Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1909-05-27

all added to her sense of enchant-
ment, and she sailed forth to seek
boarding place, fully expecting to
meet Aladdin and prepared to be
transformed into Fatima.
Mime Allen had written that her
land lady was going out of business,
but had sent her the addresses OF
good boarding houses in the neigh
borhood. AS Henrietta's search pro-
crossed her sense of enchantment
vanished. The women whom she inter
viewed were evidently not acquainted
with the gentleman Of her dreams,
nor did their dwelling places suggest
him as their architect.
Two Of the women had no room for
her: at another house the prices were
too high. At a third, the room, hall
bedroom, was on the sixth flight. It
was approaching half after as Hen
rietta rang at the last house on her
list. Hours of tramping the streets
of foreign city on a fruitless quest,
tend to destroy vital energy at rap.
id rate, and unsuccessful interviews
with landlady after landlady have
neither a stimulating nor a cheering
effect.
A tall raw-boned woman answered
the bell. She wore a dirty calico
wrapper of the 98-cent variety, and
wiped her hands on a black sateen
apron. Two teeth were missing, and
her dark hair streaked with gray was
slapped together into a tight knot at
the top Of her head.
1--WE got just about your figure, "
she declared when Henrietta stated
her case au, omaticalIy. Come right
in and I'll show you the room. Don't
mind me. I've been housekeeping
and don't look very slick"
She led the way through what
seemed to be a free for all" parIor,
nursery, bedroom and dining room. A
folding bed in the center OF the
room contained two sticky, sprawIing
children in a thinly clad state. A
cradle, a baby carriage, a dining room
table still laid out with butter and
fried potatoes, and an odOrOus oil
stove were the articles of furniture
through which they steered their I'M
certain way, stumbling occasionally
over woody lambs and mems shoes.
This" declared the woman with
unconcealed pride, els the room"
She indicated compartment two
will q n cd
window, { chair which without doubt
at one time possessed four legs; a
narrow bed with an undulating con-
tour, and a floor boasting a rug which
had once presented the figure of the
The Faithful Fido," but which was
now blurred maze. On one wall was
a cracked and wayy mirror; on the
other: God Bless Our Home"
Yes said the woman cheerfuIly,
This is real comfortable room. One
lady had it for three years. She
worked for a dressmaker, but she got
kind of sickly and she went to the
hospital and died. Poor thing! But,
'spose we all have our time. have a
real jolly crowd in my house now.
Most of them works in a glue factory
and they're real good friends. They
amt aritsocratic, though. They'd
probably take you into their society.
Two of them has real swell beaux,
too. They cooks their own meals
P'raps you'd like to. I can lend you
an old stove, if you would See, here's
a nice window" she went on, "opens
right on the court, and has a good
green shade to it, so you won't have
TO hang your dress skirt over it,
She pulled up the aforesaid shade.
1 disclosed a view Of an excessively
dirty back yard, Uttered with broken
furniture. ash heaps tin cans and gar
bage. In the background were the
dilapidated back porches and ragged
clothes lines of the opposite houses.
Henrietta's windows at home
daintily curtained in dimity,-looked
out for miles over the winding river
and the purple hills.
This is real convenient, 100, being
on the first floor. Sometimes the
babies cry. Alphonse, he's cutting his