The Globe-republican., 1903-05-21

, | hulu-lUSSu WVlhuhi WhopS ASSAt o.
, eyes seemed to look into your yer
soul. That kind Of woman who, fir
quents cheap sales and auction mart
, ever ready to buy up odds and enc
SO long as they can be had cheap.
; "Three dollars q week Is far too muc
for boys-they are but boys" she salt
"Why, you can get board at the hotel
in the city for that, with walters an
bell-boys thrown I'M and she locke
around, dlsparagingly, I thought, o
my little dining room with Its rag cal
pet and plain furniture. The tear
started to my eyes at her words,
rather at her looks-for always wa
a fool that way; but she didn't Sc
them, l took care Of that, for the pi
in the oven was just done, and | e1
cused myself a moment to attend t
1t.
"Well, let 1t be two dollars and hal
week, as you say, for month q
least, until | see how we get on"
said; so it was settled at that, and tn
upstairs back room was soon occupies
with my first boarders. They wer
good lads enough, that is to say, the.
had no bad habits beyond eating witt
their knives and going to sleep occa
sionally without undressing, and
think I could have broken them o
these faults in time; but bless you,
couldn't feed them and save myself! /
may be began wrong with them, thai
my table was "too well appointed" al
Mrs, Wilson said, 7'hen | gave up my
charge at the months end; but thai
there was something wrong some
where, I was ready to admit.
For three weeks a framed placard
bearing the ominous word, Boarding.
hung forth In my front parlor window
without attracting any notice, and
began to fear that 1t would have to be
the grocery, after all, when, strange
enough, I had three applicants in one
day.
The first was Becky Raymond,
teacher in the village school, whose
father had died the week before, and
whose mother was giving up house
keeping and going to live with her
married daughter in Chicago. Becky
was to have the back room to herself
and pay 81 a week. This arrangement
was agreeable to both Of us, for we had
been long acquainted, and | was glad
to have such an excellent person in the
house with me.
The next was a strange lady from
some place had never heard Of be-
fore-a book agent she called herself
but I didn't like her looks bit. How
ever, l couldn't afford to be particular,
as she offered to pay her board two
weeks in advance if could let her
have a room to herself. So my two
upstairs rooms were taken at last.
Late at night a gentleman called,
who had been recommended to me by
o., naming prominent resi-
dent. He expected to be in the neigh
borhood for some time, buying up
horses for the army, and would like a
room to himself, If possible.
ut never rains but it pours," I said
to Becky, when | went to consult her
about the rooms. Neither Of the new.
corners would be likely to stay with me
long, so she was quite willing to share
my room for the present, and gave up
the one she was promised to the
strange gentleman.
The two strangers seemed to get ac-
quainted remarkably soon, Indeed,
one would have thought they had
known each other all their lives, and
in less than a week they drove out
together and took long walks in the
evening. l did not like their golngs
on at all, for they were not like young
folks that one would make some al
lowance for. He was between forty
and fifty, and she, well, she was the
kind whose age one can never tell, but
no chicken, Judging from her ways.
l began to think there was something
wrong between them, and would have
given anything to get rid Of them after
the first week. l never knew what
they really did, as they came and went
at all hours, and sometimes together;
but they paid their bill, and l could
make no charge against them for any
thing, except their mysterious connec-
tons.
One night, after they had been six
weeks with me, I was awakened by a
strange noise, as of something bump.
ing and scraping against the outside
Of the house; and as listened with
beating heart Becky grasped my arm
and said:
whats that~ in a frightened voice.
At the same time Hetty sat up in
her crib and began to whlmper.
"Hushp said, rather sharply, for |
l wanted to listen that might find |
out where the noise really came from,
but she wouldn't hush until I took her
In beside me, and then all was quiet
again; but there was no more sleep for
any Of us that night.
In the morning the upstairs boarders
came down to breakfast as usual; she
with her hair frizzled and her face
and he drawing his goatee
out to the incest possible taper between
bis long, lean fingers.