Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-06-18
MY NEIGHBOR.


satisfying himself that l am to be de-
pended upon, and that there is house
If so many stories in Lambert street.
Here lived in enjoyment of no end of
fresh air, especially in winter, and a
brilliant prospect mp and down the
street and over the roofs of the houses
across the way.
was studying painting at that time,
learning to paint the landscapes and
figure pieces which l produce with so
much ease and dispose of with so much
difficulty.
At the head of the last flight Of stairs
in my lodging house was narrow pas
sage way, in which l was obliged to stop
and recover my breath after finish
ing, much wcaricd, the 1879 steps
that led to my paradise, before could
get my key into its lock, and into this
passage way opened two doors, one OF
which, of course, belonged TO my room,
and the other to some one clsc's. But
who this some one else was l was I'M
able To find out Was it n man or wom-
an? was persuaded it must be wOm-
an. and aS woman l always used to
think of her and speak of her to myself,
and | thought and spoke of her often
enough
OF course l could have settled the
question at once by knocking at her door
and asking for match or by inquir-
ing of my landlord, who occasionally
hOnOrcd me with n friendly call, but l
Scurncd rcSorting to such methods.
Every time l heard the door shut l
II,
without my seeing her, and nearly fell
into the street rs 1 frantically attempt
cd to reach far enough out of my win
dow to see her as she came out at the
street door.
Was she young and pretty and good:
What did she do and what was her
name? My thoughts were perpetually
running up those six flights and stop
ping bafflcd ut her close shut door.
l drew ideal portraits of her in my
| idle moments, introduced them into all
my pictures and would often finish out
an accidental face i'll study of rocks,
much to my instructors surprise and
my fellow students amusement.
The only COMMUNICATION l ever had
with people in the house was an occa-
Sioual conversation with the dust color
cd old woman who cleaned the windows
| and swept the halls.
y day came for cleaning my windows
| when it rrIincd heavily, and could not
give the old woman a clear stage by 60
| ing out for a couple of hours, but told
her TO clean away and be as lively as
she could. while sat there and painted
Lodgers, she told me as she polished
up the panes, came and went so fast
that she forgot one when another came
and never knew any of their names
She had an eye for character, though,
and told mo the pcculiaritles Of some OF
them in 4 quaint way. mailing her SEN
fences now and then with odd, hard
words, Independently of the general
text
Gentleman who's under you keeps
'imself quite to 'inself," she said.
"Plants out queer sasses in boxes all the
time an some of 'em ON the balcony IT.
self P'r'aps makes kinder tea of EN-,
or root drink. Decoctifies. "
And who Is in the room below that
/ inquired, more to make her talk than
TO satisfy any curiosity 1 had on the
subject
Empty now. Two dark little gentle
men 'ad it for fortnight-Jews, / fan
cv-an as like one another as two spots
o dirt on this ere pane o glass. Spoke
a hard billed kind o. tongue an was fur
rinerS. most likely Polyanders.
| might have asked her about my
next door neighbo<, but refrained fol
fear nv pretty romance would be de-
struyed bv description of middle aged
spinster who wore glasses and wrought
green rc4es in crewel work
When she had finished the windows
and gathered up her brushes and pals,
she paused an instant to give back
ward glance at her completed task. The
sun had broken through the clouds and
rested tenderly ON the STOPPING figure OF
the old woman in her faded rags
What a picture!'' thought invol
UNFAIRLY. Then aloud said, WA you
come some time and let me paint you,
Maggie?''
MOI she cried, startled
Yes, just as you are now, scrubbinG
brushes and all. Will you Gomez
cried, my enthusiasm rising.
Law! Why dye want to paint ar
old woman like me. Mr.. Carroll, with
a face wrinkled like peach pit? Why
don't you paint pretty girl? Old wo
men are painted though sometimes, but
only to make 'emselves look young agen-
Ha, hav'
1t was useless to argue the point with
her, so only said:
Eyes, but want You, Maggie Will
rou Gomez
Law, if ye really wanter ave me,
III come, sir, cause you've been very
good ter old Maggie. -
The sittings began the next day, and
derived much amusement from the old
Eoman's conversation while painted
Gway with might and main, resolved
hat this picture should be hung at the
alon next spring, and my imagination
,ven went so far as to speculate on the
most suitable style of frame.
At first Ii was only of the other lodg-
IT'S that old Maggie gossiped, but one
lay when she was looking very tired ]
Questioned her kindly about herself, and
The finally $old me her story.
The old woman had evidently taken
great fancy to me, and wish could
remember the quaint words in which
the told me of her girlhood in London
and her courtship by man poor like
herself, though much above her in sta
iion-a newspaper writer, she said he
was
when we were first married. we
,ook little country 'ouse that made
me think OF q billed dinner, for twas
painted in red an green an deep yaller-
lest like that paint you re mixin mp now
-caxrotty. Then the baby came
Her whole voice and manner changed,