The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1913-08-14
HER UNLIMITED GUEST
BY WILLIAM BURTON.

| vortte dream-tnat or some day living
In ar apartment OF her own--she oc.
cupied her fancy more with the spare
room than with any other.
This was curious, inasmuch as she
was a woman not much inclined to
sociability, being fond OF her own So
ciety. So why In fancy she should
always be furnishing that spare cham.
Der, laying the gray rug on its floor.
hanging the dimity curtains and
smoothing the Marseilles spread she
herself could not explain.
She even arranged the books IN the
little white case books calculated to
put a guest In good humor with him
self, books which would bring about
that peaceful state of mind conducive
TO sleep She would have no exciting
novels, no passionate poems, no soci-
illogical flrebrands In her guest
chamber. There should be such vol.
umes as THE Measure Of the Hours"
Society and Solitude" Sesame and
Lilies" These would become the
shelves and crafty a guest even II he
never got beyond the titles.
So when by a generous increase in
her salary the apartment was made
possible she took one with five rooms
instead of four. because, as she told
the agent. Sic must have spare
room"
The rooms Of reality are never as
well furnished as are those in the
houses Of our imagination. Still. her
guest chamber was marvel Of white
ness and daintiness. There was
lovely gray hano woven flower bord-
cred rug on the floor and q French
striped paper with a pattern OF tiny
rosebuds on the wall The woodwork
vas white. and so we're the little iron
bed and the enameled dresser and the
stiff chair There was another chair,
4 rocker, covered with cretonne Of
much the same pattern as the paper,
and 1t stood close to a low wicker to
BILE, on which was placed small rain.
bow glass vase. an Indian basket and
few books.
The covers OF the books we're Of
the same colors as those in the wall
paper-pink. to match the buds, or
lhey looked like the kind Of books one
Is proud to buy, but never has time
to read But THE Measure OF the
Hours" Society and Solitude" and
Sesame and Lilies" stood up fresh
and inviting.
It was conventional room. out II
had cost much thought and selt-denial
to procure t. And 1t was ten times
more costly than her own.
But where was the guest? After
three months of residence in her new
home she had never turned down the
Marseilles spread nor put flowers in
the rainbow glass vase, nor brought
out the guest towel that she herself
had embroidered. OF course. all sorts
OF imaginary persons had occupied the
room and had expressed themselves
as having slept the sleep OF the Just
and of infancy. and of having felt a
strong desire never to be obliged to
emerge from the rose colored com.
forter and the Marseilles spread that
covered Il.
Sometimes the guest was a cousin
whom she had known in her child
hood and who. had gone thrcu n Har
ward and was now prHcrcing law In
Boston, the rose comforter and the
Sesame and Lilies" would be none
too fine for him. Then again It was
an old friend of her fathers. an arts
tocratic woman, who had visited them
In the days OF their prosperity, and
| who. being literary In her tesres
would be sure to appreciate the quail
Wy of the quilt and to pounce upor
he Sesame and Lilies"
One day, a minute after she hat
closed the door on the Grocer's shabby
boy, who had consented TO deliver he,
! groceries after she had returned HON,
! at night, she heard crash or tn,
back porch and the sound OF some on,
| falling. She opened the door quickl,
and turned the electric light upon tn,
white face of the boy who but mo
ment before had been explaining t,
her why he had brought white corn
| LStdl lUeltdu ol lue yellow she MAJ
ordered. Now his face was as whit
as the meal and he looked as II h
would never again deliver groceries
He was only mite OF boy an
she hal little difficulty In getting hir
Into TIA guest chamber and on top c
the Narcotics spread, where he RI
malned until the arrival OF a strang
doctor who ordered that he be place
undt~ this priced coverlet and tina
he remain there until able to be r,
moved to lis home. That was not III
III the end of the second week
Those two weeks she declared I
be the happiest OF her life, though tn
, guest who occupied her spare chan
Der showed no interest either
books or bouquets. After he ha
, gone she used to love to sit alone
the little rocker. staring meditativel
at the backs OF the books and at tn
/ roses on the wall.
But this Is not all OF the story. Sh
. married the doctor and turned he
I back forever on the little room thu
I never knew the presence OF an Il
| yited guest Yet she saws that IN