The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-05-20
QUEST or THE
j DICKENS LETTER.
u Jspssy ~ IRE Eisvstsd A Pssp
in'o Assady Fpom Bssk
Home.

aaV aod a. spmae ssaaag live w Hnrss
aisne, ~ fhsy hsvsg ~ fefs hcst a%,ifhnra
satfs Illustrated and autographed, I shn
sg ~ aAfelsus tiagthA ~ iaHpt,fas =
Macy N mo ltsthshap. saa traubist ~
waNivsi ~ rsrfy arFte'hlna ~ iesphaena
kaassnet ovpf ~ No bouhahap and ~
nsdlne ispphrsra In hsF rwn sqac'utr ans
ase hearing hsr In ~snybupiy elas's nsn
nlis,i = ins W her entfeatipa hcr ~ 80
ag,nk anil ~ merry fnf ~ 'norfrs shs sNuid
~, and that I hutad ahs sunkt. AMI I isti
ths lunch ~ her dssh. and hnt
A. s'ond hovefina IN me cofbeF ~
Bihh Avantpe waiting fof IN opportunity
N o. acfuss ~ tho aanse Tins ~ thrne autos
hnahliss A~ppSoaehiRa IN fouf dlrsctlvns
cauaht sight N isophsshs IN Inc o'her
side she hal that lopk On her facv that
heeokena that shs Il . very busy wonnaa
Aad doesn't rare fo ahswef questions, and
wont Yet I sinnsd chen ! reached her.
said
'fsophana. wha, on sarthl Where are
you aoina1 I've just taken you q little
hnch--'
She dld not pay half ~ muoh sttsntIon
10 ne ~ chs would havs paid N I had besn
o spurious hrs, edition or q forged auto-
Rraph, but turned and walked with the.
nyins
'Do you want 10 60 With me over 70 New
Sersey' n you do, como on
meskly caught step and asked, 'Hov
d you go' On the ferryI'
mo. On the elevated
am an ignorant creature. hut I puzzled
nv brains for thres blocks 10 see how YOU
could 20 over into New Jersey by way Of
the elevated street railway. After three
blocks Of anguished conjecture I gave II
Up. fully convinced that much leaning
bad made mad my 1saphRna and tha I
would never desert her.
I have suffered spurts Of temper at this
hands Of Isaphrna when she has boon in
these exalted moods. and borrowed IS
from her in my exalted moods many times
IN my checkered career. 90 I remained
amiable. but IL was hard to do. More than
, that. everybody knows that you mo
20 from New York city TO New Jersey on
the elevated.
Besides, Isaphnna's hat was on one side.
and she was covered with dust from stand
ing on a step ladder porting over miser-
able books. What makes It 20 exasperat-
ing IL that Isaphnna does not care and
would just as soon walk down Fifth avenue
with an armful OF dusty books and a hat on
one side as TO ride down 1t In a lay back
machine clothed in fine linen, with pome-
Rranates embroidered on the hem Of her
garment.
I wonder why decent people associate
with her. l wouldn't myself II she wasn't
' my sister direct and the Dearest Ever; and
then 1t Is convenient to have somebody in
your our of need that you can go to for a
dollar.
She always has money. l never do.
I've accused her OF secreting a hoard In an
old stocking, or a teapot. but she denies
Il, says she wear rs all her old stockings, and
hasn't a tea pot TO her name except the little
one over at the bookshop that she keeps
hidden behind Lambs Tales Of Shake
speare' and Uses five or six times a day to
make tea in for the Englishmen and her.
self.
They work and work, piling books up
around themselves until they are too tired
: TO lift an eyelash. and then Isaph9na makes
tea. l know she tears up old original Mss.
into strips and pours boiling water over it
for tea and there they sit, and talk about
first editions and spurious letters and extra
illustrations, and nibble obscure Latin
quotations by way Of refreshment. and pre-
tend that they like it, They look II, part Of
Il, anyway.
-Isaphena.' I said when I couldn't stand
Il a minute longer. 'how can we 60 to New
Jersey on the elevated2'
'we can't. Nobody can
sYou said we were"
Il didn't. THERE'S our oar. Are you
going to catch it?'
I thought I had caught it, but I followed
her. We got of at the foo Of Twenty-third
49, - 1919 H. |
went outside and looked at the water. I
stayed inside and looked in my own heart,
and said. This is too MUCH
l came to New York to see Isaphena
because I was temporarily financially en-
barrassed and she wasn't or wouldn't be
till after l was gone. At least she had
steady innings and could pay my board
and was willing II I didn't stay too long.
We both behaved as IL / were an honored
guest and had been as courteous and agree
able to one another as our closeness Of re-
lationship allowed; but 1t was no reason
for her telling me w were going to New
Jersey on the elevated. and upon my con-
senting to 60, even though l knew 1t TO be
impossible, for her Immediately to declare
that nobody could do such a thing and that
she had not said so. You see what a position
II puts me in.
just as I was wondering ~ I could make
up my mind to be angry with Isaphoena-
It's very hard to do because she has tho
sweetest eyes I ever ga W, and also for that
other pecuniary reason I have alluded to-
she came in, and just as II there was no
bitterness between us, she said:
"Doy You remember when we we're children,
and took 81. Nicholas, there was a story in
It that we children loved 80 much called
The Dance Of the Vegetables, or something
like that"
| didn't remember; but that made no
difference to I%saphpna; she was talking.
D you remember what funny legs and
oomical faces those vegetables had, just as
" they we're alive' And their legal III
never forget them; they looked like real
peoples legs"
] didn't remember, and more, I don't
believe that anybody's legs ever looked
like vegetables, except only in a few in
s'ances that shall be nameless; but / didn't
say anything,
Well, we are going to the house Of the