New-York tribune., 1907-08-02
CALLOUS SUMMER BOARDERS.
The Inconsistency of Womankind-Be Fair
to the Boarding Mistress.

we shall be satisfied with anything you can find
in the way Of a boarding place SO long as there
are trees and grass and quiet our only want Is to
escape from city sights and noises" SO wrote the
woman in the friend who year after year
a summer boayder in a bssfully retired Ne"
England village.
They will not be critical" the friend urged. fe-
peatiug the only want 20 the gentle presenced
rather shrinking neighbor, whom she was
trying persuade to take as summer boardefs
the man. wife and Child from the city.
But city folks sometimes find fault, and kind OF
make fun the last objection. unsuEInounted-
These people Will be considerate IN every re-
spect, / can assure you,' sponsored their frieno'
Upon which assurance the arrangement was con-
ciuded.
Ii was the end of the second day. The flush
faced woman. who had done harder work than she
Wonted in iier effort TO compass every thlis
her boarers could desire, cooling herself on the
side porch steps. She was too weary TO have her
customary endof the-day think-they lead thought
ful lives these refined country v4laseIs-so "afiea @
that It several moments before she caught me
burden O the voices which the breeze Drought
around the house corner
1T is 50 frightfully country here; nothing put
grass and trees and only those rasping crickets 10
break the Stiffness the woman boardeTs voice
said, complainingly-
But this is what you wanted de<1f' bussested
hsr husband, not unkindly.
Yes only there IS much OF it, she argued.
Then irritation creeping into her voice. she went
on: The house is 500 Impossible. Think ci
keeping dining table set all day with that droii
mosquito netting cover over me olsheS. 4ho as
for the piano. in that stuffy parlor which con
believe has been aired for months. really. tried
TO play il this afternoon. and the chords IN Hy
ears have tangled ever since
..Put the husbands voice demonstrating
when the tired housekeeper made her escape from
further listening -,
. DIS when toward dusk of the sweet scented Au-
f-1lst evening, their sponsor was called upon by
their boarding mistress. Il cannot keep your
friends" she began abruptly. Her checks were
color tnged and her head had an indignant poise
why, what is the matter?" came the surprised
:~rbey expect so much" said the other grinly.
.rbev expect too much and they criticise every
thing / will tell you Of the things they have
eope like girls First of all. the beds. My
mattresses that bought for them. they say. are
like boards. l suppose they haven't got lirnbered
out yet-the mattresses. l mean, not the people
she added, a gIeam OF huTnor coming INTO her set
face II offered them feather beds but they S1y
no they can't endure feather beds Then they
complain and say the spring water is too hard to
bathe in It's the woman who makes the most re-
marks and expects the most She says sho uougft
| they'd have green peas every day-I have to buy
them at % cents peck-and she wants cream
thick cream. on most everything three times a
day They don't realize that cream costs about
the same In the country In the city nowadays
with so many creameries buying up the milk sup
p,y all over the country. They were complaining
| lust as / started out about country roads being
so dark in the evening. just as If 1t was my faue
Il is something all the time. said to themselves be-
| But I cannot understand" the sponsor ex-
claSrosd heiplessly, when the torrent OF protest
| e,oppsd. MY friends really very considerate
p:sR.s;. .,o, .r.. - ,s not rnat cal, cons,s-
! erset. though" replied the other, her voice iuI
OF hurt Country people themselves may oe mar
row minded and gossipy. but not one of the people
] call friends here would ever sneer and cridcise
1 as rhis woman has"
Let explain TO them. I'm sure they want to
s:ay: they liking IT better and better here every
! day" begged the sponsor, trying to forestau
pending climax.
/ NO" The thin bright eyed woman shook her
head with what Enthusiastically final determine
sion. '"They may stay the week out, that's all 10
l begin with, 1 should make little money from
their longer stay that 1t wouldn't be worth while.
but don't mind about that half much as the
wsy they have talked. and haven't been SO tired
| out in months" Controlling herself now she went
On quietly: r1uch difference between
! the ways and manners of city and country living
| ae there used TO be In my mothers and father $
| day. Country people may not dress so well, nor
have such ready speech city people. but perhaps
| they know what is what, after all"
| you right in not keeping my friends, can
| dor compelled their sponsor to admit They VIII
! go away, sadder and more sage, and Will en-
! tighten them enough to prevent their erring again
! similarly"