The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-11-21

been opposite neighbors, each occupying
the drawing-room apartments. She had
taken up her abode there six weeks after
He was installed. and in a dull uninter-
ested way he had watched the unloading
of the cab, the taking in Of the Luggage,
the bustling to and fro of the small, slim
woman, whose face ne got a very imper-
feet glance at. She looked about thirty,
not that He cared whether she was twenty
or seventy His heart just then was
heavy and sore; he had lost the one rela-
ton he had left. the only being in the
world he cared for-his old mother-and
In place of home and her he was simply
now 1.-THE drawing-room lodger."
For some time after her arrival, She
rather annoyed him by standing at her
window, looking straight in front of her.
which meant looking into his room, and
he got into the habit of calling her Miss
Pry, and It quite amused him to devise
plans for battling her curiosity. When, as
he supposed she found it impossible to
satisfy herself and turned away, he would
seek a position where he could get sight
of her, and Il was thus he discovered that
that something she bent over and Rugged
to her was a black kitten, and his eyes in
voluntarily glanced 10 an empty cage in
which. a few weeks before, his mother 3
old canary had moped and died. and some
how he could not see the opposite house
so clearly.
He left his lodgings to go to the city.
where the insurance Office was in which
he was a clerk. every morning at twenty
minutes to nine; this gave him time TO
walk to Charing Cross, where he took an
omnibus for the rest Of the way. and She.
after some months noting this fact, began
to say to her cat. IT'S time you had your
milk, Totty, and got ready. There goes
Mr.. Punctual over the way
She never saw him return. because the
hours at her situation were longer than
his. She was typis. to a wholesale firm
in Bedford-st., and 1t was generally .,
often 6, o'clock before she had finished
her pile of letters. But she was in no
hurry to get back-she did not say, Ito
get home," for the sound or that word
still choked her-and when he had noticed
her looking through the window panes,
playing. as he thought, the spy on him,
her blurred eyes saw nothing but a pic
ture. from memory. Of cosy room in a
country rectOry, with father and mother
and Tom and Anne. all now dead and
gone and she left alone TO struggle as
best she could to get her own living.
And 50 years went on, with all the joys.
and sorrows. and changes they bring; but
chance. opportunity. and fortune. whether
good or bad, seemed to have forgotten and
passed over the two occupants Of u and
Is WOodman-st.; the duh routine of their
daily lives went on exactly the same.
Stay, though; there was one small differ
ence. Although they had never exchanged
a word, or given a look without the width
of the road being between them, they took
kindlier interest, and in q way occupied
themselves with one another in a far more
friendly manenr than either had the slight
est suspicion Of
They still kept for each other the names
of Mr.. Punctual and Miss Pry, and gradu-
ally He kept count of the hour at which
She returned, by watching for her gas to
be lighted. They take advantage of her
Icing a woman, and keep her too late"
he would say; and this leading him TO
wonder what her occupation could he. he
one day ventured to put the question to
his landlady, Miss Bates, when she
brought up his tea
Notwithstanding Miss Batess firmly
grounded prejudice against female dodgers
who didn't have their proper dinners out
and so wanted all sorts Of fddle-faddies
cooked with their teas, she showed her
sense of justice by Opining that the young
person was respectfully conducted, mas
much as she never saw nothing blame
worthy in her.; but so far as she could
make out, her occupation wasn't millinery,
or music lessons. or anything OF that sort
-genteel-which wouldn't trouble the
Jenkens's, for anybody particular would
be very out of place in that house.
She, too, had made her effort at discov
e-y and had said casually TO the domestic
drudge. DO you know the name OF the
gentleman in the drawing-rOOm opposite,
Iizzie?'
What! he as lives with tn old cat
Bates2 No. nor 1 don't want to neither
He amt no gentleman-he never give the
postman a brass fathin at Christmas"
The pOstman was reckOned by Lizzie
among her followers, one whom any
stroke Of fortune might turn into my
young man who has offered to treat me
to the pantOmme.
Perhaps he cannot afford to give"
Lizzie gave a cOntemptuOus toss Of her
head Cant affOrdr she said. why
you give him six pence and has to work
hard and stint, and he has in wine and
spirits and beer; l watched 'em delverin'
1t there. 1 see him come home this after
noon with a bird; that shows him for
reg',ar Old bachelor"
A bird She made no more inquiries
from Lizzie. but several times she found
herself wondering whether il was a linnet
or a canary. Anne had been so fond Of
birds and so clever with them, she hoped
he would manage it properly.
As soon as the weather grew warm She
saw that the bird was a canary. He
meant her to notice it. for he displayed It
rather SYSTEMATICALLY in front of the open
window. looking out Of the corner Of his
eye to see if she was taking notice and
saying to himself the while Come.
come. Miss Pry, L have a pet now as wei
as you
Perhaps six or seven years went by, in
exactly this same fashion, when most
exciting event took pace. A school chum
and friend of former days happened 10
hear something about the Old rectOry,
and remembering how much kindness she
had been shown there, sent an invita-
ton 10 the poor London worker to come
down TO Weatherdale and spend Christ
mas there. and IL was 10y reason of this
that He, startled by the unusual sound
Of a cab being whistled for. got up from
his breakfast to see that il was driven
up 10 No. Is. Why, nO-yes, actually il
was for Miss Pry; the servant girl was
hosting up her box TO the cabman, and
there at the door She was standing with
a basket-evident.y the cat in it-on her
arm.
Where could she be going? He forgot
that she could see him, and when she
looked up he could almost fancy she
smiled. her face wore such beaming ex-
preston. At that moment there was a
great furry and hustle TO get In, the
caOman bent down TO get his directions.
and away he drove. with such a show Of
haste that the watcher from the window,
returning to his breakfast, found him
self saying, Put everything off TO the
very last minute; that's just like a
woman"
As He waited for his omnibus at Char
ing Cross he looked a the station and
wondered was it there that Miss Pry had
BEEN going, and then he forgot all about
1r~ar sly 10