed my words Gas 1t wer
asT said n that when a woman 40