Year: 1878




OF the klndest landladie. in the world.
She seems to think . great deal of me.
and sometimes almost decide that |
should weep if any harm came to her.


She is very particular about her
bosrders. Before she would take me
in was compelled to get certificate
from three clergymen. two bankers and
lawyer, stating that / had never been
hung for murder or sent to State Prison
for horse stealing. / barganed for a
front room looking out On the campus
martins, and it was understood that |
was TO hav3 the room alone. On the
/ third night | went home and found q
stranger in bed. and when b. gan to
raise q row, Mrs. Dolby caught my arm
and whispered:


There. now, be good, dear man. and
say no more. He's preacher, and he
is going away tomorrow / thought
you wouldn't mind just one night
At the end of the week she bechoned
me aside, and smiling like q load OF
fresh hay she wanted to know if
would do her a favor-a favor which
would place her under eternal oblIga-
tions to me- Ireplied that would die for
her, and then she asked me to give up
the room looking out on the grand
square and take one looking out upon a
! grand alley, full of ash barrels and
oyster cans She had new boarder
coming who was awful particular.
and she knew | would do anything to
Accommodate her


| made the change, aud the graceful
look she gave me was enough to melt a
vest button. | had only got fairly
settled when / was told she wanted to
see me in the parlor after dinner. /
found her in tears. She said that a
very nice man and his very nice wife
wanted to come and board with her.
! but she had no room. and it grieved
her to think that she must turn them
away when she was so hard pushed to
get along.


told her that if l had hundred
lives | would lay them all down for her
and then borrow hundred more and
add to the pile, and she seized my
hand and said that Heaven would sure
ly reward me for being good to a
fatheress orphan. | moved into the
garret, the awful particular man moved
into my room. and the very nice man
and the very nice wife moved into the
front room.


In about another week Mrs. Dolby
whispered to me and wanted to know
| if had a snake in my stomach She
said that she had observed that | was
very hearty eater, and she didn't
know but had snake. | set her
right. aud when | promised to take
full lunches down town and urge all
| the other boarders to do the same. she
put her hand OH my shoulder and re-
marked thai Heaven had a place for
me-


That night my bed was made with
out sheets, and when | went to raise a
row she took me by the hand and said
that her experience went to show that
it was healthier to sleep without sheets.
| was going to argue the question,
when tears came to her eyes and she
hoped would not say anything to
hurt poor. lone widow whose life had
been one long struggle with poverty.
The next night the feather bed aud one
of the pillows went. but | didn't say
anything. Then she wanted to bor-
row my tooth brush for q boarder who
hadn't any, and she took my lamp to
use in the lower hall. | didn't say q
word until she wanted To borrow the
old rag carpet off the floor, and if |
wouldn't set the other boraders an ex-
ample by drinking nothing but water,
and not take second biscuit. Then
told her was going to leave that
house and try to tear her image from
my heart.


She seized both my hands. tears
rolled down he checks, and she asked:


Mister Quad, will you deliberately
plot to kill lonesome widow, who is
working her life out to make your po-
sition here comfortable, happy, aud
luxurious r


couldn't 60. TN there yet. l
sleep ~ the floor. put up with cold
bites and use the boot-jack for a chair
when hsye company. wish wasn't
so tender hearted. but l can't bear to
think of hurting Mrs. Dolby's feelings
by looking up another place.