The Afro-American advance., 1899-10-14

A DDfE ANDREWS was not girl ia
~ miIiar with cities or with the city
OF New York in particular. She had
grown up In small town ia the state,
40 far as she had grown up at all For
her brother Wat east a doubt upon her
having ever attained more than half
growth. though she was 30 years Of
age, and used TO say that she was called
Addie ''for short" because she herself
was short, and Adelina was altogether
too long u name for a girl OF her
inches.
In spite Of all this teasing, and great
deal more, Addie was entirely devoted
90 this big brother Of hers. He WAS, In
her estimation, man destined 60 be-
come as famous In art az any of the
doad-and-gone painters with strange
and difficult foreign names. Aud one OF
the holicst and most desirable and mys-
tcrious shrlnes ON earth. was. in her
fancy. Watts studio In New York city
She had golden dreams Of the hard
work and the lofty intellectual efforts
of which that studio was the scene. and
from the moment when she knew that
her brother was established In Il, she
made IL one Of her objects In life TO ao-
complish pilgrimage 10 "the studio In
New York city"
On his part, Wat was not privy TO this
high ambition Of his sister. Ills studio
was only "the joint" as he saw ita
place whore he was obliged to do a great
deal of hard work. where he also did
most of his eating. and where he slept
at night. II was not by any means one
OF those studios where 'ntudIo teas" are
given. II was not In fashionable quar-
ter. In short, Wat never thought of II
- IA place where he could receive lady.
lie did go SO far as 20 describe its lo-
cation 20 Addie, when she asked him
about IL In the summer holidays at
home. A couple Of rooms ON the third
door. with two windows looking over a
fire escape on to street that was not
particularly charming as a street. As
for It's contents aud its furnishings, Wat
did not describe them In any such way
a. 20 sharpen his sisters desire 10 see
them with her own eyes.
And yet her mind was made up. AZ
the very frat opportunity. ON the slight
eat preteNt. she would journey 10 the
city and drop In. all unexpectedly, on
Wat. II she could get Nancy Rlake 10
60 with her, Il would be all the better,
and Wat would be all the more delight.
ed with the viAit; but. whether or no,
ahc was going some time in the course
OF that winter.
Aud, considering that she was unac-
customed 10 finding her way about big
city, she carried her enterprise through
remarkably well. when. early In Novem.
Der, an excuse presented itself whereby
she could Induce her mother To LEI her
go 60 the city ON shopping crrand. By
the interested politenceS of half a dozen
policemen and ear conductors she found
her way TO the building In which
was the shrine of her pilgrimage. There
was no mistake about Il; the name OF
the street which she had written on her
letters 10 Wat was on the lamp pont at
the corner. and here was the number
No. it7-in plain letters over the door.
So far all was well, Then Addie, with
much delightful anticipation OF the sur.
prise she was going 10 give Wat, pro.
eeeded TO climb a narrow flight OF
stairs. She was going up TO the third
Goor.
She had been repeating II TO herself
st intervals ever since abe started sram
home early that morning-"rhe third
1oor."
As Addie entered by the door on the
sidewalk level she saw one lnside door
before her. THAT" she thought, els the
nrst door studio"
When she had climbed one flight OF
narrow stairs she saw another door.
That was counted as the second n0or
studio. One more flight 60 climb.
AZ lest abe got 20 Waits own floor
she foor Of the shrine,
Al lsast, 40 abe imagined. There was
0ne more door on this landing. and. hav-
tsg kept count Of the other ficors and