Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-25
AND THEN THEY MOVED

furnished uptown house for a period Of
eight months. The contract was for the
entire plant and fixtures from cellar to gar
ret The proprietor of the house, woman
of some local note in connection with vari-
Gus feminine clubs and organized activities,
held out for good, round rental. Her
terms were accepted without complaint ard
the young professional man from Philadel-
pfiia and his wife moved into the furnished
house. Three days after they were Installed
their landlady, all smiles and amiability, as
befitted the manner of landlady who fire.
quently presides over women's meetings
of one sort or another. called during the
afternoon, in the absence of the head Of
the house. She was received with great
good will by the young mans wife. They
talked weather, qunine, cut-on-the-bias
and so on for few moments, and then the
Iandlady's eyes fell suddenly-that is, with
apparent suddenneSs-upon a pair of small
marble busts-Beethoven and Mozart--tiat
rested on ebony pedestals in the parlor.
"Oh, those dear buStS!" she exclaimed IN
a tone of intense longing. You can't pos
sibly conceive how / miss them-I do so
dote on Baytoven particularly! Would 1t
grieve you too much, my dear, If l were
to ask you to let me have them?
The young mistress of the household was
somewhat taken aback, but young matrons
are easily hypnotized by elders of their sex
so distinguished as to preside over women s
meetings.
"Er-certainly-I can understand how one
becomes attached to little things like those
take them, by all MEANS" she replied
wondering what her husband would say
when he discovered the absence of the
busts.
THANK you so keenly my dear-Tl send
a man for them this afternoon said the
landlady, rising and taking an ELUSIVE de
parture. An hour later a man with push :
art IN al he in n
the house, and when he got under way
again he had the busts of Beethoven and
Mozart with their pedestals, in the hold
OF his craft
"Huh!" was about all the young matron' S
professional husband said when, upon his
return that evening, she told him about
the absentee busts.
Four days later the landlady called
again, bubbling over with good spirits and
news of the superior circles in which she
moved. After half an hours delightfully."-
cosby conversation, she got a good focus
on a fine leather couch in the dining room
with four or five pillows banked up ON the
same.
1T is silly of me. I know. my dea-," she
calculated, but do you know that 1 miss
that couch dreadfully? 1 used to always
lie down on it for an hour or SO after
luncheon and l found 1t so restful! Would
you think it-er-covetous of me, my dear,
if l should ask you to let me have it?'
"Why-ah-er-if-er- the young mis-
lTeSS Oh the lOuSe0Olu began, weakly. W0on
she was impaled by the merry eagle eye of
the landlady. I'm sure 1 should not cb-
Ject,' she went on, but my husband, you
know, has become quite attached to the
couch, and when he comes in, all tired out,
he likes to-but, of course, I'll Tell him that
you
so kind of you. my dear-your good hus-
band will not object, know-ne is SO VARY
agreeable, interrupted the ;andlady,
sweetly. ut makes an old woman like N e
feel quite enviOus to see how happy you
two are together. Very well, I shall send
for the couch this afternoon. and please
don't let the man who comes forge. the pill
lows, there's a dear!''
Whereupon the landlady rose pressed the
young matron's hand fervently and was
Off Half an hour later the pusllcart man
came up under forced draught and a fun
head of steam, so to speak, and when he
pointed down the street again he had the
couch and pillows properly slowed amid
ships.
What's become of the couch?" inquired
the head of the house when, after dinner
that evening, he was ready to stretch him
sell out for bit of a smoke and loll
His wife told him. He looked at ner quite
fixedly.
My dear" he said to her, IT wish you d
get contiguous to yourself, as It were. You
are becoming what is scientifically known
as come-on. l had become very fond of
that couch"
About week later the landlady appeared
again.
II do hope she doesn't want anything
this tlme!' the young mistress of the
household fervently breathed to herself
when the maid servant brought the card.
The landlady was as grlshly. giddly
amiable and affectionate as upon previous
visits. After about ten minutes of the
ARREST imaginable persiflage, she had an
other one of those sudden ideas.
'Oh my dear, / know there was some
thing 1 wanted to ask your she broke out
her crafty countenance wrinkling into be-
nign smiles That piano lamp-isn't it a
lovely one?-presented to me for being the
most popular lady of my guiid-I do miss
it so acutely! 1t sheds such soft, mellow
light, don't you think? And I'm going TO
give little musicale presently in my
teeny. teeny rooms, and I'd be SD much
obliged to you if you could let me have it
for a couple of weeks
But 1 fear that my husband-he plays.
you know-might-oh he is SO particular
about the little things around the pIa zee,
you see and he might-er-' was the wab-
bly, reply of the young mistress Of the
household.
"Oh. 1 am positive that the de1-, good
natured boy would not mindi'' Interrupted
the landlady, in her offhand, confident way.
why, he is the most charmnSly agree
able mani declare, L have quite fallen in
love with him. VARY well. my dear, shall
send the man for the lamp some time this
afternoonI shan't want to keep it fer
more than a fortnight, you know"
Then the Iandlady, giving the young mat
ronS hand the most fetchlng, faSctn:ll.ng
little squeeze imaginable, took he- leave.
well, she's been here again." said the
young matron to her husband when he
came home.
"Meanng?'' he inquired.
THE landlady" said his wife.
"And what do we lose this timer" he
asked her.
1.-The piano lamp said she.
The young professional man from Phila-
delphia is normally cool Individual but
on this occasion he found it necessary to
go out and get the air. On the following
morning, at IL o'clock, big moving van
pulled up before the house. The young pro-
fessional man was waiting for It. His wife
was not. He had the piano and the piano
stool loaded into the van and ordered he
driver to take them to the lanjla ,y's adj
dress. He gave the driver a note to de-
liver to ne landlady.
In ess ance, he stated in his rote that he
was naturally of a warm, generous nature
and that he couldn't bear to think of her
having her piano lamp without the piano
and the stool that went with it. He said
that the pleasure was his and begged her
not to confuse or embarrass him with
thanks. In a postscript, he told her. as a
sort of afterthought, that he intended to
change his address that day and that her
dcmicile was at her disposal-he was going