Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1898-05-31

THE GIRL NEXT DOOR
At one time there were six young
men in our house, and with one excep'
ton they were all in love with the girl
next door. I could never see anything
In her myself; but then I am woman,
and that makes difference.
It was easy enough for any one with
half an eye to see the powder and paint
. mile of, but I never said SO to moth
er's boarders. They would only have
attributed the remark to jealousy.
Our boarders thought differently.
When sh, smiled she was an angel,
when she sang she was nightingale,
when she waltzed about in the back
garden lin an innocent, ohildlike way
that was all assumed) she was nymph
or fai.A and when she walked con-
ceitedly DOWN the street with her nose
In the air she was goddess and
queen, Mother said she was an empty
headed little chit.
Ireally was not jealous in the very
least, because the only man in the house
who was worth looking at never gave
the next door girl thought. He was
the only one Of the lot who had any
sense. The rest were parcel OF silly
boys, and in regard to appearance none
Of them could hold a candle to him.
His name was Guy Clutton.
It was perfectly astonishing what
fools those young men used to make OF
themselves. There was medical stu
dent who used to pace the garden (Which
is about the size of the lions cage at the
zoo) for hours daily, walking indiscrim.
inately over mothers flower beds till
the place became waste, bowling will
derness.
There was civil service clerk who,
whenever she sang, would stand with
his ear glued to the drawing room wall
to hear more distinctly. Then there
was a city man, widower, who ought
to have had more sense, not to speak OF
respect for his late wife, and he abso-
lutely said he had lost his appetite be-
cause Of the girl next door.
One sultry evening in June the board
ers were smoking in the dining room,
the apartment usually devoted to the
weed being pronounced stuffy. I was
watering the plants at the window:
The medical student was on the tread
mill outside. Suddenly little Anderson.
who was making pretense of studying
law, exclaimed, II shall go next door
and call on the mother, be hanged If ]
don'tv'
you'll be chucked out!" said the
city man briefly.
''Lorrimer spoke to her on the top OF
q bus the other day." put in the civil
service clerk, land she only stared at
him stonily until he wished he could
sink into the earth. "
"It'a heartrending to be so near and
yet 50 tar," sighed Lorrimer despair
ingly. '.eChere must be some Johnnie
who could give Us an introduction II
we could only find him. Clutton, you're
q clever chap and the most aristocratio
looking Of us all. If you were to call,
you would not run as much chance Of
being chucked out as Anderson. ;" '.s>
Clutton, who was deep in 1.-THE His
tory Of Prehistoric Man, " was too much
engrossed to be able to turn his thoughts
to q nineteenth century woman and
merely shrugged his shoulders indiffer.
emily.
Twas sitting at the landing window
about 10 O'Clock, when Guy Clutton,
with "Prehistorio Man" in bis hand
and cigar between his lips, came up
stairs. The scent Of Guy Clutton's cigar
was always more fragrant than any
other.
He stopped moment to look out into
the quiet night and into the adjoining
garden, where the next door girl, In q
white gown, was talking to her father
in the soft, dim light. Her hand was
laid lovingly on his arm, and her head
was almost resting on his shoulder. My
companions eyes rested on them foz
some time in silence. Then he said to
me:
''Thoso fools watching the front Of
the house don't know that, or they'd be
up here"
"Do you think her pretty?" asked
softly.
"'Pretty' is such an indefinite word.
1t may mean anything or nothing"
"Then do you admire herr"
But he only gave me a long, thought
full look from his height Of six feet,
and, as before, shrugged his shoulders
without answering.
II have been in this house long
time. Elsie" (he always called me
my Christian name when we w !,
alone)-"four years. They have been
very pleasant ones I am going for my
holiday tomorrow. Should You be very
sorry If should not come baok?''
An answer would have been superf1u'
Gus. He had often told me he knew me
by heart. Such question was an idle
one. At length I said:
"But you are coming back at the end
Of the month";"
It seemed an eternity before he re.
nlied: then, bending down. he took my