The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-05-15
HIS BOARDING
HOUSE GIRL.

| I'll bet hat, Ii makes some of them
loss IA lot In their sleep" observed the
man who is beginning TO think the
matrimonial situation over.
say, ] think that at the boarding
house where I'm making occasional
calls this curious cult has got them
all skinned.
"Theer-young lady. when | get
there, is, of course, always dressing
am will be down in a few minutes.
am invariably told this by the grin
/ ming girl who comes padding down
the hall to let me in at the door.
Then she sidesteps with me to the
| parlor
It's always dark there. The light
| in the daytime would fade the paper
flowers draped like an emblem of
mourning over the chandelier Gas
| bills run so high, don't you know. that
there Is only flicker OF the jet at
night Not bad idea at some stages
Of the evening. by the way. AS am
shown tremendously into this musty
smelling place, a black and tan ter
rler thar looks 10 be old enough TO
have rubbed against George Washing
tons silk stockings, snuffs at the bot.
tom Of my trousers and begins tC
squeak at me. When | try to push
away the nuisance with one OF my
feet-swittly propelled very OLD
lady in black silk dress and a white
cap with purple ribbons run through
it haven't noticed her before
through the darkness urriedly picks
the snarling dog up, scowls fiercely al
me, mumbles something about men
being worse than dogs. and swishes
painfully upstairs, carrying the yelp-
! ing bow WOW with her.
Maybe it is her husband dom
know-but then an aged man in a
green skull cap and tapping blue and
red carpet slippers over white socks
with his long broadcloth coat buttoned
tightly around him, gropes his way
into the room. Not being able TO sea
me. he butts into me and emits a
senile shrek of alarm. Then recog |
nizing me as male person who has
been there several times TO call upon
one of the ycdng women guests of the |
house, he grins and leers at me and |
reckons II is going to turn colder, and /
expects that she'll be down Directly /
It's none of his business whether she I
will or not. because she isn't even dis
family connected with him. When | I
fail to encourage him in conversation 7
he slides out, grinnlng back on me as
If he considered | was making II +
kinds Of an ass of myself
Don't think 1t. My troubles are
only beginning. know in what or
der they come, so try to prepare my
self A woman who still dresses like
they did at the close Of the war-wig
held by net some crinoine beneath
her green satin skirt and with old red
chorus girl rouge on her cheeks to
give her a hectic hushy Camille effect
hnrries into the paror from the dark
dining room. | cant help but imagine
her joints crealt as she coyly enters
OF course. she has a great deal of
business in the parlor. She looks me
over with care out of the corners of
her eyes. pretends she is greatly inter
ested in the advertisements of ten
magazine and then swish
IS upstairs. AS She goes she casts
back at me a sort Of contemptuous and
glance as much as to say
look as though / should know better
han so around calling on young
ladies' who have not yet reached the
age OF sense or discretion.
This overdone curiosity extends
even Ia the animals of the place.
blind maltese cat totters over my way
self against my trousers for awhile. ;
eaving enough blush gray hair on
hem to stuff pillow. and then ambles {
,ut into the hall. probably to tell the I
est Of them that Miss Blanks beau, /
rho has got to calling on her so fire. {
luently, is waiting in he pa-lor y
Then the Second Floor Front. a
gedged faced lady with a voice like a !
land lathe needing oil, hurries down
he stairs demanding 10 know at ev- !
ny step, What's become of them
owels. I'd just like to know?' She sees I
nc in the parlor glanccs al me with Z
n accusing air. shifts. ana then turns I
nd goes back up the stairs saving !
audible about people that [
as The ne - to want TO keep the par I
)r Of pub..c boarding house to their i
elves all the time.'s Just as though :
he didn't come down i'm the frs, place j
Or the sole purpose of rubbering.
The Fourth Floor Back. a superan- .
uated suds artist a clerk of 40 years
never gets home for dinner, "
ut always arrives promptly at eight =
'cloek, and, perceiving me in the :
grins wisely as much as :,
, say: Well, here's that bone-head !.
gain. calling on that girl. spose :
hen he wabbles in and asks me :
neither think maybe they will abol- 1
Ia football in all the colleges. Not :,
eing encouraged by much cohversa- =,
on on my part. he wabbles ont again. :,
lyoring me with . parting leer of I'M ;,
as he passes under the
ntel. ..