The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-12-17

The old maid had lived so long In the
boarding house on the square that 1t had
become second nature for her 20 choose
the less tarnished spoons In the holder
ana to avoid distinctively the I p slices
OF bread on the bread pIate. She was
familiar with all varieties of boarding
house servants, and she knew that all
alike despised her as "the fourth floor
front" She knew by heart the land
lady's stories OF pressing present needs
and OF past afluence. She had nothing
TO learn in the matter OF substituted gas
Jets, and her feet were trained To skip
the torn spots In the stair carpet. Al
together there WAS nothing In the old
maids position In her boarding house TO
account for her serenity.
Down town the old maid twas a steno-
Rrapher In law office where prettiness
was at "A discont as a hindrance TO unre-
mitting toll. She did not realize that her
chief attraction to her employers was this
lack of disuracting features and complex
Ton. Long as she had lived I'm the sordid
hut educating boarding house she had not
learned everything that was to be learned
about motives, and she believed that her
fathers old friendship with the lawyer
had much To do with her position.
Before that remote day when the old
maid first came to the law office and the
boarding house she had lived in the coun-
try. Even yet. when the spring rains
came down and dren cheu the grim pave
ments. she had a swift fleeting sense of
late SHOWS melting by the rim Of the
brooks and of timii flowers pushing
through the soft earth ana in the city
pai ks her mind tuIned toward peaceful,
pastoral ways, and her eyes were filled
with visions of billowy. biossoming trees,
OF plowmen moving across upland fields,
r.. ...t
short the old maid was "a poet, although
the crude little expressions OF her emotions
never met the keen eyes OF critics or even
the kindly eyes OF her friends
Well. once upon time the singer came
TO the boarding house OH the square.
lie was young ana his audieuces-they
were largely fem inine--declared that no.
where else was there singer who caroled
out songs and sobbed out ballads so
knowingly. whether or not he was peer
less, is "A question, b, at any rate he had
made great success, and people won
dered that he should come 10 the dingy
abode of the hoarders and the old maid.
some said that IL was because he had
lived there In the days before he was
known to fashion, and some whispered
knowingly that the lady To whom the
singer sang lived over the way in the
stone house with the balconies at the
windows and the guarding lions at the
door. BE that rs ii may. it in n fact that
when the singer came TO the city for his
series OF concerts and recitals he sancti-
fled the abode of the old maid with his
presence for whole week. And the Old
maid was agitated mysteriously by his
presence, though II Is doubtfui whether
he even saw her shabby little figure.
One night she slipped down the stair
way when the house was still and slip
red a paper heneath the singers doorsill.
The paper bore a set of verses written in
the fine hand of woman who was edu-
Gated quarter OF century ago and
little note that read:
"If you should sometimes find this
worthy to sing, | would be the happiest
woman on earth.
Now the singer felt n brutal indiffer-
eDce about oil happiness save his own,
which had been sorely tried that night
by the lady OF his songs. ~ hs merely
muttered, "Confound imbecils women -
Then no looked at the verses and went
gloomily to- bed. But through the night
as Le reflected upoa his bligbted hopes
and the hardness of his fate, some OF the
old maids lines sang themselves through
his mind.
I'll see thee In each flower that grows.
Thou art not lost while lives { lie rose,
Not lost while lives the rose
the foolish refrain insisted.
In tho morning the silly rhymes would
not be banished. Hs found himself hum
ming them TO au air, and by ana by-so
weak was he, owing TO the cruel lady
be sat down at the piano ana PLAYED the
Dir softly.
1t was the same week that he gave his
great concert at the hall up town. With
indifferent generosity n offered the land
lady tickets TO be distributed and so il
happened that the old maid and l went
together.
The old maid was very pink and trsmu-
lous and not being in her confidence |
could not understand her state. After
all there was nothing in "A successful
singer of 33 TO excite spinster steno-
grapher OF 90.
The singer had sung grand opera 8rias
aod the music from masses. He had sung
scotch ballads and German love songs
But no could not sing enough TO satisfy
his audience. After each properly num-
bered selection he was recalled again and
again. Finally he came ont and said.
II wish | could tell you the author OF
the words ! am going to sing. They were
sent TO mo anonymously in manuscript.
and have no means Of giving credit TO
whom IL is due. -
The old maids fingers quivered. Sho
breathed sobbingly and drew closer To me,