Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1894-05-25
A NEIGHBOR.

''This is such pretty fati" said
Mrs. Bryant, enthusiastically, as she
went up and down the five little rooms
which were to be the first home Of her
married life.
Il like top fat" she continued !;
'it is SO much lighter, and the air
seems better up here. +"
'You will miss the elm-shaded
street before your old home in Green
wich, said her husband.
''Oh, never mind thatr' she re-
piled. "Our parlor windows here
look out on great many treetops,
and can place my rocking chair SO
as not to see the house roofs, but only
the trees above them"
Chow about the back windows?" he
asked, with q doubtful smile, as he
glanced down upon the small, barren
inclosure called yard, and then
across at the rear windows of other
fats which fronted on the next street.
ooh! l see children at some win
dows, and birds in others, and there
is a dear old lady just opposite. Those
are our neighbors. But, Fred, look
herel Here is little balcony reach
ing from our side dining-room window
across the r~~r,,-- s,r,.esss - tl4e ni.lss...
of the next building. Why is that 2"
''rhat is fire escape, so that in case
of q fire we can make dash for lib
erty over through the other peoples
window, or SO that they can flee over
to us. !"
"Then we are set here to help each
other. We ought to be friends" she
said, looking wistfully at the opposite
window whose curtain was closely
drawn.
"Not much friendship between
flats !" commented her husband
"City folks distrust chance acquaint-
ance, and we must be careful our
selves. There might be a forger living
below us, and a gambler across from
us. We can't take chances.
But when Lucy Bryant's pretty
rooms were settled and made home
like, and her happy daily routine be-
gan, as she sat in the sunny dining
room with her sewing she used often
to wonder about the neighbor across
the fire escape, and think how very
easily they could exchange greetings
if they We're acquainted.
Sometime the neighbor opened her
window for moment to set out bot
tie of milk or covered pail but she
never by any chance glanced across,
and she retired as quickly as possible
Sometimes the curtain was raised as if
to admit light, and Lucy was tempted
TO look at the prettily set dining table,
the marble clock and the little sewing
stand. Once as she stood moment
making out the subject of an engray-
ing over the mantel, the neighbor,
tall, slender, bright-eyed woman,
stepped swiftly from some corner and
pulled the curtain down with n vlgor
that sent Lucy blushing to the furthest
part of her little fiat.
''She thought me inquistive" she
said, hotly to herself; "she doesn't
know how 1 miss having neighbors.
l never knew before how lonely one
can be in a crowd"
As sort of mute apology, Lucy
now often left near her dining room
window stand with fruit or flowers
upon it, an open book or bit of
work, and put her curtain high; so
that if the unknown lady looked, she
might see the was no hostility, no
avoidance of neighborly glance.
When spring came the vendors
brought Towering plants in wagons to
the city streets for sale; and Lucy,
taking walk one day, seized upon a
thrifty young geranium with pink
buds and bore it up to her high nest,
putting it in her parlor window as a
surprise for Fred.
The next morning. entering the
dining room, Lucy saw on the fire es-
cape in front of her neighbor's win
dow fine begonia in pot, well wat
cred and enjoying the sun.
"She loves flowers, thought Lucy,
cxultantly. "Tll reply to her begonia
with my geranium. "
So out went the geranium, and per-
naps it held flower talk with the bego-
mia; but the owners seemed no nearer
acquaintance than before; for, rise ms
early as Lucy might, the begonia had
always been watered aad the curtain
was down.