A Rose for Emily

The house was nearly empty with only Miss Emily Grieson and a manservant. The woman was never seen in town that often and the manservant was a slave who was only seen with a market basket. Many years ago Miss Emily, was wealthy by the placement in her family. Her father and Colonel Sartoris had helped the town when it came to money. However, once her father died, she has lost everything except the house she lived in.

As the new generation came about, a new Board of Alderman had taken power while Miss Emily was still in her home alone with the exceptions her manservant.
Authorities had come to her house to collect money.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I have no taxes." Miss Emily said. She was sitting staring at the authoritites.
"But Miss Emily, have you not recieved our notices?" one of the authorities said.
"I have recieved notices. Talk to Colonel Sartoris. He knows that I have no taxes."
"But there is nothing in our books and we must go by --"
"NO! I have no taxes in Jefferson." Emily said, her face was bloody red. "Now get out of my house."
The authorities got up and left the house. As Miss Emily watched them leave, she sat back down wondering what they were talking about.

As time went on, with her father gone, she spent no time outside. Miss Emily stayed locked inside her home. She didn't want to see anyone or do anything. Yet as time went on, she met a man named Homer Barron. He was a Yankee, a big, dark, ready man with a big voice and eyes lighter than his face. Barron paved sidewalks in the summer after Miss Emily's father died. They were seen in a yellow-wheeled buggy around the town.

"I'm glad she came out of the house." One woman said.
"I think she's only doing it because he's a laborer." said another woman.

Unfortunately, the last man Miss Emily was supposed to marry ran off. People were questioning if she was serious with Homer Barron or if it was just nothing at all. As they were seen around town, people assumed they were going to get married. However, it was later discovered, Homer Barron was a gay man. Miss Emily was not so pleased with this because she wanted to marry him. Then one day, she went to see druggist about a rat problem.

"I would like some poison." Miss Emily said.
"What kind?" the druggist asked.
"I don't know, whatever is good." she said.
As the druggiest was naming several, Miss Emily cut him off.
"Arsenic." Miss Emily said.
"Is arsenic you want?" the druggiest asked.
"That's what I said."
"You need a reason for this poison. It's the law." the druggist said.
"Rats."

The druggist wrote "For Rats" on the back of the box of poison. Then he handed the box to Miss Emily. As she walked out the store, the druggist wondered if she had rats at all. Miss Emily never had a problem with rats before.

"I haven't seen Homer Barron lately." one man noted.
"Last time I heard he was seen entering Miss Emily's house one evening. He was never seen again," another man said.
"I'm not surprised, it is Miss Emily." the other man responded.

There was a smell coming from the home of Miss Emily. The neighbors started to complain. Soon, more complaints came from more neighbors. Notices has been sent to Miss Emily, but no responses and no results. The problem of the smell gotten worse, then four men entered the home of Miss Emily one night. The men sprinkled line all over the house. The smell went away along with the complaints.

Miss Emily was not seen for some time now by her window. She was reported dead in her home after many years of not being seen. The manservant let two women related to Miss Emily inside the house, and then the manservant left out the back door and was never seen again.

On the day of her funeral, everyone in town came, mostly to see the home of Miss Emily because it was not seen in many years. The squarish framed house with decorated seventies style, was an eyesore.

The locked door upstairs was a hassle. The room that had not been in 40 years was going to be open for all eyes to see. As the door was finally opened, the fling of dust flew all over the faded color of rose room. All that was seen were dust, men's toilet things, tarnished with a monogram, a set of clothes folded on a chair, and a man on a bed with a nightshirt. The man appeared to be dead witha strand of gray hair next to him in bed.