The name had been Emily Howes' choice. She and Mrs. Barnes had carried
on a lengthy and voluminous correspondence and the selection of a name
had been left to Emily. To her also had been intrusted the selection of
wallpapers, furniture and the few pictures which Thankful had felt able
to afford. These were but few, for the cost of repairing and refitting
had been much larger than the original estimate. The fifteen hundred
dollars raised on the mortgage had gone and of the money obtained by the
sale of the cranberry bog shares--Mrs. Pearson's legacy--nearly half had
gone also. Estimates are one thing and actual expenditures are another,
a fact known to everyone who has either built a house or rebuilt one,
and more than once during the repairing and furnishing process Thankful
had repented of her venture and wished she had not risked the plunge.
But, having risked it, backing out was impossible. Neither was it
possible to stop half-way. As she said to Captain Obed, "There's enough
half-way decent boardin'-houses and hotels in this neighborhood now.
There's about as much need of another of that kind as there is of an
icehouse at the North Pole. Either this boardin'-house of mine must be
the very best there can be, price considered, or it mustn't be at all.
That's the way I look at it."
The captain had, of course, agreed with her. His advice had been
invaluable. He had helped in choosing carpenters and painters and it was
owing to his suggestion that Mrs.
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