The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-12-03
THE BROKEN
CHAIR

the left he paused for a moment, drew a
key from his pocket and for a long time
regarded the left hand door, heaved a
deep sigh and then opened the door on the
right. As he stepped over the sill he turn
ed his head quickly and again gazed long
ingly at the other door, gave a second
sigh and finally stepped inside. On enter
ing his little room he removed his over
coat, took a chair placed it beside the
wall, seated himself thereon astride, light
ed a cigarette and remained thus. watch
ing the clouds of smoke that assembled to
the ceiling, every few minutes placing his
ear against the wall.
He continued to sit there for some
time. had smoked more than one ciga-
rette and had repeatedly placed his ear
against the wall, when his face, hitherto
clouded, suddenly assumed an expression
of joy. Some one was moving about in
the other room.
''She has come home" murmured the
young man, and, in fact, a sound of
chairs and dishes could now be heard.
''She is preparing supper" again muir
INJURED Giacomo, and, leaning his head
against the wall, he tried to catch every
movement of his neighbor, for, though he
could not see her, he was happy in feel
ing that she was there and in thus being
able to live next door to her
Poor Giacomo! He feared that he
should never again behold her, and this
was indeed q great grief to him. At one
time he had been accustomed to see her
often, for he used to arrange TO mert her
on the stairs, and there he was wont to
await her coming for hours and on seeing
her approach at a distance of hastily
ascending few steps in order to give her
time to arrive, when he would go slowly
down stairs, feigning to meet her by
chance. But he was always so overcome
on beholding her pass by, ever serious and
reserved, that he would then bow more
awkwardly than the most difident school
boy and lower his eyes, too timid to gaze
upon her. 1t was all in vain that he told
himself to be less shy, to practice bowling,
to find some pretext to start a converse
ton or to make some brilliant remark,
for at the psychological moment all his
| fine intentions vanished in thin air, ano
he ended by saluting the girl more awk-
wardly than ever and on one of these occa-
sions by even dropping his hat. Finally,
in despair of ever succeeding in overcom-
ing his timidity and emotion and fearful
| Of producing bad impression, he had re-
nounced the satisfaction of seeing her at
! ALL In this way, thought he, If | cannot
succeed in rendering myself attractive
shall at least be sure of not displeasing
her, and he had then arranged his manner
of life so as to go out and return simulta-
neously with his fair neighbor and had
thus contented himself with living beside
her, his existence to a certain degree in
terwoven with hers, while she perhaps
/ nc
himself even existed.
So he saw her no more, though he now
knew who she was. Her name was Car
lotta. She supported herself by doing
! embroidery, going out early every morn
ing and returning to her home in the
evening Giacomo was filed with admit
ration for this courageous and beautiful
girl, who, though all alone in the world,
i for alone she certainly must be, as she
received no visitors, should thus resist all
the temptations that beset her pathway.
She had come to live in this house the
preceding year. At first he had only
| thought of her as a pretty girl and no
more. Then by degrees. living there thus
| beside her, he had ended by always think
ing of her and by loving her with his
/ whole heart If she had only been willing
to say a word or two to him or if he on
his side had only had the courage to
speak, his declaration or rather his pro-
fession of faith would have been brief,
but conclusive-thus, for instance:
"Signorina, love you. Will you be my
wife?"
But, then, alas, in order to offer his
hand to the girl it was necessary that the
! hand should contain something, and Gia-
como unfortunately had nothing. He
a painter, one Of those artists who
! ''arise" in the end, but who at the time
possessed naught save hopes and whose
/ canvases found no purchasers, so that
4 the poor boy had been compelled to sell
his furniture in order to pay his rent.
Nothing now remained save his bed and
this wretched shabby old cane chair that
was only held together by a miracle and
on which he was now seated, smoking
and lending an ear to the slightest sound
that proceeded from the other side of the
wall 4-s
As the blind who by the sense Of touch
alone can give an accurate description Of
the form of any object, thus Giacomo on
/ hearing the rustic of Carlotta's gown
against the furniture by her step, now
advancing, now retreating, by the silence
that from time to time succeeded sound,
had at last come to ''see" her, just as If
she was really standing before him, and
so would say to himself:
NOW she is setting the table.
"Now she is eating"
Now she has finished"
"Now she is putting away the things,
And then it would seem to him that he
was really sitting beside her contemplate
ing her in silence.
Sometimes when seated as usual astride
his chair-his observatory, as he called it
he would close his eyes and give free
rein to his imagination.
'Who knows of what she may now be
thinking?'' he would then ask himself
"Who knows but that she may even sus-
pect that / am here beside her? All, il
she only knew how loved herr' And the
temptation would then seize him to make
some disturbance in order to attract the
girls attention, such as the discharge Of
a weapon like some make believe assas-
sin, one who fires a revolver loaded with
powder at a passing prince simply that
people may talk about him. But the fear
of displeasing her restrained him, and he
preferred that she should never know
that he loved her rather than to be sure
that she would never care for him.
Then he fell to building castles in the
air.
"It is impossible" thought he, that
she should never think of me at all. She
knows that there is such person as my
self; that l live directly adjoining her.
When she comes home, she can see that
there is a light in my room through the
door that l leave ajar. Like all women,
she must have some curiosity and at
times must surely ask herself what | am
doing and why never go out Perhaps
she has already noticed me notwithstand-
ing my awkwardness, possibly precisely
on that account. She may even have di-
vined that l love her. She may expect
me to declare myself, and, seeing that
dare not do so, perhaps she will make
the first advances. But how can l man
age that she shall not delay doing soP
And Giacomo, still astride his chair,
continued his reflections Suppose he
were to write her letter and push it I'M
der the door? He had often thought OF
doing so But, then, would the girl have
read it? And, even admitting that she
had, would not the very first words have
wounded her? Should he try and get her
to speak of some one? But Of whom,
then? They had no friend in common.
No no. All these means were decidedly
Objectionable or impossible. There was
nothing to be done but to wait But, oh,
how long would he have to do so?
Meanwhile it was growing late, and
Carlotta in her little room was making
the needle fly rapidly. She had decided
to finish the piece Of work begun that
night, and in order not to fall asleep she
was singing.
Giacomo naturally sat up likewise, still
in the same position, listening and me-
chanicallx keeping time with his body. to