The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-12-09

way.
opposite each other in the same street"
should say"
1T !. ten years since I came" and she
Yes. but l was there before you. I re-
member your coming"
DO you! Oh, l am accustomed TO IL now.
but, at first, ID have nothing but houses be-
fore me seemd dreadful. / used TO stand at
the WINDOW and-well, I won't say what,
very clearly"
Perhaps 1 can enter into your feelings
peter than you think" he said kindly, "for
10 me, then, my surroundings were hateful"
i had always lived in the country and /
suppose 1 thought things would go on the
same Tor ever. but in four years l lost every
swept away. and / had TO begin life alone"
terribly hard on a woman" he said SYM
We'll, and yet i think sometimes it Is
harder on a man. OF course, 1 don't mean
one who finds pleasure in clubs and COM
pany. L know you are a stay-at-home, be-
cause every evening 1 see your lamp alight."
And your lamp keeps mine company"
Yes, I've never been away but once-to
spend Christmas with a school friend, who
has since gone TO India That was an ex-
element for mel l looked up and saw you
and very nearly nodded. and then / was so
faightened that I Jumped INTO the cab and
And l thought you were late, and il quite
ndgeted me, and / gave you a mental scold-
ilS, Just ike L Oite0 90 on sundays when
you will go out without an umbrella"
We'll. but last Sunday you went out with
out yours, and, more than that, you left the
window open on your bird, and 1 said to
Totty-my cat-Now that is very though
cold.'"
And I fear he did catch cold. for he has
sat with all his feathers roughed up, look
ing very r~eproachfully at me. You know, he
Is six years old"
NJ cats ten; I can never bear to think
OF her age. for when she dies well npOnia
will think her mistress a very foolish wom-
mot those who live alone won't"
His tone of sympathy brought a pleasant
expression into her eyes. You find your
bird company. don't your she said, looking
at him.. THAT summer when you went away
1 was quite anxious, fearing the landlsdy
might not look after him properly. You
know We missed you dreadfully. Tottie and
II can quite believe it; l felt very dull
when you were absent"
They both laughed heartily.
You gone," she said, land / had nothing
the morning. Mr.. Punctual L call you to
Tottie; we established that name almost di-
rectly after we settled there"
And he had called her Miss Pry, All well,
he would give her that name no longer.
Should he ask what was her real name? He
thought he Suddenly the horses stopped.
Why, here We are!' he said. looking at
her amazed.
1t was the corner leading to the street in
The way has seemed very short" she
said, preparing to get down. Usually /
think our omnibuses go so slowly"
ID they? / always walk from Charing
Cross l was just going to get down to-day
when you got up and sat down next me-"
Yes. 1 felt my face quite red when l
saw It was you, / wondered would you speak
and / was glad when you did"
Il hope, now. whenever we meet you will
allow me to speak to you"
"I shall be very glad she said cordially:
cit seems so much nicer to have exchanged
a few words with one another"
Wei, we We're not like strangers to each
Certainly not; / nave felt as If you were
almost a friend for nearly ten years"
And they shook hands. and. both a little
agitated at this unlooked-for adventure.
turned toward their respective dwellings.
IT has been said that every rose has a
occupants Of II and Is Woodman street
showed itself in the sudden shyness each
felt in appearing at their windows. He sad
Il don't wish her to think that | am presum-
ing in any way"
She said: Il must be careful now. and not
let him fancy / want to court notice"
And so it happened that a week passed
without either getting a legitimate glimpse
of the other. They both began to grow quite
moped. and a little disposed to feel the least
bit disappointed in each other. "She need
not suppose 1 have the smallest intention OF
taking advantage OF a little exchange of
She recalled every word she had spoken TO
him, to make sure that she had not allowed
her tongue to run away with her.
On the very evening of the day week on
which they had met, drawing aside his blind
TO look at the opposite window-why, there
was no light there. How very odd! She
all the evening. a very unusual tliDg for
her. But still more unusual was, that the
next morning her blind was not drawn up.
She must be arayi He really felt injured.
His feelings We're as ruffled as the feathers
OF his bird. Not that il mattered TO him in
any way. Only when a person made a fuss
ana nFQfondO6 n IA ca TInd that fhnr hnI
spoken TO one another. you hardly expected
that they'd tax care never to be seen again
H he tried ed to put I the thought away, but It
than ii buzzed in his head like a bee, and
thinking that he might get from Miss Bates
whether she had noticed any departure. he
Lovely weather for the time Of year"
Miss Bates was in a lugubrious frame OF
mind. Plenty o sickness about, / hear.
They say" she added, with a sniff and a
sigh, "the children's dying like sheep with
measles, and in some parts whole houses is
down with Influenza I'm sure / trust we
shall be spared, but / doubt it. for there's
one of 'em ill opposite saw the doctor
to-day going in there"
The sudden change in his face assured her
that she had thoroughly drenched his vivaci-
~, and following the axiom that having mad
an impression you should go, Miss Bates left
the room. He buttered his toast and poured
out his tea, and some minutes later, finding
plate and cup empty, he reasonably sur
missed that he had eaten and drunk. but he
AA48 0CAAC " AAC 442
thoughts were occupied by the words Of his
landlady. Poor little woman! Now he knew
why the window was dark and the blind
remained down. She was i'll. Sickness, that
despair Of the breadwinner. had lain its
dread hand on her. Poor thing, POOR thing
Men such as he are seldom spontaneously
sentimental or sympathetic, and he believed
that he was no exception to the rule. Years
OF loneliness cramp and narrow our emo
tons and turn them towards self. and 1t was
the knowledge of this that made him sur
prised at the quick interest he took in this
woman whom, although he had for years
seen, he had never but once spoken to. He
walked about the room, he looked out of the
window; in short, for over an hour he
fdgeted over a score of things, and then,
that inward tormentor refusing him any
peace. he suddenly put on his hat, crossed
the road. and knocked at the door, deter
mined to ask what was the matter with the
lady on the drawiRg-room floor. He had ar
about TO utter them; when, why-no-yes-it
was She, she herself. who had answered the
door and was standing before him.
Il am so glad" he said, taking her hand
and giving Ii a hearty shake. Il thought
you were ILL.,"
"And you come over to see? oh, how good
and kind! That anybody should care cheers
me more than / can say"
There was no light in your window last
night. and this morning the blind was down,
and while l was wondering what had become
of you, my landlady told me she had seen
the doctor here"
yes, but happily not for me. But you
must come in and hear the story. It's poor
KeZiah, the servant here. She tripped on
some tendon in her leg. And Mrs. jenkins
Is away and the other dodgers were ont So