Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1905-04-29
By NOLi NERRIFIELD
COt,,irbt. ISOt, B, Isolo M,,rseid


hands Of innocCuc" to tn" skies and de
fault but her own
lie had no earthly right To raise hiB
hat and smile when | met him in the
elevator"
"IIc had every right in the world"
contradcted Elizabeth calmly. IF |
had been in his place | should have
come right down and called on you aft
er you had acted like Il lovclorn lunatic.
rippa."
1T was not lunacy. 1t was inSpira-
ton" rhilippa half turned from the
piano to argue You weren't in the
studio ut tn" time. Beth, and you don't
know II blessed thing about it. | wasn't
even practicing was cleaning up
Elizabeth smiled. She had seen Phi
lppn's cleaning up process. 1t meant
the huStlng of everything diSordrrly
out of sight under the divan. behind
the wardrobe, anywhere at all. so long
as il was unseen
''And h" sang my pet duet from II
Troyatorc. Beth. it was splendid.
You poor. old heather. you don't ap-
prcciatc music a bit. All you can un-
derStand are Il few oily, dauhy daubS
or pen and ink sketch. but if you had
only heard him
'If had heard him don't think
that l should have flown to the win
dow and warbcd back an answer up a
New York air shaft"
II don't care" PhilippaS tone was
lofty and her attitude bclligcrent. Il
didn't care a rap about him personally,
and hadn't the slightest idea what he
looked like, but the voice was divine.
1t was the voice of Manrico calling,
and Ieonora answered it for arts
sake"
"Wrll. 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 AMI
says 'IlowdyT in ncighborly fashion.
Are You sure it was Maurico?"
"Oh, yes He looks it," Philippa
spoke. with vague enthusiasm. And
Lafayette says that he is the new one
in the studio over ours"
"Wcll, you had better send Lafayette
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 cviction.'"
Il suppose the poor fellow was so
amazed and delighted when he saw
how completely | fulfilled his ideal Of
Leonora that he lost his presence Of
mind Philippn could be as swectly,
simply and contcntedly vain as Narcis-
Sus among the water lilies.
"PrcScnCe of mind is never lost"
Elizabeth added Il high light daintily
to the left eye of an Italian fruit vend-
er on the canvas before her. 1T is
mSlaid. AS long as he didn't lose his
heart he needn't worry"
Philippa laughed and ran her fingers
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 >, on the third floor, happened
to be practicinG her trills and quavers
the occupant of studio II. on the fourth
floor, sat by his open window and lis
tened, and when Il full. rich tenor float
ed down from studio II Philippa would
tiptoc to the window and listen also
and be glad and proud in n way, be-
cause somewhere in the golden tomor-
rows 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 n
comradely good day to him Phlippa
passed on her own way Il slim, AFRO
CANT, blond young person in gray vel
vet and squirrel furs. Elizabeth pre-
served Il graceful posture on the neu-
trail fence. Warning factions We're not
i'll her line, but when she was sending
out invitations for the monthly Dutch
picnic in studio > she did not think it
amiSS to send one up to studio Il.
Philippa was passing club sand
wichcS when Bobbic ClarkSon intro
duced her to the tall, brown eyed boy.
She did not drop the tray. She merely
smiled most graciOuSly and asked il
Mr. Eliot liked club sandwiches made
of celestial combination of chicken
salad, chopped almonds. olives, dcviled
ham and tabaSco sauce.
1t appeared 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 diScOncerting
to the dispenser, until he finally cor
nercd her i'll the Japanese alcOve and
forcibly finished up the remaining
sandwiches himself
And he never even said Il word
about the duet" Philippa answered
later when she sat, like HindOo idol,
in pink kimono on the bed and
thOuEhtfully reviewed the evening.
He's II gentleman and scholar, and
Bobbie says he's all right: solid. old
Maryland family and all that sort OF
thing; first names Marbury Marbury
Eliot. He has only been in New York
couple of months, and he doesn't
like it very well. He thinks it's lone
some" lie says we're conservative and
clanniSh.''
"Thcrc'S Il good remedy. Tell him
30 he Il clam unto himself"
Philippa SHE'D pillow ut the scoff-
or.