The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-07-12
THE LITTLE LADY OF THE
 TENEMENT.
BY EDGAR W. COOLEY.

This is a story of man who had talent and a woman who had nope. His name was-but what matters u !! To those who met him most frequent ly he was known as the Silent Man. He lived in a rear room on the tnHu floor of a tenement house. and kept the wolf and the landlady at arm distance by writing for the press. She was known as Old simpson tomboy, for the reason that in her younger days, when she wore short skirts and was rather negligent in matters of toilet, there wasn't boy on the block who could outrun her. or scale a six-foot fence in less time than she could.
 Old Simpson, her father, was the cobbier. who begged away on other peoples shoes in the basement or the tenement, and allowed his daughter to wear shoes that were out at the heel and toe.
 The Silent Man was silent because he was lonely. For years he had been lonely, until. one day, out of the gloom and the dreariness, with smile on her face and a song on her lips. she came to him and laid her hand in his.
 Of evenings, after that, they were wont to walk. arm in arm, down to the brink of the river and listen to the murmur of the ripples and see. across the water the silver line t.'dred by the moon. which she always spoke of as the path of glory leading out into the afterwhiles.
 She, alone of all the world, knew of the goodness of the Silent Man; but that was only because she understood him better than did any one else. She believed in his greatness and called him her genius.
 If the Silent Man had ever met Suc- cess. 1t must have been In the dark ness. for Success had passed him by unnoticed. So, whenever she rested her hands on his shos;lders and smiled up into his eyes. where the shadows of disappointment and despair constantly fingered. and said: Courage. dear, courage. Some day you will be famous and the world will know. you and love you as I do." he would stroke her hair and smile sadly, calling her his angel with the dreamy eyes of hope. For some day" she would con- tinue. you will write story through
 which the warm blood of your heart
 will so pulsing and It's throbbing will catch the ear of the great. busy world.
 and it will pause to listen and will say. thiS iS bHC WOEh Ol SCHi0o. So 1t was that the Silent Man, en- couraged by the smiles of the dreamy eyes of hope. which he saw in his dreams. put all his energy into the
 work of his pen, and after while the critics really did say some kind things about him.
 She was delighted at this, but he,
 who looked at matters from the prac-
 tical view point of dollars and cents, could but realize that their marriage was yet afar off. As for her, she lest | none of her cheerfulness in the
 shadows that continually enevlop4d the
 Silent Man, but lived on, burning the oil of hope to light her footsteps down
 the pathway of the passing years. One day the literary world was | startled by a novel from the pen of an
 unknown writer. Critics vied with
 each other in praising the many vivid, brilliant passages in the book, and the | daily papers gave whole columns in reviewing the latest masterpiece. Men O fletters discussed it; literary clrhs gave readings from 1t; libraries sought | it.
 The sales were unprecedented. Edi- | tion after edition were printed, and the publishing house whose name ap-
 peared upon the title page. was credited | with the success of the year. Every
 body read The Little Lady of the Tenement" and everybody was anxious
 and curious to know the identity of
 the author. For the book had been
 published anonymously.
 Reporters for the press and literary
 editors beseiged the publishers. i'm
 ploring them to reveal the authorship
 But the publishers had pledged secrecy | and bribes and entreaties were alike | in vain.
 The discussion of the authorship of
 The Little Lady of the Tenement was waged vigorously by the metro
 politan press and the magazines. Critics
 Saturday. OVER THE WIRES"