The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-26

We're gone out of the boarding house
 business. Maybe it's a good business
 when you know how to run it. But
 we didn't We ran it not wisely but too
 well.
 We never had any complaints; but on
 the other hand we never took in any
 money. And in those days when butchers
 and grocers and vegetable men aren't
 exactly giving provisions away. it's diff
 cult to make profit in the boarding
 house business with everything going
 out and nothing coming in.
 We didn't intend to embark on this
 enterprise, anyway. We got into it by
 accident. And we never knew just how
 far into it we were.
 Sometimes we were feeling only three
 or four besides the family Sometimes
 we have more than half dozen board
 CTS All in the pink of condition as Tar
 as their appetites were concerned.
 If that had been all, we might still
 be catering to part of the neighoorhood.
 But it wasn't all. When the lady who conducted the boarding house branch Of our establishment blushingly plighted
 her troth with one of the boarders. and began filling hope chest with our po- tatoes and sugar and coffee and other edibles we made an investigation. The result of the investigation opened our eyes, And we quit. It was some months ago that the boarding house manager came to us She came in the guise of a cook The first few meals convinced us that she was not good
 cook. But she was always good provider. w.. can say that for her without rear of even attempted contradiction. After she had been in town couple of days she began making acquaintances' She had a marvslous faculty or maK,ns ,couaintances. She must have had what 1 is called personal magnetism, although ! she never revealed any of 1t when she 1 was in our presence. Her acouaintanceship presently ripened | into friendships. And what can frieno- ship do that is more fitting than to feed | those upon whom it is lavished? 1 Well. she fed them. She began by feeding them tea. Tea was hish al tnat l narticuIar time. Cream was bringing arc,,nd thirty-five cents for a half pint. Sugar was not only high but unless you had friends in the wholesale business you couldn't get any of it at all But that didn't make any difference 10 Gladys Nothing was too good for our guests-they were hers nominaliy, but our claim on them is based on the fact that we did the actual providing. | It wasn't any use to tea' me miiIlnan .a not to Dring crea~1. Gladys got up earlier than we did and had the last word with him. And he always did what sha told him to-
 None of us drink tea, but the eroc""v --,an brought it. and it went on the bill.
 ts for suear-weu. Gladys the first day she came advised us to get a couple of hiln6red hounds of it so as to have some in the house in case oe short aea or a rise in price.
 We know now why she did it.
 Guests become more at home as frendshins progress. Gladys friendships progressed very rapidly. The young la dies that were at first contented with
 tea soon began to pine for cake. Every afternoon the pleasant aroma of baking cake filled one's nostrils as he entered the house. It never came to the table though. It all went to cement friendships in the kitchen | Then the jam began to disappear, | Gladys hadn't had any hand in putting | the ian. The mistress of the house 1 did that But Gladys evened things I'D rhv helping to dispose of it. When the kids came home from school they wanted | tam for luncheon Tn a month or two | they couldn't have any.
 l But that was soon mended. Gladys | ordered jam from the grocer. It wasn't | as good as ours, as we got very little l Of if. But OFT guests made no com 1 paint--to us that is.\ They consumed | vast quantities of it.. as we discovered | at, the end of the month.
 1 Then William came. How we don't know-presumably because he had heard