Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-06-12


My richly caparisoned robe de mutt lay
across the foot of the bed. She caught
it firmly by the sleeve and flung it into
the wardrobe. / said: bon jour, Mime.
O'Selle." She did not reply.
Catching a pillow by the corner she
shucked it dexterously on the floor.
Then she nimbly yanked the case off the
other, and afterward skinned off the
sheets. When would resume my writ
look at me furtively. When looked up
again she would resume her havoc.
She was rather plain; not the kind of
plainness that often goes along with
great mental power, but the kind that
you might expect in hippopotamus that
had no early advantages except a hare
lip. She seemed to think it odd that l
should be in my room writing at that
hour of the day while there was base
ball game going on. She did not under
stand that was litterateur
Finally could bear the restraint no
longer; so, politely raising my hat, which
had been ON the bureau all this time,
asked:
do address the chambermaid?.
"You do" she said shyly, as she threw
the mattress across the footboard, knock
ing the prehistoric aBst out of it in a
beautiful cloud.
Would you mind telling me whether
you are perfectly happyT' exclaimed.
"Oh, no, am not happy little bit, "
she murmured.
''And do you not love your cailing?"
mo, do not love my calling Why
should 1 love my calling? l love to
mingle with the glad throng. l was
born ON Coney Island, where it was Une
round of pleasure all the live long sum-
mer day. My father was an artist. He
had an atelier on the beach, where he
took tin types in a group Like all
artists he was improvident. His tastes
were far in advance of his income. But
he loved my mother truly, and when not
working at his art he would often turn
the wringer for her."
'And you were happy them"
"Ah, yes. So happy! so happy! l
partook of my fathers artistic tastes, but
physically resemble my mother. She
cared nothing for art, but could catch a
barrel of pork by the chimes and throw
1T into wagon all by her lone self"
"And what makes You unhappy now!"
1.-The hungry waves ate into the beach
cen as the rhubarb pie is eat into by the
laughing boy. The red flag of the auc-
tioneer arose on the Du John tower of the
big hotel The kodak knocked the talents
out of my pale, artist father and he took
to drink Rum entered his mouth and
foohshly stole away his brains, return
ing them with thanks, however, on the
following day
''And this business is not congenial to
your
mo, it is not pant for the smell of
the salt sea. In me dreams l hear the
glad voices of Coney Island and recall
those happy times when the beautiful
South Beach ON Staten Island had not
robbed us of our bread and drawn away
the merry thrOng. Ialso loved a fragile
young street car driver on the Broadway
line. He was lala. He was an ex-
cellent horseman, and with the. reins in
his strong hands he did not fear the most
fiery steed. | do not think he knew
what fear was. I've seen a team cut up
real mean with Hiram, but he never
blanched But one day as he was going
home from COney Island, whittier he had
went to breathe few vows into my ear,
a policeman that weighed over 200
pounds, and who had not dubbed any
one for SO long that the other police
chaffed him and poked fun at him, de-
coyed Hiram into an alley and beat out
quite large quantity of his brains, from
the loss of which he never fully recov-
cred"
"What did you do them"
al had to go out to service, as they say
in the English books. l spent one sum-
mer, however, at Heidelberg. training
my voice for chamberwork Then
went to Milan, where i learned how to
make up bed with accordion pleating
across the top. / also learned how to
give bed an air of plumpness even
when in state of collapse. Now can
get job any time. Yesterday / was
offered job in new play in New York.
You know that all good plays have a
chambermaid in the first act that comes
In and claims to dust the furniture, and
also wonders where the butler is. She
generally wears a solitary alum ring,
and don't know how to dust chair no
more than perdition could refrain from
scorching feather. So / can take that
place and also throw out the villain al
the close of the act, for / inherited me
mothers gift of strength together with
me fathers love OF art"
"And so you would leave this profes
sion which you now adornr
Eyes, am tired of waiting on my in
feriors and making up beds for disagree
able people, in whom / take no interest,
to muss again"
She then gathered up her traps and
started for the door, but before she die
so she told me in few well choser
words, taken from the best Fireside Stor,
paper, mingled with Coney Island idioms
how she yearned to be shet of the thrall
dom of hotel life and to once more b.
free. / think she will go on the stage
wonld not be surprised if, as result
of it, the stage takes to its wings and flies
At the hotel table yesterday / saw
face that had seen before, but could
not remember where. / have now