The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-12-26
MY TWO NEIGHBORS

| i hard from early morning till late
at night, finishing my medical studies.
I had just moved into modest lodg-
/ ing, situated on the fifth story, in
, the rear. Across the way, in another
building, facing the same yard,
window opposite mine attracted my
attention. This window opened ear
ly in the morning, closed at quar-
ter to nine and opened again regular
ly between twelve and one at night.
Who was the occupant of the
room? I am very near-sighted and
cannot distinguish anything at a few
yards without my glasses.
One morning, seated at my table
writing with my eyeglasses, of
course) I saw at the opposite win
dow an elderly woman, armed with
feather broom and dusting cloth,
cleaning the room carefully. She
wore a clean, cheap calico wrapper.
and over it a large, blue checked cot
ton apron, with bib. The rather
wide sleeves, turned up to the elbow,
displayed fine, white arms; on her
hands she had old kid gloves-an in
nocent coquetry, I thought to my
self
Still, she seemed very alert, going
to and fro, in what took for a
small kitchen.
I examined her more closely.
Alas! her head, covered with few
scanty gray locks, revealed only too
well the ravages of years. ! could
not DISTINGUISH plainly the features
of my neirhbor. Was her face wrin-
kled and faded? At a distance she
looked rather fresh and rosy.
Still must not forget detail; it
is that she seemed to be as near
sighted as, if not more SO than, my
self, for she constantly wore spec
tac1es.
The room cleaned, my neighbor
warmed up several things on gas
stove and went in another room, car
rying them on a large tray.
Then precisely at quarter to nine
another woman, still young, from so
to 35 at most, came to close the
kitchen window.
This woman was correctly dressed,
even with certain elegance black
skirt, we'll fitting silk waist, ire
proachabIe neckwear of muslin and
lace, and a capote trimmed with
beads and vio1ets, and with a well
adjusted veil on her very blonde hair
too blonde, as it suggested at once
some bleaching compound.
AS much as my sight would allow
me to Judge her complexion was rosy
and velvety, and her hands the most
beautiful I ever saw. -..,a
Evidently she was the daughter of
the other, for she resembled her as.
one resembles another with differ
ence of 20 years.
And nearsighted also.
Only, instead Of spectac1es like her
mother, she wore under her veil very
light eyeglasses, hardly visible from
where I was.
Decidedly coquetry was in the fam
lily as well as short-sightedness.
SOON had other proof of it,
Once armed with my opera glass
you can see I was getting greatly in
terested in my neighbors-I took a
notion to watch her as she crossed
the yard with a light and graceful
STEP
She had ON a tailor-made~ cape,
gloves that seemed very fresh; and
her dress was held up carefully over
an elegant petticoat and displayed
dainty shoes; everything, even to her
parasol, was in the best style
But how is it, I thought on that
day, that one never sees tAe, mother
and daughter together?
Another thing struck me-:
'tWhy does the daughter leave, afl
the drudgery to the mother while
she herself lies in bed? She has to
sleep in the morning to make up for
her nights outing, as she returns
only after twelve at night" said to
myself half aloud in my burst of in
lignaticn.
Where does she go after her nice
breakfast, so finely astired?" 1 went
on. Not to workshops; it is too
late. Where does she go, while her
poor old mother slaves; at home?