Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1913-03-27
HER UNLIMITED GUEST
BY WILLIAM BURTON

room than with any other.
This was curious. inasmucS - h
was a woman not much inclined to
sociapiiity. being fond Of her own so
ciety. So why in fancy she should
sIvays be furnishing that spare cham
her. laying the gray rug on its four.
bsnging 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
nut a guest in good humor with him
self. books which would bring about
that peaceful state OF mind conducive
N sleep. She would have no exciting
novels. no passionate poems. no soci-
ILLOGICAL flrebrands In her guest
chamber. There should be such vol
mes 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 get 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. she must have a spare
room"
The rooms OF reality are never as
we'll furnished as are those in the
houses OF our Imagination. StiIl, her
guest chamber was a marvel OF white.
ness and d%aintiness. There was a
lovely gray hand woven flower bCrd
cred rug on the floor and n French
striped paper with a pattern OF tiny
rosebuds on the wall. The woodwork
was white. and so were the little iron
bed and the enameled dresser and the
gtr chair. There was another chair
= rocker. covered with cretonne OF
much the same pattern as the paper.
and II stood close to a low wicker Ia.
BE on which was placed n small rain.
bow glass vase. an Indian basket and
few books.
The covers OF the books were OF
the same colors as those In the wall
paper-pink, TO match the buds. or
green. TO match the buds lCuves-and
they 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.
II was a conventional room. but II
had cost much thought and ~self-denial
20 procure Il And II wRs 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
Nsrseilles spread nor put flowers In
the rainbow glass vase. nor brought
out the guest towel that she herself
had embroidered or course all sorts
Ctimaginary 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.
iortcr and the Marseiiles spread that
covered Il.
Sometimes the guest was "A cousin
whom she had known In her child.
hood and who had gone through Har.
ward and WAS now ]practlclug law In
f ~ ANe' N'llAOlAfI ANA Ilt
Sesame and Lilies" would be none
too fine for him. Then again It was
an old friend OF her fathers. an arts.
tocrntic woman. who had visited them
In the days OF their prosperity. and
who. being literary In her tastes.
would be sure TO appreciate the quail.
ny OF the quilt and TO pouncc upon
the Sesame and Lilies"
One day. a minute after she had
closed the door on the grocer's shabby
boy. who had consented to deliver her
groceries after she had returned home
al night, she heard n crash on the
back porch and the sound OF some one
'allhg' She opened the door quickly
snd turned the electric light upon the
Nhlte face OF the boy who but n mo
meht before had been explaining to
her why he had brought white corn
meaI instead OF the yellow she had
ordered. Now his face was M white
as the meal and he looked as n he
Nouid never again deliver groceries
lie was only n mite Of n boy and
sac had little difficulty In getting him
INTO tho guest chamber and on top Of
inc Marseilles spread. where he re.
mained until tho arrival OF n strange
doctor. who ordered that he be- placed
under this priced %coverlet and that
ne remain there until able to be re-.
moved to HIS home. That was not un.
W lhe end OF the second week.
Ihose two weeks she declared TO
oo inc hnppicst OF her life. though the
guest who occupied her spare cham.
Der showed no interest either IN
oooks or bouquets. After no had
gone she used TO love to sit alone I'm
the little rocker. staring medltativcly
~ the backs OF the books and at tho
roses on the wall.
but this Is not all OF the story She
married the doctor and turned her