The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-03-19
OVER THE WAY.

writing IN that everlasting effort t(
butter my bread. She also used tc
sit at table at her window, though
not writing, for to judge by the move
ment of her hand it was drawing
of some kind. She seemed to live
alone, being generally by herself ex'
cept for occasional visits from short
communicating woman, whom 1 took
to be the.landlady, as they let apart
ments across the road. Had I moi
seen that announcement for many
weeks stuck up in the fanlight of the
hall door opposite before my vis-a-vis
neighbor arrived?
Being a solitary being myself I was
interested in another solitary being.
She was attractive rather than pretty,
my vis-a-vis neighbor, with her small
pale face and large dark eyes, that
looked across at me with such sweet
seriousness each morning when she
came to her sitting room window to
water the few plants in the common
green painted flower box that adorn-
ed her sill. Every day she tended
those fortunate plants before sitting
down at her table, where she would
stay with her head industriously bent
over some drawing till o'clock, the
hour she always disappears from the
window beyond my range of vision.
At O'Clock she would reappear
and work on till S, when she would
light lamp, stir up the fire into a
blilliant blaze and put kettle on.
This done she used to put down the
blind and leave me to the outer dark
ness of my lonely bachelor life. But
sometimes fortune favored me, for she
would forget about the blind, and
then could see her sitting at a GRIM
son-covered center table in an easy
chair, with the bright freight throw
ing a radiance over her colorless face
as she stopped to lift the kettle to
pour boiling water into the teapot.
How cozy and homelike she looked,
and how cold and insipid my own tea
tasted whenever / got those glimpses
into that little room over the way
One day, about teatime, / looked
across the street, and strange pang
shot through me, for I saw my "lilley
lady," as 1 used to call her to myself
on account of her pale face, was not
alone. A very big, tall man was
having tea with her, and both were
laughing and talking. How I hated
the man who had come an unwelcome
Adam into my distant Eden, and as !
watched hungrily, jealously, realiz-
ed that this unknown woman had
erept into my life and become the
sweetest part of it. Presently I saw
the man take letter out of his pocket
and read it aloud to her and begin to
talk, evidently about its contents. I
could not hear what was said, but he
advanced toward her made me grip the
windowsill with ferveut wish that
the sill had been his throat. Now
she was speaking with her hand press
ed to her heart as if to still its throb-
bing. He approached nearer and
caught hold of her wrist. AS with
supreme effort she flung his hand off
and retreated from him. He sprang
forward like a tiger, and the next sec
ond had hurled her against the wall.
I did not wait to see any more, but
blind with fury against him and pity
for her, rushed across the road and
rang the bell violently. The slow,
fat landlady opened the door. With
out waiting to explain, as even Sec
ond's delay might mean murder. I
rushed past her and sprang upstairs
two steps at a time. l came to the
last flight 1 heard woman's voice in
agonized appeal:
"Oh, spare me Spare me p
Guided by the sound l dashed open
the right door, and finging aside the
man who stood over the slight form
crouching against the. wall, I threw
him to the ground, still holding on to
him. But to my amazement my hero
inc clutched my arm and tried to drag
me away as she cried out piteously:
Leave gol Leave go! Who are
you? You are killing my brother p
I released my grip.
"Your brother! But he was kill
ing you. 1 saw him from the window
opposite.
The man, who now jumped to his
feet and shook himself like big St.
Bernard dog, stared at me in bewil-
derment for a second, and then burst
out laughing.
"By Jove, Jessie, this is joke
He mistook our rehearsal of "A Wild
owed Wife for real tragedy. But,
by Jupiter, it was plucky for weedy
youngster like you to attack a big
chap like me Here, give us your
paw and let's shake hands. Now,
Jessie, you explain
But /, abashed and Mortified at my
mistake, tried to beat a hasty retreat
mo, you DON'T" and the broad
shouldered giant placed himself II
front of the door, shaking all over will
laughter to the accompaniment of th'
more gentle merriment of his sister.
At last even felt forced to join in
Then followed introductions and ex
plantations, and as we sat round th'
fire, after having calmed the portly
painting landlady who came breath
lessly up, I heard all.
He was a sailor brother home OF
leave, and the letter he had read ou
to his sister was from a brother Office
asking him to be quick and get hi
part perfect for the private theatrical
to be given at Portsmouth very short
| " in aid of naval charity. His sis
ter, who preferred earning her ow
livelihood as designer of Theatres
costumes 10 being burden on he
brothers. slender income, was ais
taken a part. Hence the rehearsal
which from tragedy had become
comedy after my absurd mistake. Ye