The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-06-07

| 11dy had taken course at nome,
! and she fattered herself that she was
! "really good at free hand drawing"
Nevertheless she sighed anxiously as
her pencil Travelled over the pad:
''Her coloring, her exquisite coloring
how ever am l to do justice to thatY
The hurried heavy tramp Of the jani-
tor returning with the right key reused
the girl. She turned her head swiftly,
gave a look of surprise at the open
| door, one of indignation at Miss Lidy
and swept forward with the determine
ton evidently Of slamming the door
shut.
| Miss Lidy Martineau's friends
claimed that she had the most disarm-
ing smile in the world 1t stood her in
| good stead now. She nodded pleasant
Iy at the girl she had been drawing.
"Oh, I'm so sorry you caught me at
it! Your pose was perfect. My child,
you are tremendously pretty, and I
hope we will be good friends, as we are
going to be such close neighbors- just
this little scrap of a hall between us"
"Thank you" said the young lady in
a listless manner before shutting her
own door in quietly apologize way.
Miss Lidy declared in later years that
if it had not been for her determination
ito finish the picture begun under such
I adverse circumstances she knows she
never could have brought herself to
rent "A-Floor 81 in the Ricardo for a
whole year-"such pigeonholes for
rooms, you know"
It was on that first afternoon when
she had gone out to the nearest grocery
store and was coming back loaded to
the chin with paper bags, off which she
expected to exist for several days, that
she stopped to examine the card stuck
in the letter box of ''B-Floor g."
$50 my opposfte's name is Gerault-
Colonel e. P. Gerault. That's the man
of the family, of course. | wonder
what the mother Of my beauty is like"
''Scuse me. madam-my ledder box,
b'leeye."
A thick voice sounded close in her
ear. A hot vinous breath made her
draw back quickly in disgust. A ma
jestic figure lowered far above her;
wavering, unsteady hand was extend
ing tiny key toward the letter box;
superb head, from which heavy iron
gray locks swept in untrimmed profu
sion, was barred in respectful salutatiOn
to her or to her sex; a pair of mourn
fully large gray eyes regarded her vac
uously. Miss Lidy gathered her paper
bags in a closer grip and almost ran
g. A1 30 c-%C ,bn hn6
found so formidable.
'WellY' She was safe inside her own
den That's Colonel E. p. Gerault!
No wonder my opposite looks as If the
weight Of the universe rested on her
pretty shoulders! Such a sad young
face, such exquisite coloring! wish
Dabney could see her."
Neither her emotions, as the dear,
sympathetic little woman she was, nor
her excitement as an artist who was
perfectly sure she had discovered
something LUMINOSITY novel interfered
with Miss Lidy's enjoyment Of her pa
per bags. She was quite sure that
everything was going to be perfectly
lovely" in spite Of Dabney's opposition
to her scheme-"if only" she said, look
ing timorously around chat superb
wreck shouldn't mistake my door for
his own on the strength Of which
possibility Miss Lidy made a nervous
tour of inspection Of her new premises
to satisfy herself that no one could get
in without her consent.
Miss Lidy's occupancy Of "A-F1oor
81 had not lasted a week before she
pronounced fat life the most democrat
izing thing in the world. She was
ashamed Of her intimate knowledge of
her neighbors' affairs. She knew eX
actly when Colonel Gerault went out
in the morning and when he came back
in the evening. Then she excused her
self to herself:
''The door is never open when he is
at home, and so long as that dear child
thinks l asked her to leave it open be-
cause | am lonely she'll do it faith
fully"
Miss Geraults amiable concession
came about in this wise: She and Miss
| Lidy had been ''opposites" for three
| days only when, turning her head as
she had done on that first day, she
found her neighbours door stretched
wide open and Miss Lidy hard at work
with her pencils The lirtle artist sent
one of her disarming smiles across the
| hall
TITS awfully hot, isn't it?'
| Miss Gerault sent back en- incense
quent apology:
"Mother likes open doors. We've had
! the whole floor to ourselves all sum-
mer. But now it's different"
| She laid down her work and moved
| toward the door. Miss Lidy guessed
| her intentions.
ooh, please don't shut itv'
The girl heSitated. From a hidden
source in the Gerault fat gentle voice
sounded:
LET the door be, daughter. Perhaps
the lady is timid in a strange house"
Now, Miss Lidy's proudest boast was
that she wasn't afraid of anything on
earth, but she was quite willing to owe