The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1898-12-23
TO RENT---ROOMS
0F COURSE we can do it. Why
not?"
By Kenneth Her.ord.


was the end of it.
But" ventured, "the work. Think
CT the work"
THAT is why favor the plan. 1t will
give me something to do when you are
away"
This with a certain cutting tone, as
much as to say, land you are away
most of the time"
Every WELL" I agreed, "it shall be
as you say. Well take the house and
you can rent the four rooms if you
want to-"
Sand just think" she went on. "Well
get all the rent back. Then we will
get our shelter for nothing"
"Please don't call our home Shelter :"
/ begged, whereat she offered: "Well,
what else is it? We are sure of food.
You make enough week to get that
some weeks; and the shelter is all that
remains for me to think of"
every WE'LL" said 1, "we'll move"
And we did.
Three days later, after the carpets
had been cut over and mating had
been bought for the hall bedroom up
stairs, we were snugly-or, at least
Lleasantly-housed at 231 Sunny street.
Hanging the pictures and learning
the ms and outs of the gas furnace had
tired Susan, so we agreed to put off plac-
ing the advertisement in the paper I'M
til the following Sunday. The Satur-
day night before, we walked down to
the office and gave the young man be-
hind the counter So cents in exchange
| for slip saying that we had taken
about an eighth of an inch of space for
one day-in the paper of the following
morning.
Susan went about it all enthusiast
ically, and she was up at the first cry
of the newsboys the next morn
ing and into my pocket for a
nickel to buy that paper. She
locked through it twice by the faint
light of the north window before she
found the advertisement we had placed
the night before, and when she did she
i appeared as pleased with herself, with
il, and with the world in general, as a
child in the second grade with new
slate.
"But it's awfully little, don't you
think, Reuben ?" she asked.
l looked at the three lines. 1t did
look little, but / would not have dis
couraged Susan for the world ooh,
there'll some one see it," l ventured.
"But l want great many to see it,"
she went on. Il want great many to
come so that we can select from them
i wouldn't have ordinary people in
the house for the world"
To tell the truth, l had no idea that
in the city of Detroit there would be
very many people who would see those
three lines advertising the rooms we
had to rent, but held my opinion to
myself, only venturing to remark to
Susan, standing there by the window in
the half light: you'll see.'
And she did, and that before the day
was out.
We were at breakfast. The chops
v ere excellent, the rolls done to turn,
and the coffee nearer like mothers than
any Susan ever before had made. The
doorbell rang. NOW, who in the world
can that be?" exclaimed Susan, drop
ping her fork on the plate before her
with a clatter.
at may be your BROTHER" 1 sug-
gested.
at isn't either" she disagreed.
Whereat l suggested that one of the
best means Of learning who it was
would be to answer the bell.
The idea seemed to impress itself
upon Susan's mind favorably, for she
did as l suggested.
listened, n mouthful of chop poised
on the tip of my fork in mid air.
'Yes," | heard Susan say to the per-
son at the door, 1--WE have rooms to rent.
Do you desire to look at the furnished
ones or the unfinished ones?"
l smiled. Apparently the person
wished the latter, for Susan took him
or her along the hall, to the door at the
end. There was silence for moment,
followed by a confusion of voices, it
seemed to me, and then the front door
closed and Susan came back into the
dining-room.
She sat down near the register, not
at the table, though l wanted another
cup Vi cOHee.
"What is it?" asked.
at was man." was her reply.
That being bit unsatisfactory con-
tinued: What did he want?"
Rooms"
"Didn't he like ours?"
'He did until | told him they were
heated with natural gas, and then he
started for the door. He said his wife's
cousin was asphyxiated by natural gas
once and that his wife wouldn't live in
a house where it was used"
"Did he say anything else?"
"Yes; he asked if this was boarding
house? ] wouldn't have had him any
way, he seemed so snappy and never
said one thing about the pretty shades
we put up in there"
"Well. there will be Others" l said,
encouragingly, and poured a second
cup of coffee for myself.
And there were. They began COM
ing steadily at nine o'clock and kept it !
up all day. Susan didn't want to go to r
church for fear that she would miss
some one, and she knew that l could I
not answer the bell if it should ring.
There was. first, n woman with a
whitfield nose and crescent earrings. |
She wanted the unfurnished rooms to
open palmistry parlor, and Su.an
said she was not in the offce-renting
business. The woman with the nose