The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-10-13

'It isn't half bad, don't you know,
though it is not in a fashionable neigh
borhood."
"But neighborhood does count-with
a woman You know it looks cheap
on a card-14 West johnson street.
Johnson street, where they have three
groceries to the block, and ice or fish
markets in every cellar"
Tate tried to shift the viewpoint.
There is a stretch of backwards be-
hind u.s. all open, and nearly every one
has vines and flowers in summer, and
our room has two windows in it."
Overlook the yards, presume Isn't
the view somewhat monotonous?
But Mrs. Close takes a real interest
in her boarderS. The other night, when
you had gone down to the island with
the Greens. she came up to my room
with a bowl of ice cream and some nice
homemade cake."rf. = @
"As a substitute for the society of a
young woman try ice cream and cake.
Personally recommended as comforting
and satisfying"
Nell, you are absolutely-no I won't
say it, because it is a hot night, and
all things are. excusable in hot
weather"
Nell leaned back on the green
painted settee and looked musingly
across the river to where the Jersey
hills doomed misty and uncertain in the
hot August moonlight. A young couple
passed by Slowly, absorbed in each
other and unmindful of all else. A
dark coat sleeve stood out with start
ling frankness against the white waist
worn by the girl Nell shrugged her
round shoulders prettily. If she could
not summer at Long Branch or
Brighton, Nell took what consolation
she could. find from thin gowns for
summer evenings, and shed her office
toggery; before she went down to din
ner each night. 1t was all part of her
philosophy of doing the next thing.
And the next thing in this case was a
most fascinating waist of dotted swiss
through which her shoulder shone
Whitley But her lips pouted.
isn't it perfectly dreadful to be poor.
When one is poor she cannot purchase
the privilege of having love made to
her in private. She must have her lit
has just one romance. in this day and
age-played in the presence of summer
night strollers, like ourselves-with a
keen sense of humor"
Yes, that is just why I have been
laughing at, your sudden espousal of
the cause of Close. Not before tonight
did 1 realize that Mrs. Close was, of
all boarding house mistresses, the
model have always consoled myself
with the thought that my airshaft bed
room, with all the comforts of a mod
ern fat. presided over by a doting
mother, was a paradise compared with
even fashionable boarding house. but
now begin to have doubts"
Tate broke in eagerly:
You can just wager that Mrs. Close
is all right. Why, when Miss PEBBLES.
the girl who. has the third floor hard
bedroom, broke her leg, Mrs Close did
waited until she could work again and
catch up on the arrears in board. Now,
l call that white"
ut certainly sounds very kind" said
Nell, tentatively
Then there's Mrs. Fredericks and
Mrs. Wilson. Their husbands are al
ways on the road, and they seem to
spend lots of time in Mrs. Closes sit
ting room. I went in there one night
and they were having their fortunes
told. Mrs. Close is clever at reading
the cards"
fortune telling is more inspiring
than the average boarding house pie.
/ wonder" musingly, IF she would find
tail, impressive blonde man in the
cards for me-"
mo, he would be dark, with gray
eyes," promptly replied Tate, whose
hair was jet black and his eyes an
honest, frank gray.
~And Mrs. Wilson has the second
story front fixed up just like real
home"
With Dresden figures on the maptel
and a silk piano cover embroidered in
gold tinsel. have seen those homes
in one room. where you can keep your
shoes behind the piano and your coll
lars in the near-cherry escrotoire. But
then there is another side to the ques-
ton If Mr.. Wilson talks about how
his mother used to cook the reproach