The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1905-01-18
"A KNIGHT
IN By.
STAIN GORDON sa'is
Copyright, is04, hp Frduces wilson
Observation-Disclosures,

/ singing in the next room. His roper
| tory WAS extensive and confusing
"She's the besteSt girl that Is, and l
need her III my biz would float in To
her, followed perhaps by the strains of
samson ct Delilah' or some music
equally fine
one knew the sort of IL man who
would sing coon songs with gustO; also
the sort that would hum bits from the
grand operas. The puzzling thing WAS
to know what sort of II man would
take un impartial delight IN both. SO
In the intervals OF her work she began
TO 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 tioated in 10 her. He WAS
carelessly Indifferent To women. This
she Cleaned from the fact that five
days out of seven she could hear him
tunefully asserting:
II she tie not fair to me-
What care how fair she be-
He smoked inveterately-a pipe. she
fancied. 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 mir, but could never
be quite sure The partition bore her
startled scrutiny imperturbably. but
well. she WAS sure she smelled smoke.
He WITS about thirty This she di
yined from the freshness of his voice
and his boyish delight in the chatter of
the elderly chambermald. whose Irish
wit would send him into pcals of
laughter.
Also he was n man of the world.
since she heard him come in early
many evenings and move about his
room ms II dressing for dinner. Then
mt half past or I he would go out
again, leaving her with an absurd
sense of desolation.
They never encountered each other
III the halls. much to her satisfaction,
/ but she came to have n very distinct
i LEA of lis appearance. He was tall.
rodd and straight, with clear cut
fnce and AN air of knowing his way
/ about.
"Sure, AN he's fone gintleman,"
/ Maggie informed her once; but, though
she might have verified her idea of
him. she refraincd with fine sense of
| personal reserve. Sometimes through
the open door she caught glimpse OF
his room. and her Interested eyes took
In the dark green walls. covered with
handsome photographs. the low book
eases on either side OF the fireplace
and the low, broad table with its litter
of books aud papers.
1T certainly looks as If he were an
interesting man" she thought to her.
self, and thereupon she entered her
own room. and, taking out n sheet of
paper bearing the mystical heading
My Knight In Spain" she wrote:
Evidently edueated-a college man;
profession. law, literature or some
thing of the kind"
Maggie, Is there any one In the next
room? Z" size heard him inquire one sun
day morning Then III answer to Mag
gie's mufled reply: Little Miss Mouse.
! l should call her didn't know there
was any one there. though once or
twice I've thought heard some one"
The girl blushed guilty. Apparent
ly he had no idea how plainly she
could hear him Then she smiled to
herself So he would call her little
Miss Mouse. Well, 1t was fair enough,
since she called him her Gentleman of
Spain.
For awhile after this she noticed
decided effort on her neighbours part to
go softly. In the midst of stave he
would cease abruptly only to begin
afresh and stop again with an impa-
tient exclamation, MS II he were an
noyed Mt not being able to remember
to be quiet. At all of which, In the Sc
cluslon of her room, little Miss Mouse
laughed immoderately, though In 81
ience
Then one morning Maggie found her
in bed, her usually pale face flushed,
her heavy hair covering the pillow In
tossed and tangled mass.
Its nothing, but perhaps you'd bet
ter get doctor" gasped Miss Mouse.
MY heads so queer. and. oh. I'm so
warm"
Soon after serene faced nurse In
striped uniform and white apron was
installed In the room, and to her little
Miss Mouse, down with brain fever.
talked an unendlng jargon.
''If you can have castle In Spain,
you can certainly have knight In
Spain, can't you?" she demanded over
and over again.
.Of course you can" soothed the
nurse.
"Td be very lonely II he vanished,
as castles in Spain do she said at
another time, with wistful. puzzled
eyes. You don't think he will van
ish, do you? Because I'm all alone
here. He's the only person ! really
know.
Wont you ever tell, upon your hon
orr she rambled on. Its very
strange. l don't just understand 1t,
but actually ! have never seen hint
Can you believe It, I've never seen
him. and yet | know him so well.
don't understand it. and my head Is
splitting Hold It, Hold IT,"
The man In the next room was very
quiet these days. From Maggie he
Fad learned Of the little artists Ill
ness, and from her also he heard OF
the strange hallucination about the
man in Spain. When she told him he
shot a quick, piercing look from his
deep set eyes, but evidently there was
no connection in her ul.nd he. ween the
sick girls fancy and himself.
lnstinctiyeiy le knew the truth.
Poor little girl he unused. Lonely,
struggling. with nothing to feed her
love OF companionship and romance
upon but the sense OF fellowship with
the unseen occupant Of the next room
1t is well that she hasn't seen this ugly
mug of mine," he concluded grlmly.
SO he fell into the way Of stopping
TO inquire about her Of the nurse each
morning and then of sending great
punches of yiolets. upon which the sick
girls half conscious eyes rested later
On with dreamy pleasure.