The San Francisco call., 1904-12-15

contradicted Elizabeth calmly. IF
L had been in his place 1 should have
come right down and called on you,
after you had acted like a love-lOrn
lunatic Philippa."
1T was not lunacy 1t was inspira-
tion!" Philippa half turned from the
piano to argue. You weren't in the
studio at the time. Beth. and you don't
know a blessed thing about it. 1
wasn't even practicing. 1 was clean
ing up"
Elizabeth smiled. She had seen
Philippas cleaning up process. 1t
meant the hustling of everything dis
orderly out of sight, under the divan,
behind the wardrobe. anywhere at all,
so long as it was unseen.
And he sang my pet duet from II
Trovatore. Beth. it was splendid.
You poor old heather, you don't ap
preciate music a bit. Al! you can n
derstand are a few oily dauby-daubs,
or a pen -and-ink sketch, but if you
had only heard him
IF 1 had heard him 1 don't think
that 1 should have flown to the win
a New York air shaft"
Il don't care" Philippas tone was
lofty, and her attitude belligerent. II
didn't care a rap about him personal
ly, and ] hadn't the slightest idea
what he looked like, but the voice was
divine. 1t was the voice of 'Manrico'
calling, and Leonora' answered it for
arts sake
We'll, Leonora' had better attend
to her cleaning up and mind her own
business. Now she hasn't any cause
for complaint at all, because 'Manrico'
raises his hat to her in the elevator
and says 'howdy' in neighborly fash
ion. Are you sure that it was Man
rico?'"
"Oh, yes. He looks it," Philippa
spoke with vague enthusiasm. And
Lafayette says that he is the new one
in the studio over ours"
well. you had better send Lafay-
cite a little printed slip to post up in
his elevator:
Students may sing grand opera
duets through the air shaft, but any
promiscuous greetings in elevator will
be followed by eviction"
IT suppose the poor fellow was so
amazed and delighted when he saw
how completely L fulfilled his ideal of
Leonora that he lost his presence of
mind" Philippa could be as sweetly,
simply and contentedly vain as Mar
cissus among the water lilies
Presence of mind is never lost"
Elizabeth added a high light daintily
to the left eye of an Italian fruit ven
dor on the canvas before her. 1T is
mislaid. AS long as he didn't lose his
heart he needn't worry"
Philippa laughed and ran her fin
gers teasingly over the piano keys
Il think he is worrying" she said.
But there were no more duets
through the air shaft. If the occupant
of studio 5, on the third floor, hap
pened to be practicing her trills and
Quavefs the occupant of studio Z, on
the fourth floor. sat by his open win
dow and listened, and when a full,
rich tenor floated down from studio II
Philippa would tiptoe to the window
and listen also and be glad and proud
in a way, because somewhere in the
golden to-morrows of hope success lay
snugly and surely tucked away for
the tall, brown-eyed boy who dared
to greet 'Leonora" in the elevator.
He had dared" only once. Long
after even Elizabeth deigned to bow
a comradely good day to him, Philip
pa passed on her own way, slim, ar
rogant, blonde young person in gray
velvet and squirrel furs. Elizabeth
preserved a graceful posture on the
neutral fence. Warning factions were
not in her line, but when she was
sending out invitations for the month
ly Dutch picnic in studio she did
not think it amiss to send one up to
studio II.
Philippa was passing club sand
wiches when Bobbie Clarkson intro
duced her to the tall, brown-eyed
boy. She did not drop the tray. She
merely smiled most graciously and
asked If Mr.. Eliot liked club sand
wiches made of a celestial combina-
ton of chicken salad. chopped al
monds, olives, deviled ham and to-
basco sauce.
1t ap. cared that Mr. Eliot did. In
fact, he paced after the dispenser OF
celestial sandwiches all around the
studio in a deliberate, determined
man overheard fashion, most discon-