Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-07-26
EsI1N~ss-as2N Nass--''lf f.ss-~'l l::' { The Curing of an ]
 1 Avaricious Man !
By ADELAIDE D. REYNOLDS :1~vka-ssvya~s~vl,s.~ pI
Copyright, by Joseph B. Bowles..

Nopyrisht, py SosePh p. oo"ioei {. When Aunt Louisa died and left us $3,00O. Charlie and agreed that the time had come for him to write his iong-dreamed-of novel.
 !. In accordance with this decision our desire for wider acquaintance with a certain "colored gentleman" led us, the following June, to the little town of Delvoir, in the southern part of Del aware. We chose this place because, while not too far south, 1t still abound ed in negroes, in all stages of natural and uncultivated picturesqueness. , T don't reckon you'll find any empty houses right now," observed our host of the hotel, doubtfully, in answer to our queries; but mebbe ther' thought be one or two. Annie" as his wife passed through the hall, "whers ther' any empty houses at?'
 'T expect that brick house of Mike Boylan's is to let" she replied; and turning to us, she added: "Boylan keeps a little store up yon street. Hell show you the house-it's right nice place.
 It was thus we chanced to meet Michael Boylan--a sour, scowling, avaricious, hitherto-unheard-of type of Hibenianism, waiting, rich and ripe, for the pencil of the cartoonist. He's perfectly horrible old man, " said to Charlie, an hour later, on my return from visit to old Boylan; "but the house suits us, and it's the only one we can get, anyway. We needn't have anything to do witt. him, of course" Alas! knew not, then, Michael Boylan!
 The local rent laws, We found, were peculiar. Houses were let, on the first of each October, for the year begin ming on the first of January following. Tenants were required to sign, at that time, a contract which absolutely bound them, with all their belongings, to pay the years rent, whether they used the house or not But what cared we for rent laws? We were young and happy, and had high, un. shaken hopes, to say nothing of the $3,000 in the bank. We signed con- tract, taking the house for the remain. der of the year. .....
 The summer slipped happily away. i Charlie made rapid progress with the book, and during the last of Septem. Der we began to consider the details of our next move. In all this time we l had seen little of our landlord. Charlie had paid the rent promptly on the first of each month, stopping for the purpose at the little store while out for the morning walk he always took. Once or twice, however, I had caught, from the kitchen window, the gleam of white teeth and the flash of stormy eyes above the green thorn hedge at the end of the back yard. Wants t see how tn tinants kapes tn yar-rd, ? I would soliloquize, amusedly. i While we were deeply absorbed in plans for speedy fitting, heard, one morning. heavy footsteps upon the porch and fumbling at the dining room door. opened it, and there stood Old Boylan. more lowering and forbidding than ever.
 "Th' rint was due yistiddy," he growled indignantly, shaking his head and stepping back as 1T tried beyond endurance.
 [ "Oh, was it?" I responded, weakly. In the appalling consciousness that l was being dunned for the rent, my mind had become blank to all else. l struggled nightly for composure and intelligence. MT. Longworth will attend to 1t at once. He has prob. ably forgotten all about it." I said with bolstered dignity.
 He hesitated, putting out his breath in impatient jerks. Procrastination fin this matter was plainly abhorrent to him. But stood firm. and at last, with an angry ''Wull," he turned re- luctantly away.
 fled to Charlie. Dear boy" complained, you forgot to pay the i rent and that dreadful old man has just bene here after 1t, You can't think how cross he looked! Write a check for the money and I'll go down and pay him.
 When l placed in his outstretched hands the precious check for SIP his face was a study of ecstasy l A few days later a man called one afternoon and asked to see Charlie on business. T am the legal advis- CT" he explained. pompously. "of your landlord, Mir. Michael Boylan. He is much surprised and pained at your sudden decision to leave town. You Of course aquainted yourself" he continued, smoothly. with the local L..