The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1905-02-23
"A KNIGHT
IN s,.-
SPAIN GORDON ss'Is
pepwssA', iss. b naasss Wase~

tory was extensive and confusin
shes the bestest girl that is. and
: need her in my biz" would float In
her. followed perhaps by the strains I
Samson ct Delilah" or some mus
equally tine.
One knew the sort Of man wh
would sing coon songs with gusto: ais
4 the sort that would hum bits from tn
grand operas. The puxxling thing wa
: to know what sort of man woul
take an impartial delight In both. s
In the intervals OF her work she begal
to speculate about her unknown neigh
Dor.
At the end Of two months she tabu
lated her knowledge OF him. He wa
: gay and debonair. Witness the scrap
OF song that tioated in to her. He wa,
carelessly Indifferent to women. Thls
she CLEANED from the fact that fiv,
days out OF seven she could hear hin
tunefully asserting:
/ II she be not fair to me.
Wnat care now t0ir She Del
He smoked inveterately--a pipe. she
fancied. Sometimes the faint elusive
spirit of the thing seemed 10 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 di.
vined from the freshness OF his voice
and his boylsh delight In the chatter OF
the elderly chambermaid, whose Irish
wit would send him into peals Of
laughter.
Also he was 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 Q or 7 he would 60 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 n 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 fine sense of
personal reserve. Sometimes through
the open door she caught a 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.
1T certainly looks as IL he were an
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 next
roomr' she heard him inquire one Sun
day morning. Then In answer to Mag
gie's mufiied reply: Little Miss Mouse,
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
" 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,
'ince she called him her Gentleman Of
Spain.
For awhile after this she noticed a
leclded effort on her neighbor's part to
70 softly. In the midst OF staye he
would cease abruptly, only to begin
fresh and stop again with an impa-
lent exclamation, as II he were an
IOyed at not being able to remember
Q be auiet Z. II ef YAieak Ia TIE e.
fusion Of her room, little Miss Mouse
aughed immoderately, though in ST.
ence.
Then one morning Maggie found her
4 bed, her usually pale face flushed,
er heavy hair covering the pillow in
tossed and tangled mass.
ITS nothing, but perhaps you'd bet ,
er get doctor" gasped Miss Mouse. ,
My heads SO queer, and, oh, I'm so
yarmw
Soon after a serene faced nurse in a .
triped uniform and white apron was
lstalled In the room, and to her little
Iiss Mouse, down with brain fever,
liked an unending jargon.
IF you can have a castle in Spain, !
Ou can certainly have knight in /.
pain, can't you7" she demanded over /,
I'D over again.
"Of course you cam" sootbed the /"
lrse
I'D be very lonely If he vanished, a
castles In Spain do she said at n
nother time, with wistful, puzzled =
res. you don't think he will van !,
h, do your Because I'm all alone
ere. He's the only person ] really q
now.
Won't you ever tell, upon your hon 4
~ she rambled on tits very 4
range. ! don't just understand 1t, \
1t actually / have never seen hint j,
an you believe it, I've never seen :