The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-02-22
In an Opera
Box
BY Lillian C. PoschoI
cesusAl, 1904 " lasa 8, p.ssA.l

| came ana went nolsfly under the wiC
porte cochere.
Back Of the large hostelry and acros
narrow alley white girllsh fac
banked with pillows looked out wis
fully from the one narrow window q
third floor back at these evidences Q
life and gayety, listening to the ol
chestra.
Suddenly the music burst into will
tropical air from Carmen" a very reve
Of life and youth and lusty, red blood
cd JOY. The invalid buried her tire
eyes In the soft pillows. and her thil
shoulders shook. Shaken by the ten
pest OF sobs, crutch that had heel
leaning against the bedside ratified I,
the fioor.
''0h. can bear their old ragtim,
things without a shiver," she cried
but the opera airs-they break my
heart. And now I shall never SIM
them again-I know I shan'tw
The incoherent cry went straight
through the open window like wing
ed arrow. across the alleyway In the
grand hotel. and lodged deep in the sick
heart of a listener there. Its note OF
suffering and aching longing needed nc
interpreter. That is universal Ian
guage understood alike In palace and
tenement
John Wixton had been staring mood,
lily out Of the darkened shadows of his
unlighted room into the still darker
shadows of a future that looked
gloomy indeed to his usually careless,
sunny eyes, He had been hard hit
there was no doubt Of that-and the
girls refusal Of him had cut deep. He
had been so sure Of her-too sure, per
haps-but he had thought he could not
be mistaken In that warm light in her
eyes that had set his heart on FIRE all
these weeks.
The light that Hes In woman's eyes
= and lies - and lies - and liesg he
sneered miserably, sitting there In the
dark. Course the whole sex, anyway.
and their deceitful wilesw And his
clinched hands thumped the window
sill lercely. He had mooned over her
like a maundering idiot, he told himself
hotly, and now she was engaged. so
her mother had told him the last time
he called, to Billy Lunders and his mil
lions principally the latter, he thought.
Lord! There was that beastly chan
sonnette from Carmen" again-could he
never escape the thing ?-the song that
breathed so horribly Of her In every
seductive note. She had worn a red
rose In her hair, too, that night he first
met her with the Van Lorns. He could
smell that rose now.
Tonight Carmen" was on the bill
again. He recalled duly that ne had
the same box for this performance, In
tending to take her and show her he |
that first night SO long
ago. She had said men always forgot |
he dates a woman remembered. He |
lad meant to tell her Of his loving lit
lie surprise that evening. Was 1t only a
week ago? How could he ever bear 10
hear an opera again? Curse II. He |
would get out Of this sickening old New
Fork and go west-to Chicago-any
where.
These opera airs-they break my
heart" broke In the sobbing cry from
he window across the alley. John
'aised his head to listen. ''Same here
zid," he muttered heavily. ITS that
anne girl-poor little beggar! She does
nave devil Of time Of 1t, lying there
III day with hot water bags and things
lround her It's shame"'
Il want to be back there on the
'tage again." went on the voice, 'sing-
ng with the rest of the chorus. /
vas a village maiden in Carmen you
Know, Mrs. Beebe." To the conscious
)rlde in this already well known fact
here came an indistinct murmur Of
consolation from the dark interior of
he little room.
"And maybe some day might have
,een a Sembrich or Melba, my own
elf-the master said so-and now my
,ack's hurt, and I'll never sing again.
know it! II | could only go Just
nee and hear 1t all again / think
maybe / could bear 1t better, but to
De penned in here all the time like
at with the snappers Of a trap caught
yer his bacS-its too The rest was
ost in the Unfolding pillow.
The man in the darkened window
cross the way suddenly stood up,
urned on the light and squared his
hOulders like soldier ready for
"Pll do itp' he said grimly.
I'll not run away like a coward. I'll
ace this thing out I've got to go
trough 1t some time, and | might as
'ell begin now. I'll go right to that
anne box and fight 1t out. And, what's
lore, I'm going to take that child
long, She'll probably look fright,
nd people will stare, but hang the
eoplep
He took his hat and overcoat and
urried from the room. At the Office
e stopped to give an order for an auto
ah. .....
Twenty minutes later he was bowling
'ward Broadway with his strange lit :
e companion, still breathless over the
'ondrous angel in evening clothes :
hose determination had carried all {,
pposition before him. Even the fat /,
Indlady had been subdued into defer !