Sunday Washington globe., 1902-03-09
BENEDICT GORDON.
81 REVERE RODGERS,
written for the SUNDAY GLoprl
CHAPTER XIX.

Hard by the college up on the hill, there
stood for many years a row of bow-window
frame houses, that through lack Of painting
had gradually changed ia appearance from
their original color. dark drab, to that of
faded, washed-out. understandable kind of
shade, which, having arrived at said shade,
seemed to boldly defy the sun, rain and
weather in general to produce any other
effect in their appearance aud so they had
stood for many years gaunt roOmy, crazy
looking structures that on windy nights
seemed to vie With one another as to which
could creak and groan the loudest and in
the most dismal manner imaginable
At the time Of which this story tells
they were mostly occupied by boarding
housekeepers, and their patons the latter
being mostly young men studying at the
college nearby Although, as / said in the
opening OF this chapter that there was row
of these houses, it is with one, aud only
one, that we have to do.
The third house in the row, counting from
the entrance leading into the college grounds
and the only house bearing uameplate upon
its weatheIbeaten front, was in those days
ruled over by high colored, hard-featured
woman of ample form, aud with decidedly
calculating eye aud manner, aud who was
known to her neighbors aud lodgers as Mrs.
Bobbiu. AS If TO further impress It upon the
mind of the neighborhood, and any chance
wayfarer who might be passing by the
premises glance at the plate adOrning
the painless house front, would tell you
that within lived lady by the name of
Bobbiu, and that she kept a lodging and
boarding house.
Now as to whether there had ever been
Mr.. BObbiu no one in that immediate
80. o. i. 4
so much as obtained a Aeetiug glimpse of
that mysterious individual To be sure
there were any number of rumors, most of
which were of decidedly uncomphmeu-
tary description, both AS regarded Mr.
Bobbin's absence aud his cause for absent
ing himself from the domicile presided over
by his wife. Some persons had circulated
the story that Mr.. BObbin, unable to bear the
viTago-like temperament of Mrs. Bobbiu, had
one dark night taken a sufficient quantity of
poison to end his career and had thus
escaped the torture of listening to his wife's
biting sarcasm-aud some went even so far
as to add: And the constant lodging of
dangerous implements Of iron mougery and
cooking utensils, which these uncharitably
disposed people affirmed Mrs. Bobbiu was
in the habit Of hurting at the departed Mr.
Bobbin's head.
As to the poison theory the neighborhood
stood divided, but only so far as regarded
the hand which had administered the
poison to Mr. Bobbin Many contendiug
that Mrs. Bobbin herself had dosed Mr..
BObbins food with the drug which had
ended his career, and by reason Of collect
ing the insurance on his life had thus ac-
quired the means to enter upon the bust
ness she was now engaged in.
Still auofhar vargfon oF fha ttuftrr,af,s da
cease of the absent Bobbin was circulated,
aud this was to the effect that Mrs. Bobbin's
cooking had proved the means of her hus-
band becoming a candidate for angelic
houors As this last rumor was said to
emanate from divers of her ex-boarders il
found not a few devout believers in its
truthfuluess, particularly, was this apparent
among Mrs. Bobbiu's rivals in the boarding
house liue Of business. But when il was
found that the gentlemen so Jealous in cir
culating this last report had left Mrs Bob.
bin S house at the lady's request and under
obligations to her for several weeks unpaid
board bills, the cooking theory rapidly lost
supporters, and the poison theory again
arose to the ascendancy and held the field
against all other theories.
Whether the numerous unsavory reports
circulated about herself and the disappear
ance Of her husbsnd-provided that there
had once existed such a persouage-ever
reached the ears of Mrs Bobbin; no one but
that lady herself knew, for though ex-
tremely voluble upon most any subject
under the sun, on the subject of the absent
Mr.. Bobbin she was as silent and as non
communicative the proverbia clam.
She was, perhaps, past forty five years of
age, Of well preserved form and features,
although incliniug to that condition very
prevalent IN women Of middle age and
designated pOrtliness. Being possessed
of temper decidedly of the pitching in order
and voice hard, harsh aud commanding,
Mrs. Bobbins was terror when aroused
and / might truthfully add that il took but
little 60 arouse that worthy lady, yet to her
bOardeEs-the ones in good standing mean
of course-she was as suave and as mild
tempered a gentle summer zephyr. But
whoever became indebted to Mrs. Bobbin
had that worthy lady's vitriol-lke tongue
and temper TO contend with whenever he
was unlucky enough to fall afoul of that-in
some ways-remarksble person. Moreover,
she was Mr.. Jollyby's landlady, and for this
reason have introduced her to the reader
That merry gentlemans friends held diff
ferent versions as to the cause Of his pro-
longed stay under Mrs Bobbin's roof the
majority believing that deep down in
Jollybys heart there was a secret fear Of
that much talked about person, and that
Jollyby dared not leave her domicile for
fear that she would follow aud bring him
back. Whether there was any foundation for
any such belief IL would be hard 70 say, but
certainly there seemed to exist some sort Of
understanding between the two that was
never noticeable as regarded the conduct Of
Mrs. BObbiu and any of her other boarders.
Not that she seemed to bestOw any more
attention upon Mr.. Jollyby than she did up
on any Of her other boarders in good stand
ing. Still everyone felt that If Mrs. Bobbiu
ever took an interest IN person Of the
masculine gender then that person was
JolybY And when the occasion arose also
when Mrs. Bobbiu thought 1t was necessary
20 lecture Iollyby upon his shortcomings he
was lectured at length by his landlady and
with as little ceremony as if he we're a
bOarder in bad standing,
To say that Mr.. Iollyby was the star