Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1903-06-11
MIR s. JONES' BOARDERS.

Alone"
They were not exactly the kind Of
boarders I would have chosen-great
rough-hewn lads, with battered hats
and greasy jackets-but then the
pocket-book in the middle bureau
drawer was growing thinner and
lighter every day: and Hetty, precious
! Hetty! For myself, could have borne
| and suffered great deal, but pride
and prejudice gave way before moth
| er's love.
Mrs Wilson came over herself with
the boys, ''just to see them home" she
| said but in reality to bargain about
the price of their board. She was
hard-faced woman, whose keen, gray
| eyes seemed to look into your very
/ soul. That kind of woman who fire.
quents cheap sales and auction marts,
ever ready to buy up odds and ends
so long as they can be had cheap.
''Three dollars week is far too much
for boys-they are but boys" she said.
"Why, you can get board at the hotels
in the city for that, with walters and
bell-boys thrown in:'' and she looked
around, disparagingly, thought, at
my little dining room with it's rag car
pet and plain furniture. The tears
started to my eyes at her words, or
rather at her lool1s-for always was
a fool that way; but she didn't see
them, took care of that, for the pie
in the oven was just done, and I ex-
cused myself a moment to attend to
it.
"Well, let it be two dollars and q half
4 week, as you say, for month at
least, until I see how we get on"
said; SO it was settled at that and the
upstairs back room was soon occupied
with my first boarders. They were
good lads enough, that is to say, they
had no bad habits beyond eating with
their knives and going to sleep occa-
sionally without undressing, and /
think I could have broken them OF
, these faults in time; but bless you,
couldn't feed them and save myself! It
may be began wrong with them, that
| my table was "too we'll appointed" as
, Mrs. Wilson said, -.,hen 1 gave up my
charge at the months end; but that
. there was something wrong some
. where, 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
l began to fear that it would have to be
! the grocery, after all, when, strange
! enough, had three applicants in one
s day.
The first was Becky Raymond, :
teacher in the village school, whose
i father had died the week before, anl
whose mother was giving up house
keeping and going to live with he1
, married daughter in Chicago. Becky
was to have the back room to herself
y and pay 81 a week. This arrangement
4 was agreeable to both Of us, for we ha(
e been long acquainted, and 1 was glai
y to have such an excellent person in tn.
}, house with me.
{, The next was a strange lady from
/ some place I had never heard Of be
fore-a book agent she called herself
but didn't like her looks bit. How
ever I couldn't afford to be particular
: as she offered to pay her board tw,
y weeks in advance if 1 could let he
> have room to herself. So my tw,
= upstairs rooms were taken at last.
Late at night a gentleman called
y who had been recommended to me b,
L. a----, naming a prominent resi-
u dent. He. expected to be in the neigh
u borhood for some time, buying III
= horses for the army, and would like
~ room to himself, if possible.
u 1T never rains but it pours,' I sal,
L. to Becky, when I went to consult he
% about the rooms. Neither of the new
le comers would be likely to stay with m
e long, so she was quite willing to shar
d my room for the present, and gave u
= the one she was promised to til
u strange gentleman.
The two strangers seemed to get az
i quainted remarkably soon. Indeed
- one would have thought they ha
It known each other all their lives, an
in less than a week they drove ou
to together and took long walks in tn
le evening. I did not like their going
a on at all, for they were not like youn
q, folks that one would make some a
at lowance for He was between fort
1e and fifty, and she, we'll, she was th
el kind whose age one can never tell. br
IL no chicken, judging from her way
| began to think there was somethin
OF wrong between them, and would hay
ca given anything to get rid of them afte
III the first week. 1 never knew whs
ty they really did, as they came and we1
III at all hours, and sometimes together
ry but they paid their bill, and 1 coul
ne make no charge against them for an
ell thing, except their mysterious conne
ee tions.
ID, One night, after they had been 81
weeks with me, I was awakened by
on strange noise, as of something bum,
us Ing and scraping against the outsi(
ne OF the house; and as I listened wit
ep beating heart Becky grasped my ar
ly and said:
LIT whats that!' in a frightened vote
At the same time Hetty sat up
TO her crib and began to whimner