Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-01-25
AN OLD MAIDS SONG.

| 10 SKIP the torn spots in tho stair cnrD,t
| Altogether there was nothing in tho old
maids position in her boarding house tn
account for her serenity.
| DoWn town the old maid was n STE
nographer In a law Office where prcttincss
was at discount as q hindrancc to unre
| 1nittlnS toll. She did not rcalizc that her
| chle1 attraction to hcr employers WAS this
lack OF distracting features and connlcx-
ION. Long as she had lived in tho soraid
out educating boarding house she had not
learned everything that was to be learned
epou0 motives, and shc believed that her
,a'iier oAo friendship with the lawyer
| naa much to do with her position.
Before that remote day when tho OH,
malu hrst came to the law Office and thu
ooarulns house she had lived in tho coun
'ry. Even yet, when the spring rains
came down and urenched tho grim pave
menus, she had u swift, ilccting sense oi
late SHOWS melting by tho rim of tho
brooks and Of tiInid flowers pushing
through the soft earth, and in tho CITY
parks hor mind turned toward peaceful.
pastoral ways, and her eyes wero filled
Win visions OF billowy, blossolning trees,
y. piowmen moving across upland fields,
| OF the waking up of life and industry. In
snort, the Old maid was o poet, although
the crude little expressions Of her emotions
never met tho keen eyes of critics or even
the kindly eyes of her friends.
wen, once upon time tho singer came
10 1ho boarding house on tho square He
was young and his audicnccs-thcy were
largely fclnininc-declared that nowhere
else was there singer who caroled out
songs and sobbed out ballads so knowingly
whether or not no was peerless is a ques.
'loh, Out at any ratio he had made rcat
should como to the dingy abode of the
boardcrs and tho old maid. Some said
That 1t was because he had lived there in
She days before he was known to fashion.
ana some whispered knowingly that the
laoy TO whom the singer sang lived over
the way In the stone house with tho bal.
comes at tho windows and tho guarding
lions ut tho door. BE that us it nav. it IS
tact that when tho singer came to The
caty Tor his series of concerts and rccitals
he sanctitied the abode of the old maid
WITH his presence for whole week. And
tho old maid was ngitated mysteriously by
his presence, though it is doubtful whether
he even saw her shabby little figure
ono night she Slipped down tho stair.
way when tho house was still and slipped
paper beneath tho singers doorsill Tho
paper pore set OF verses writtun in the
nne hand OF woman who was educated u
quarter OF century ago and little note
thai rend:
If you should sometimes find this
worthy to sing, would be the hnppicst
woman on earth. -
Now the singer felt brutal indifference
epouG ali happiness save his own, which
mad been sorely tried that night by the
lady of his songs. So he merely 1nuttered.
HConfound imbecilc women!'' Then no
looked at the verses and went sloomily to
pea. but through the night as he reflect.
ed upon his hllghted hopes and the hard
ness OF his fate, some of the old maids
INES sang themselves through his mind.
III see thee in each flower that grows
Thou art not lost while lives the rose
Not lost whilo lives the rose.
the foolish refrain insisted.
IN the morning the silly rhymes would
not be banished. Ho found himself hum
ming thom to an air, and by and by-so
weak was he, owing to tho cruel lady-he
sat down ut the piano and played the air
| softly
IL was the same week that he gave his
| great concert ut the hall up town With
indifferent generosity he offered the land
Indy tickets to be distributed, and SO it
| happened that the old maid and went to
| gcther.
Tho old maid was very pink and trcmu
lous, and not being in her confidence, !
could not understand her state After all
there was nothing in successful singer
| OF 33 to excite spinster stenopraphnr of
so.
| The singer had sung grand opera arms
and the music from masses He had sung
| Scotch ballads and German love songs
But he could not sing enough to satisfy
MS audience. After each properly num-
| ocred selection he was recalled again and
again. Finally he came out and said:
II wish could tell you the author of
| the words am going to sing They were
sent to me anonymously in manuscript
and have no means of giving credit to
| whom it is due"
The old maids fingers quivered. She
brenthed sobbingly and drew closer to mo,
| and l wondered whether sho were going
crazy.
Then the singer sang the simple verses
| They may have been very bad as verses
| but as song they were n success The GU
dience listened lntently, the women look
| ing up Us women look when lowered cye-
IDS would let the tears brim over And
when the last verse rang out, plnintiyely
and proudly
And, though thou hast banished me,
| touch thee in each nodding flower,
sec thee. dear one, every hour,
In sky or star SEES,
! All beauty holds some hint OF thee,
And so thou canSt not Danish me,
! Thou canst not Danish me-
the hall forgot to applaud for fully three
seconds, when it caught Its breath and sur
roptitiously wiped its eycs-that is, all but
the old maid. She wept quite openly,
turning nor radiant, tear stained face to-
! ward me:
| It's minc It's minei" size half sobbed
oh, it's mine, and am SO happy"
And then che told mo the whole story.
But neither pra! crs nor entrcatics could
| prevail upon her to let me tell her secret
And the boardcrs still wonder why it is
that a coiorless little lady like the OH
maid sometimes wears a look Of pride
| Chicago Tribune.
| QnnN 'Tnhsncn Shit md AnnRa Y,nr Lila Asuau