Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1900-07-05
THE OUTCOME: ..'..74'.'
& OF A FAILURE,
By JIANNRTTE q. wALwoRTH. /
Ighe Story of the Ricardo,
A Beautifur Face
And . Great Artist. 49,. - 49,.

by fJhANNETTE d. WALWORTH. Il
IcopyrRht, 1880. gbyIJeannette q. walworth II
The janitor' Of the big New York
apartment house Ricardo. situated up
among the Nineties, near the, Grand
Boulevard. never lost an opportunity Of
impressing would be tenants with a
Profound sense Of their own extreme
good fortune in getting into a house al
ready fairly saturated, will, the odor of
gentility. . S$z liz $500 4
The Ricardo don't take in no transit
tory tramps, only the very best, and
them Ion years lease is good 'noughi
Tor me. None of your movin in and
trampin out month by month, punchin
the hall walls check full of holes,"t aft
err Which came the inevitable:
There's old Major Broadinax. A re-
tired army officer: Him and his FAM
lEs been here goin on four years. and
his opposite on the first floor is a army
paymaster. The first floor is given
oyer to newspaper folks entire; third
and fourth, business linen of the solid
sort: fifth.~one Apartment only vacant;
the other, southern folks with mo-
manners than money, think likely,
but s'long as folks pays their rent
punctual it's none of my business how
much or how little goes up on the
dumb waiter from the grocer and the
baker,. ,s.k.,., .st...s .s.t.,3 $50
All of which, sounded highly salts,
factory to. Miss Idly Martineau,. who
had left 9 roomy and comfortable coun-
try, bone to pursue her literary and
artistic bent in the cramped, discomfort
of city fiat. Miss, Lidy{ on her part
always prefaced her q application for
rooms BY stating in her most impress
i've manner that she had come to the
city to be nearer libraries and the Art
Students league. 1t sounded imposing
and went long way toward making
her feel literary and artistic. 1t smack
ed of achievement.
The Ricardo was double fiat house,
and as Miss Lidy toiled patiently up its
four flight of steps she experienced
some natural curiosity touching her
neighbors. She had scared above the
ARMY officers and the newspaper folk
and the, solid business men when she
stopped to, take breath and to ask: Al
HWho will be my neighbors on the
fifth foor?'i 4 aieislt ,ii35iish -ftguH
''Your opposites are them southern
folks Il told you about; perfect ladies
and gentlemen; father mother and
daughters quiet as mice; sorter keep to
yourself, people, you know" 5'l9a ~
Miss Lidy was mentally sure that
nothing would please her better than
to have be-, "opposites" keep to them.
selyes1and. asked no more questions ,un-t
till she stood under the colored sky,
light which capped the possibilities Of
ascent for the Ricardo ThsataT
4Now, them said the janitor, encour-
aging swift oblivion Of the tedious
climb, didn't you find them steps easy
4 and gradual? And our carpets always
looks brand new" H. -
The janitor's methods were as easy
and gradual as his steps. and by the
time Miss. Lidy had surmounted the
last one he was fumbling at the locked
door Of .tA-Floor s." with his big
bunch of duplicate keys. 6f63 i1G1i
It was a stuffy September day, with
heavy humidity hanging in the air,
and the door of the opposite apartment
stood wide open. .s.esszs.5-.s t5..,gzs. s,.s
Miss Lidy f5would have been either
more or less than a woman if she had
not sent her bright little eyes on tour
ofinspection across its threshold She
apoiogized to herselfa ES
"These people, of all the people In the
house, wills be- the only ones. / shall
have to take. account off Of course i
want to examine them"
What she saw was q narrow hallway
covered with a threadbare carpet, so
scrupulously swept that every worn
fiber asserted itself; small. square
bedroom. with window Immediately
opposite the open door. through which