The St. Louis Republic., 1905-12-31


fully up Broadway. The sun.
which was trying its best to set RN1
with some show of rightful splen- ~
dor. even in the noisy downtown
street. threw CLINT of glory across the forest-ike
spires of Grace Church and made the green lawn
before it smile out of the September dust like a
pleasant memory on a sad and downcast day.
The wholesale shops were closing and the street
was full of hurrying girls and sauntefing men. 1t
was like living. to look up Broadway at this hour
Later. when the hurrying girls were all safe at
their suppers and the men had an gone to dinner
and the street-sprinklers came swishing past
sending up smell of freshly wet earth. it was
lonely on lower Broadway. even for country
bred girl like Mary Clafiin. When the women. who
had befriended Mary in the Idle Hour Theatrical
Company while it played its disconsolate and not
brilliantly successful way through the summer
season in the Lake George region. had brought
Mary to this lodging down in the clangor of the
wholesale district. Mary had thought the place
really bohemian and therefore most intcrestin.
and agreeable.
She had climbed past the wholesale tailors on
the first floor past the cigarmakcrs on the second
floor past the box-nnakcrs on the third floor and
past the neckte factory the fourth floor. to the
in the peak Of the garnet. and never Thought
how she would like to climb those stairs at dusk.
when all the various floors were locked and black.
and the dark staircase doomed before her. mys-
tcrious indeed. but still not lonely as she. in
be.
There six seven s4ualid rooms in the
peak If the garnet. and they were presided over
by a pale woman whose mind was much occu-
pied with the strange doings Of beings Of another
world whose society she assiduously cultivated
by means Of table-tippinSs and other occult
sciences. that she had little time to think of the
small comforts of vain and fccting world
The little rooms. which always reminded Mary
Of the chicken -coops at home. opened on dark
square hall where broken and asthmatic stove
was at the disposal Of such lodgcrs wished to
prepare their food hy its aid. However. as the
more prosperous Of the loiycrs carried their own
oil-stovcs from lodging to lodging. and the less
prosperous were forced I" do without warm food
the asthmatic stove usually comfortably at
rest.
It's cheap and it's decent enough" said the
woman who had initiated Mary into the mysteries
ci lodging house life. and SAVING this. twisting hcs
small and exceedingly bright eyes into kind oi
bird like cunning Of expression. she added: And
that's all want amt it.
1t was all that Mary wanted: but when the little
bird like woman. known in the playtills Miss
Belle Beaurcgard. signed an engagement to play
the juvenile part in number four Girl I Left
Behind Me" company and flew away sparrow like
She cf: Mary lonely and tritle disn,aycd, despite
her small seasons experience a real actress
and her desperate determination To lead what her
Aun, Caroline. the only who had encouraged
her 10 leave home. called the " Broader Life.
There were times when the Broader Life '
seemed a wee hit tircsomc and even not 81
broad Mary had hoped. after all. and she ftc,cd
a little III spite Of her high courage There were
times. for instance when the dramatic agents upon
whom she relied for an engagement seemed To have
forgotten her existence and when the only person,
who did .c,,.c,,hcr her the iandladv-and ne,
memory came down from the spirit world only
rem, -day.
oh ycs. and Tom. Tom never forgot. Mary
sometimes wished he would forget a little. when
ne wrote ms long r,ttcr-of-:act letters detailing
ms progress III business and describing the new
house he " an.ci to build
Sometimes Toms letters not so tad-vcs.cr-
da- for example when the theatrical manager had
l.,.ched c.s.rly IN the ,cry face, Tom Thought