The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-08-11
MRS. MAsoN's BoARDERs.

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When Mason died of the cronical
brown creeters, aged ffty-fve-and
"death loves a shining mark"-he
left me with two thousand dollars in
the Pine Ridge Bank, a house at Pine
Ridge and twenty acres OF land, two
COWS and three pigs, a hoss that had
seen better days, a son named Daniel
and about seventy-fve Plymouth
Rock hens.
Soon after he left this spear, the
Pine Ridge Bank busted, and the
cashier went to Canady for vacation ;
and 1 expect he took my two thou
sand along with him for safe-keeping
for l have never seen nothing of it
sence.
1t was kinder tight work for me to
squeeze along on that farm and pay
the taxes and the hired man; and
Daniel sez to me last spring, sez he :
"Ma, why don't you take city
boarders, like Simpsons folks? We
have got two good frunt rooms, and
you're a good cook, and 1 could rub
up Billey's legs with lineament SOS
he'd be as frisky as colt, and there's
lots of scenery laying around loose
here for folks to admire, and you
could make money!" sez he. 81
hain't the shadder of doubt
"Massy on US, Daniel !" sez l L
amt no hand to primp up for city
folks, and set out the table with lamp
mats and finger bowls, like they have
over at Simpsons; and there's your
gran father-he's alters into every
thing, and he'd be sartin to act WIS
than ever if there was anybody here
that keered for"
"Oh, they wouldn't mind him, "
sez Daniel. "Jest now, it's all the
fashion to grow crazy over old things,
then I hain't seen it. They'll adj
mire him and he'll grow young
again telling his stories over to a new
set of folks"
Somehow, Daniels talk kinder
kept turning itself over in my mind,
and at last concluded to take some
boarder. 1 advertised i'll the city pa
pers, and in a week 1 had twenty
three folks come to see what kind OF
a place had.
l took six of them at sixteen dol
lars a week each, and afore they was
gone I wished I'd have asked them
twenty for expect they would have
paid it.
There was two women and two
men and two children that was the
most mode children, their ma sed,
that ever lived. She was in constant
fear that they would never grow up,
she sed she had noticed that oncom-
monty bright and lovable children
warnt never long for this world.
Mr.. and Mrs. Thomas Rasher and
their two children, BERTHE and Sammy
had the south frunt chamber and the
little back room that jines it, and the
Widder Whitney and Miss Arethusel
Smith had the tother frunt room.
Mr.. Rasher was sighentifc man
and wanted to try experiments anc
gather bugs and things, and Mrs
Rasher was a faith cure woman thai
don't believe there is any such thing
as being sick. She had had SO mucl
faith, and prayed so much for sicl
folk, through the winter, that she hat
wore herself to a shadder and hac
got her general cistem all out of kite,
and she wanted to stay in the country
to recruit and her dear children need
ed fresh air and cows milk anC
change of scence, but to my opinion
of it think they were the healthies
and wussest pair of youngsters I eve
seen.
Widder Whitney was short, ia
woman about forty-fve, and she wa
on the lookout for another husband
and Miss Smith was dreadful senti
fl5ntd1 HISS, awru1 nish-oight an
fond of novels and poetry.
And they all had the biggest appe
tites that it ever was my fortin II
come acrost. 1t was nigh about all
could do to cook enough for them
But then I amt stingy about vittle
alters like to see folk eat we'll.
Mr.. Rasher, he wanted my bacl
attic to rig up his experimenting ap
paratus into, and 1 moved out th
barrel of dried apples, and the quilt
ing-frames, and the rags that l an
doing to braid a rug of, and the boxe
of ole newspapers and bottles, an,
gran fathers blue shirt that he ha,
when he follered the sea, and severa
other things, to make room for Rash
er's fixings. And there was a cart
load of them.
Gran father Jones was terribl
curis about them, and 1 had all
could do to keep him from pokinl
into the things afore they was got u
stairs for Mr.. Rasher was off out il
the wood, hunting bugs, and they so
in the cart till he got back.
Them Rasher boys was the wusses
little sarpints that ever you see
Their ma might have employed al
the time she had wasted in mornin!
over their eartly deaths, in some othe
business. They turned everything
topsy-turvey. The fust two day
they were there, they let the calve
out of the pastur, and sot our do
onto Jenkins hens and killed two c
them, and they lost the bucket dow
the well, and Sammy got into tn
| r;rror and ruot11d hnrra haat1 drnUndi