The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1905-01-31
A KNIGHT
IN Bly,
STAIN GORDON aa'Is
ooprt0nt, 1901. by Frances WILSON

singing In the next room. His roper
tory was extensive and confusing.
"She's the bestest girl that is, and l
need her in 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 a 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 a man would
take an impartial delight in both. So
in the intervals Of her work she began
to speculate about her unknown neigh
bor
At the end Of two months she tabu-
lated her knowledge of him. He was
gay and debonair Witness the scraps
Of song that fioated in to her. He was
carelessly Indifferent to women. This
she CLEANED from the fact that Eve
days out Of seven she could hear him
tunefully asserting:
II she be not fair to me,
What care I how fair she bel
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 well in 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 d.
vined from the freshness Of his voice
and his boyish delight in the chatter of
the elderly chambermaid, whose Irish
wit would send him into peals Of
laughter.
Also he was q man of the world,
since she heard him come in early
many evenings and move about his
room as II dressing for dinner. Then
at half past or he would go out
again, leaving her with an absurd
sense of desolation.
They never encountered each other
in the halls, much to her satisfaction,
but she came to have a very distinct
idea of his appearance. He was tall,
broad and straight, with a clear cut
face and an air Of knowing his way
about
Sure, an he's a foine gintleman,"
Maggie informed her once; but. though
she might have verified her idea Of
him, she refrained with a 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
cases on either side of the fireplace
and the low, broad table with its litter
of books and papers.
ut certainly looks as If he were 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
thing of the kind"
Maggie, is there any one in the nexi
roomT' she heard him inquire one Sun
day morning. Then In answer to Mag
gie's muffied reply: Little Miss Mouse
/ should call her. didn't know there
was any one there, though once OF
twice I've thought heard some one"
The girl blushed guiltily. Apparent
ly he had no idea how plainly she
could hear him. Then she smiled t.
herself. So he 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 q
decided effort on her neighbours part tc
60 softly. In the midst Of stave be
would cease abruptly, only to begin
afresh and stop again with an impa'
tent exclamation, as If he were an
noyed at not being able to remember
to be quiet. At all of which, In the So
clusion Of her room, little Miss Mouse
laughed immoderately, though In 81
lence.
Then one morning Maggie found hel
in bed, her usually pale face flushed
her heavy hair covering the pillow in
a tossed and tangled mass.
TITS nothing, but perhaps you'd bet
ter get DOCTOR" gasped Miss Mouse
my heads so queer, and, oh, Pm sc
warmw
Soon after a serene faced nurse In 9
striped uniform and white apron wal
installed In the room, and to her little
Miss Mouse, down with brain fever
talked an unending jargon.
"If you can have a castle in Spain
you can certainly have a knight II
Spain, can't your she demanded ovel
and over again.
"Of course you can" soothed the
nurse
"Pd be very lonely If he vanished
az castles in Spain do" she said al
another time, with wistful, puzzled
eyes. you don't think he will van
ish, do your Because I'm all alone
here. He's the only person really
know.
Wont you ever tell, upon your hon
orr she rambled on. TITS very
strange. l don't just understand 1t
but actually 1 have never seen him
Can you believe 1t, I've never seer
him, and yet 1 know him 80 well.
don't understand it, and my head Il
splitting. Hold It! Hold itv'
The man in the next room was very
quiet these days. From Maggie b,
had learned Of the little artists i'll
cess, and from her also he heard o.
the strange Authorization about the
man in Spain. When she told him h
shot a quick, piercing look from hi
deep set eyes, but evidently there wal
no connection in her mind between tbs
sick girls fancy and himself.
Instinctively he knew the truth
Poor little girl" he unused. Lonely
struggling, with nothing to feed hel
love of companionship and romanct
upon but the sense of fellowship with
the unseen occupant of the next room
is well that she hasn't seen this ugly
Gg of mine" he concluded grimly.
So he fell into the way of stopping
20 inquire about her of the nurse each
morning and then of sending great
punches Of violets, upon which the sick
girls half conscious eyes rested latel
on with dreamy pleasure
who picked them?" were her first
intelligent words when the fever left
her and she became herself Then
realizing where she was and what hac
happened, she laughed weakly and cor
rected herself, "Who sent them,
meanr
At the reply faint color crept into
her cheeks, and she murmured some
thing the nurse did not catch.
Then came the days when she sal
up, feeling like a new creature come
to new world, though in appearance
she was more than ever like a frai
child
Come in. l think she would like t.
thank you" said the nurse when one