Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1880-09-02
A Romance Of Avenue Al

The scene Of my story is laid in ~
American metropolis, and most OF lt
aStion takes place in tenement hoB Be
situated on that great street of tenepF I
houses, Avenue A. All the charadEe
and the historian lived together; oeu-
pying between them one fiat of a the
ment house nine stories high. Ourhat
twas the seventh IRON the ground, End
being the only dodgers on that foorhTe
speedily became well acquainted. BdHg
bachelor | occupied the front room
which was study, reception-rooTn
kitchen, dining room and sleeping apart
ment. My next door neighbors wer'
an elderly Irish woman with her t7Vc
sons, Patsy and Teddy Horley. Tbey
occupied three rooms. The two back
rooms had as an occupant one Of the
loveliest little maidens it was ever my
good fortune to meet. ! think shecame
originally from Massachusetts. She
worked at shirt making in largeCanal
street establishment and her name was
written on the pay roll as Alice laYne
The Horleys and Miss Layne ha. been
neighbors some time when becae an
inmate of the house. and were aready
quite intimate.
Patsy Horley was the oldest d the
brothers, large formed, red-heades and
with irregular homely features. R was
heavily freckled, and / never say him
during six months acquaintance time
that he didn't have three days gowth
of red stubble on his face. He haJlarge.
gray eyes, and these were the most strik
ing of his facial organs. They had but
one xpression-unswerving bnesty in
! their every flash. Patsy wasl member
of the corner gang" and requently
came home much the worse or liquor,
which grieved his old mother soreIy.
She was blunt, plain-spoken woman,
sixty odd years old, fat and much given
to a weakness in all paris of her
body, which prevented the possibility
OF labor. So she was conten5 to sit by
the window all day long knitting at q
never finished blue woolenj stocking
Her "byes" were very good to her.
Teddy gave her all his earnings. Patsy
most all. Teddy was the reverse of his
brother. He was six feet ia his socks,
finely proportioned, handsome. His
eyes were black, his hair and mustache
dark brown, but curly. He was consider
able Of q dandy and dressed $ up = every
night after work. There was a deep
affection existing between these broth
er5. They loved each other, and this
devotion was apparent IN every act of
their lives
Miss Alice Layne was, as I have be-
lore stated, a lonely little maiden,
pretty, and with a tender heart, sus-
cephble to the slightest variation of
life's compass. Less than a week after
taking up my quarters III the front
loom l made discovery. Alice Layne
wa in love with Patsy Horley and
Te-dy Horley was in love with Alice
Lslne. 1t was an interesting study to
witch the various phases OF this cross
pssion, and | never tired of it. 1t was
pry evident to me that PATSY Horley
slmired the little shirtmaker, but b..
ept tie secret safely locked in his great
ig heart, and only took it out at odd
lOments when he thought no one would
iotice the treasure to gloat over it and
Worship it as his mother did the figure
# the Virgin at the head of her bed.
don't suppose the honest fellow ever
ireamed that his love was returned.
low could he when he so blindly wor-
tAiped the superior physical gifts of
hB younger brother. For Patsy was
Efy proud Of handsome Teddy, and
afer tired of praising him. Alice,
VIII woman's S intuition, saw the noble
NJ Patsy's character, and although
fhdy's good looks and fine dress and
tHowers" made an impression upon
nei it was only transitory one, which
vanished as soon as she caught sight OF
Paty's big, homely face and honest
graSeyes. Like all good-looking men,
TedG Horley was just the least bit con-
ceite and he imagined that it was only
pece=ry to declare his passion to find
hlmsf in undisturbed possession oi
Alice heart.
Oneyarm afternoon I was lying on 9
loungsn my room, endeavoring to in
Gerest yself in THE Light of Asia.
Mrs Hrley was downstairs visiting 6
neighbi. and / was nodding over tht
poem, Ven Alice Layne tripped up th,
stairs al entered her apartments.
heard h'singing softly to herself as sh,
made prtlrations for supper, and, mis-
anthropehat / am, envied her tha
bird-llkeg ghtness of heart which trillet
through Cry measure of the song.
was broodg over the melancholy past
wnen hwy footstep sounded on th
Inc stalrsud Patsey Horley, in hi
rough Woing clothes, and a Ittl
under heafiuences Of liquor, opene,
the door othe room adjoining min
ana Threw itnsef heavily ON the bed
he got up dectly, opened little win
DOW over thioor which separated tn
two rooms, ok q drink Of water an
txss 4 I.