Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-11-11
THE SIDE-LIGHT.
How a Broken One Caused a Mar.
rage.
The True Story Of An Augusta Board !.
ing House.

Some time ago there used to be a
boarding house in town that tried t.
NIL the place of home for quite a mum.
Der of the young people employed here
1t was one of those good old fashioned
Deanerfes run on the-Lord- helps those.
no-help-themselves plan. sort of 60 as
you please free for all. Where you
left your hard earned wealth, Saturday
night, and received in return a key to
box-stall up two flights with a straw
tick and a split Home Sweet Home
motto in hot colors on the wall. With
the key the boarder also received a
permit to mix and mingle with a herd
on the ground floor, and sit on one OF
the hard hair-cloth chairs in the parlor
now and then. also to get in line three
times day when the horn blew and
rustic with the rest under the Home
stead act for a quarter section of pie
But everybody liked the old place and
staid just as long as the roof remained
tight.
In the early spring an accident hap
pened to this old Washingtonian cafe
that caused the landlady no end of
grief, but proved. as is often the case,
a blessing in disguise. One of the boys
In the neighborhood, sort of a family
pet. caromed on the lady's front door
with a big ball and missed it by about
is inches. but hit. the side-light The
glass being a little brittle and not hav-
ing the proper amount of elasticity in
its composition could not stand the
shock. and the consequences were the
old side-light was shorn of its beauty,
and where once there was a transpar-
ent sheet there was now an aching
void. The madam pretended to have
the break repaired at once, but during
the hot summer days and nights it act
ed as sort of ventilatOr and let in the
cooling ozone.
So the repairs were postponed from
day to day. until it was tolerated as a
lesser evil. Then the boys found a new
use for it and they found it pretty
handy when they fingered out beyond
closing up time and had forgotten their
keys, they simply stuck their arm
through the hole and turned the key in
the lock. let themselves in, locked the
bed leaving the time-lock all set for
the next midnight-prowler to use. In
fact it had got to be the handiest thing
abou. the house, and when the good
hearted motherly old soul, who shook
the lone feather up in our bolster and
inverted the hay in the tick to make
it more comfortable for us, suggested
having that side-light repaired, there
was host of remOnstrances went up
that rather staggered her. She argued
about the looks of the thing. but the
boys carried the day. and the old blind
eyed side-light remained a beauty and
a joy forever, and the iboarders were
always sure of getting in key or no key.
There was about the usual crowd
that always collects around a boarding
house like iys around molasses jug.
sort of a miscellaneous assortment Oh
homeless mortals trying to kick out 4
miserable existence on the SOLITAIRE
plan. There were two in the lot. how
ever. who were all right and had their
weather eye out for a couple of sweet
maiden ladies farther up the road. And
seven nights out Of the week and every
Sunday they used to fix up pretty slick
and go counting. They kept this sort
of thing up until it got to be second
nature. They used to linger along into
the shade of the evening, then standing
in the door for half an hour bidding
each other good night and let in all the
stray cats in the neighborhood.
One night, or more properly speaking
morning, these two gallant Romeos mao
been out doing the old splendid ana
had finished up about the same time.
The Younger of the two had started
first and got pretty well down toward
the haven of rest when he heard the
other coming. He could hear him cur
fling the dead leaves on the sidewalk
so he hurried up and got INSIDE the
door first. Carefully turning the Key
he stood in the dark hallway and walt
ed. Soon the other peace DESTROYER
came and stuck his arm through the
ho;e The fellow on the inside reached
m and cmtched the outsiders arm and
gave one long and merry pull, wnicn
brought the outsider smack up against
the sideIirht. At the same time ne
nu,led he let out the most dismal groah
ever heard outside of spiritual me-
dium's cabinet The gentleman. VINO
sought the admission. did not wait 10
see the ghost The grip was ehoush
for him. He just busted and the place
that knew him once knew him no more
that night. The boarders organized
searching party and found him aowh
town the next day trying to get up
enough Dutch courage to go home ana
when he did succeed in puckering MS
valor I'D to the sticking point ana ap-
nroached the house he couldnt nave
told a sidelight from a wooden indian;
From that time on he was cnahseo
man. He tried the counting ACT Ior
some little time returning promptly at
Q 20 r. NJ, but it was a dizzy FAILURE;
Then we all got invitations 10 seho
something up to console the bride ana
she took him off our hands. and at last
a accounts he was trying to look cneer-
ful He told one Of the party conndeh-
tally whenever he saw a oroken sue
light 1t always gave him the cold shiv.
ers He said he never cou'i account
Tor Il. but guessed it was hered,'ary IN
hts family, as his great grandmothes
,aarr;ed q man with a glass eye.
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