Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1905-03-16
In an Opera
Box
BY Lillian c. Pascbaf
Copyright. 1904. BY Lillian C. paschal

porte c0cnefe.
Back of the large hostelry and across
a narrow alley white girlish face
banked with pillows looked out visit
fully from the one marrow window OF
third floor back at these evidences of
life and gayety, listening to the Or
chestra.
Suddenly the music burst into wild
tropical air from Carmen" q very reyei
Of life and youth and lusty. red blood
ed JOY. The invalid buried her tired
eyes III the soft pillows aud her thin
shoulders shook. Shaken by the tenn
pest OF sobs, a crutch that had been
leaning against the bedside ratified to
the floor.
"Oh, can bear their old ragtlme
things without SILVER" she cried
but the opera airs they break my
heart And now | shall never slng
them again--I know | shan't"'
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. lis note OF
suffering and aching longing needed no
interpreter. That is q universal Ian
guage understood alike in palace and
tenement
John Wixton had been staring mood
liz ont Of the darkcned shadows of his
unlightcd room into the still darker
shadows Of a future that looked
gloomy indeed to Ills usually careless.
sunny eyes, He had bcea hard hit
there was 10 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 tl.at warm Eight in her
eyes that had set his heart on fire all
these weeks.
''Ihe light that lies in woman's eyes
- and lies r and lies and lies"' he
sneered miSerably, sitting there in the
dark. Curse Tic whole sex, anyway
and their Gercitful wiles." And his
clnched hands th,mped the window
sill ticrccly lie lad mooned over her
like Numbering idiot, he told himself
holly and now SIZE was engaged, so
her mother had told him the last time
he called, to BILLY Lundcrs aid his mil
lions princ.a5liy the latter, he thought
Lord! There was that beastly chan
sonnette from carmen again could he
never escape tho thing The song that
breathed 50 horribly al Ter in every
seductive noie She had worn a red
rosa In her lair, too that night lie first
1.n,. IL, ! Ia
smell that rose now
Tonight Carmen" was OH the bill
again He recalled duly that he had
the same boX for this performance, in
tending TO take her ana show her he
remembered that first night so long
ago. She had said men always forgot
the dates woman remembered. He
had meant to tell her Of his loving lit
tie surprise that evening Was it only a
week ago? How could he ever bear to
hear an opera again? Curse it, He
would get out of tits sickening old New
York and 20 west-to Chicago any
where.
"Ihese opera airs they break my
heartr broke in the sobbing cry from
the window across the alley John
raised his head to listen. Same here,
kid, he muttered heavily, ITS that
lame girl--poor little begsar She does
have a devil of time of it, lying there
all day with hot water bags and things
around her It's shameI'
Il want to be back there on the
stage again went on the voice sing
ing with the rest Of the chorus |
was village maiden III Carmen. you
know, Mrs. Beebe." To the conscious
pride in this already well known fact
there came an ndisunct murmur of
consolation from the dark interior of
the little room,
aud maybe some day | might have
been 4 Scmhrich or a Media, my own
self-the master said so-and now my
backs hurt, and III never sing again.
| know it! If | could only 90 just
once and hear it an again | think
maybe could bear 1t better. but to
be penned in here all the time like
rat with the snappers Of trap caught
over his back It's too" The rest was
lost in the Unfolding pillow.
The man in the darkened window
across the way suddenly stood up,
turned on the light and squared his
shoulders like soldier ready for
marching III do itr he said grlmly.
I'm not run away like coward. III
face this thing ont I've got TO go
through it some time. and | might as
wen begin now, III 90 right to th..t
same box aud fight it out And what's
uore, I'm going to take thar child
along Shell probably look i fright,
and people viii stare, but hang the
people,
lie took his hat and overcoat and
hurried from the room. At the Office
ne stopped % give mn order for a4 augo
cab.
Twenty minutes later he was bowling
toward Broadway with bis strange lit
tie companion, stlll breathless over the
wondrous angel In evening clothes
whose determination had carried all
opposition before him. Even tile fat
iandlady had been subdued into defer
ence and helped to dress her quickly so
as not TO keep the young gentleman
waiting
Wixton glanced down at her thin 1T
tie face, sharpened by suffering; at her
two clutches and her simple white