The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1906-11-23


strength OF owning the lot After this
he built a monument to his own sue.
cess in the form Of an apartment
house In which he set up his own
home, and on the granite front o.!
which he blazoned his triumph in
| sonette"
BY mere chance. no one except
| Florence, the elevator boy, was at
hand when Miss CordelIa Byrnc called
to inspect the fifth floor back which
was advertised for rent. She took It
and her furniture came the next morn.
Ing, when Mr. MorIarty was again abb
sent.
Miss Byrnc was about 90 years OF
age. slender. OF middle stature and
dressed habitually In black or dark
blue. How anyone who looked at her
melting blue eyes. her sensitive pout-
ing mouth, and her pale complexion.
enriched by her auburn hair. could
have found reason to doubt her good.
ness, few men would be able to say.
Among her belongings was an up
right piano, and she and II combined
altered the temper Of the people in
the Moriarty Maisonettc with a sud.
denness, and to a degree, which was
astonishing. This was because she
and 1t either knew but one tune. or,
at any rate, played but one. This
was a dainty, ripping trilie by Pader.
ewski. On the first afternoon and
evening Miss Byrne played the Padcr.
ewski peasant dance over some dozen
times. Now when the exquisite. roll.
licking, merry, mclodic current flowed
through the wall to the fifth floor
front, through the floor 10 the fourth
story suites and through the ceiling
to the sixth story's tiny homes, the
star" tenant sat entranCcd. his silkcn
robed better half leaned forward
plucking her youngest from the floor
to bid It listen to the pooty moo
zicks.' Upstairs and downstairs the
delighted tenants blessed the day that
Moriartys builders scampcd their
work, leaving the house so like col
ander that COrdolia Byrnc could play
them all into the seventh heaven Of
delight with PadercwsN's peasant
dancc-sO suited to the joyous ten.
permanent OF the Irish audience and to
their pretty taste In music.
Miss Byrne was taken into tho
warmest corners of the hearts in the
Masonette on that night. She could
almost have demanded instant mem.
bership in the BloominEdale Bowling
club, to which nearly all the tenants
belonged
That WAS, as we recOlcct II, on a
Friday night The following Wcdncs.
day found everything unchanged ox.
ccpt the temper of Moriarty's tenants
That night the Pinochlc club, com.
posed Of six of the male tenants Of
the MaIsonette, met in Mir Mahoncy's
apartments. Five Of the members
were on hand promptly and waited
for Mr.. Moriarty, the sixth, to arrive
Miss Cordelia Byrne, in ;he rear suite
on the same floor with Sc MahOnoys.
RECALLED the club members with that
choice moroccan Of PadcrcwsN's to
which we have referred. and with
which ali the men and women in the
Malsuncttc had for some time been
familiar.
The plot was afoot. The innocent
proprietor of what he once boosted as
being the hGppiest bunch OF homes on I.
the island was to be trapped when he |
came for a nights enjoyment. by a |
rebellious band of tenants who had |
sworn that either they, Miss Byrne or
her piano must leave the house on the |
first Of the incoming month.
Meanwhile Miss Byrne finished the |
one hundred and siXty.elEhth rendI. |
tinn Of the dainty peasant dance, ard. |
closing the piano, moved across the |
neat and coy parlor, family perfumed |
with a delicate odor Of lilac, to the lit. |
tie writing table and penncd a note
to her sister We may read over her |
shoulders as she writes:
There Is nothing to write. only
know you are wondering 1t is win
all or lose all with me. may go back .
to the counter Of a department store
but 1t won't be until have to.
I've taken the little money mother
left me and furnished the apartment
and dresed myself with the quietest
taste. so as to look ladyllke on the
smallest outlay. I've thrown myself
headlong into everything that's doing
In a swell church. and | am so quiet
ard dcmure that don't think you'd
recognize your merry romp of a sister
If you saw me. Butter wouldn't melt
In my mouth and | never lift my eyes
above the sidewalk. should have
thought by this time some man would
break his neck, almost to get acquaint.
ed with me, just to see II he couldn't
make me raise my eyes.
THE trouble is that only see WON.
en- at the church, and made a bad
choice Of an apartment house because
the men here are nearly all married
and are such oysters that not one has
yet made my acquaintance. The land.
lord Is single, though, and rich.
Not that | want to fool ANYBODY.
Lou, dear. Only, I'm as good as any