The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1905-03-03
a KNIGHT
IN By
STAIN GORDON SosIa

Observation-Disclosures

OSOoOoOeCeOeOO sOSOoOsOeCoO
The partition was not very thick. and
The girl often heard him whistling or
singing III the next room. His roper
Tory was extensive and confusing.
shes the bestcSt girl that is. and
ueed her in my biz would float in to
her. followed perhaps by the strains Of
Samson eli Dcli!ah" or some music
equally fine.
One knew the sort of Z man who
would sing coon SDngS with gJlSto; also
the sort that would hum bits from the
grand operas. The puzzling thing was
TO know what sort of Il man would
take an impartial delight i'll both. SO
iii the intervals Of her work she began
u speculate about her unknown neigh
Dor.
At the end of two months she tabu-
lated her knowledge of him. He was
gay and debonair. Witness the scraps
of song that hoated in to her. He was
careiessly Indifferent to women. This
she CLEANED from the fact that five
days out of seven she could hear him
tuuefully asserting:
If she be not fair to me.
What care l how fair she be!
He smoked inveteratciy-a pipe, she
faucicd. Sometimes the faint, elusive
spirit of the thing seemed to float
about her hall bedroom, and she
shifted again and again, her small
head we'll i'll the air, but could never
be quite sure. The partition bore her
startled scrutiny imperturbably, but
well. she was sure she smelled smoke.
He was about thirty. This she di-
vined from the freshness of his voice
and his boyish delight III the chatter of
the elderly chambermaid, whose Irish
wit would send him into peals of
laughter
Also he was Il man of the world,
since she heard him come in early
many evenings and move about his
room rs if dressing 70" dinner. Then
ut half past q or ! he would 90 out
again. leaving her with an absurd
sense Of TcSo!ation.
They mover encountered each other
in the halls. much to her satisfaction,
idea of his appearance. He was tall,
broad and straight. with !; clear cut
face and an air of knowing his way
about.
Sure, an he's Il foine gintleman,'
Maggie informed her once; but, though
she might have verified her idea Of
him, she rcfrained with fine sense of
personal reserve. Sometimes through
the open door she caught Il glimpse of
his room. and her interested eyes took
i'll the dark green walls, covered with
handsome photographs, the low book
cases on either side Of the fireplace
and the low, broad table with its litter
Of books and papers.
1T certainly looks as if he We're an
interesting man." she thought to her
self, and thereupon she entered her
own room. and, taking out sheet Of
paper bearing the mystical heading
My Knight In Spain" she wrote:
Evidently educated-a college man;
profession, law. literature or some
tling Of the kind"
Maggie, is there any one i'll the next
room Stic litstIu nm lHtlullI oliS sum
day morning. Then i'll answer TO Mag
gie's muliicd reply: Little Miss Mouse,
| should call her / didn't know there
was any one there. though once or
twice I've thought l heard some one"
The girl blushed guilty. Apparent
" he had no idea how plainly she
could hear him. Then she smiled to
herself. SO lie would call her little
Miss Mouse. Well, it was fair enough,
since SHE called him her Gentleman Of
Spain
For awhile after this she noticed n
decided effort on her neighbours part to
so softly. In the midst of stave he
would cease abruptly, only to begin
afresh and stop again with an impa-
ticnt exclamation. as if he were an
noycd at not being able to remember
to he quiet. At all of which, in the Sc
clusion of her room, little Miss Mouse
laughed immoderately, though in 81
lcnCe.
Then oGc morning Maggie found her
in bed, her usually pale face flushed,
her heavy hair covering the pillow in
Il tossed aEd tangled mass.
ITS nothing. but perhaps you'd bet