The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-07-02
A PAIR OF SLIPPERS.

ing to be jealous of girl | never
saw-a girl who probably never ex-
listed? Remember that never heard
anything but her voice, and it is
quite possible that she was as home
| ly as original sin. Tom Riker
was provoked. Theoretically, he
held that in every love affair
there should be some tempor-
ary obstacle to the happiness of
the lovers. These temporary obsta-
cles not only gave spice to the love
affairs themselves, but they afforded
Woodworking novelists like himself
a fair chance to earn a living. Now
he was finding a lifetime Of theory
deftly upset by few moments of
practice. His courtship of and en-
gagement to Anne Lorrimer had
been a very commonplace affair, but
he was so much in love that he could
not see the advantage of obstacles,
temporary or otherwise. They had
met at the summer resort and were
thrown together constantly from the
first meeting by relatives and
friends, who had promptly decided
that the match would be a good one.
Now the inevitable rift in the lutte
had appeared in Anne's jealousy of
the heroine whom Riker had paint
ed in his newest and most success
full book, "a Pair of Slippers"
"Of course, she may have been
homely and all of that" said
Anne, with an air of dissatisfaction,
but you didn't paint her as
homely. You gave her, with a Law
ish hand, all the graces and beauties
that a woman could possess and
what is especially CALLING to me
you described her as just the oppo-
site to me in every way. I can't
help but think that she represented
your IDEAL"
CHOW, my dear little girl, don't
be foolish. Just remember that
when | described her / had never
met you. / made her brunette be-
cause that seemed to fit in with her
contralto voice. I'll make you sol
enln promise that from this time out
all my heroines shall have golden
hair and the deepest and truest of
blue eyes. Her voice was excellent,
but it was absolutely unframed, and
I infinitely prefer to listen to your
high. clear soprano than to any num-
and full is the quality OF their voice, !"
"That's all very well, but you say
that some of the incidents in the
book had foundation in truth.
Suppose you met this woman some
timer" asked Anne.
"What difference would it make
if did? You don't suppose that I
will ever have eyes for any other wo-
man than yourself, do you? I'll tell
you just how much of the plot had a
foundation in truth.
"When I was i'll this spring I oc-
cupied one of the uptown hospit-
ais, and despite the call of my
friends, time hung heavy on my
hands. My nurse was one of those
efficient machines which school and
hospital training turn out, and was
ready to turn to anything for relaxa-
ton and entertainment. Just across
the areaway from my window was
an apartment house, and | used to
hear some one singing there and
would close my eyes and listen to
the music. One day some of my
friends had brought me magnifi-
cent clump of lilies of the valley and
it occurred to me that it would be
nice to send them to the girl who
made the music. I knew that it
would be useless to try and enlist
the services of my natter-of-fact
nurse in trying to find out her name,
so determined on another plan.
had never seen the girl, but the voice
seemed to float out of a window just
opposite to me.
II was becoming convalescent
rapidly, and, casting about for some
thing to weight the bouquet with,
my eyes fell on pair of slippers. |
stuck the flowers in the toe of one
of the slippers and hurled it across
with all my force. / saw it sail in
the window and then, the exertion
proving too much for me, l tainted
and fell on the floor by the window
I had counted on seeing tho girl pick
UP the flowers, but | tainted toe
quickly.
II was removed to another room
which looked out on an inner court
and / never heard the voice again
recovered from the relapse quick
ly, and while I was in bed / blocked
out the synopsis of my romance
The hero, as you know, | made an
art student of Paris, and had him
fall in love with a girl across the
way on account of the girls voice
He threw her flowers just the same
as | did, and they got to know each
other in that way.
"Both the young artist and the
young singer were poor; they drift
ed away from Paris and lost the
sight but not the memory of each
Sther. Ten years later the artist
now on the top wave of success
went to hear a new opera sung by
new prina donna, of whom great
things are told. The prima donna
turns out to be the girl at the Other
window The artist rushes out Of
the opera house, buys some lilies oi
the valley and a pair of slippers
sticks the flowers into the toe of one
of the slippers and hurls it on the
stage. She recognizes him by tht
sign, they marry and live happy at
terwards. And that's all there is t.
the little story which the critics
-