The Cairo bulletin., 1907-03-14
THE SINGER

never noticed II.
This evening the other men VIII
shared his bachelor apartment wer
out. II was raining. His cigar hal
proved unsatisfactory and he ha'
nothing to read that interested him
This combination of circumstances
was quite sufficient to make any maj
blue. especially a man who was a
and domestic by nature. but who hat
never had time to think about ar
ranging for congenial home society
Through the poorly deadened wal
came the muiied notes Of a piano and
a voice, richly, poignantly sweet
singing a foolish. old.fashioned love
song with a haunting melody.
/ Sheldorn's cigar burned his fingers
Z before he realized that he had been
4 sitting%starlng insosgthe gas. crate sfor
Z long slime oand,v- what was 'werse'y
thinking about The girl who used .to
y sing. that very song: He#shad3 been
I % and very much In; love. III. '..'s.s'2;
He was annoyed now TO find that
! the singer in the next apartment had
! stopped ,
After that night he listened for her.
/ She sung many other things. but he
always waited for the one song.
Sometimes he got ii and sometimes he
didn't. On the latter occasions he
ielt vaguely hurt. This concentration
OF thought naturally led to one result
his interest in the song grew till
it included the singer.
He could not find ont who she was.
Nobody appeared to know the tenants
OF that fiat. This. of course, led to
Sheldorn's yisualizing her, 1t was
quite easy to tell what woman
looked like who had voice like that
tender, deep and emotional. She
was OF medium height and slender
and she had eyes that were dark and
expressive He concluded that her
complexion was clear white without
any color and he was certain that her
mouth was beautifully curved and
feminine. He hated the straight-line
mouth which the majority of women
Today possess.
He was stubbornly positive that she
was unmarried. He told himself that
1t was intuition There was some
thing about her voice that spoke OF
the hopes and visions and illusions of
youth. Not that she was too young
Sheldon said il was a woman's
voice, not a frivolous, unfeeling girls.
Possibly she was 80 She had lived
and no doubt had suffered. other
wise she could not sing with such
feeling. She was the sort Of woman
who could sympathize and encourage
and cheer-oh, Sneldorn lad it very
bad by this time.
The two men who shared his quar-
ters with him. being unenlightened,
suggested three different treatments
for liver complaint and said privately
to each other that Sheldorn was GER
tainly getting cranky and beginning
to show his years. They themselves
were brisk youngsters of IS and So
respectively.
Sheldorn had reached the point
where he was chronically sorry for
himself He sentimentalized over
wasted years-years idled away. when
he might have been a happy man with |
a home of his own Yet, he assured |
himself. he was still young. for man.
lots Of men did mot marry till they,
were 40. He took 10. staying at home
more, than ever; which was foolish;
for' the partition, sttll.. stood between
his fiatea1d1 the: mex some. Whenever
hissspeclal. song came foating!throughs
to. him hel b ads he feeling thatI She; |
knew 'he' was sitting. listening .ahd;E
looking at her-his vision of her.
When al last he should meet her he
felt they would really be very well !
acquainted. She certainly must feel
his absorbing interest in her II there
was anything in thought trsnsference,
Tor all delicately attuned women such
as she had somewhat OF the mystic
in them. He doggedly set out to find
somebody who knew her He could
scarcely believe his unheard-of luck
y htu tldihAStc- hhb udu ufOppcu III {
10 ask him 10 go TO the club for bill
iards and whom he had refused TO
accompany on the trumped-up excuse
" a headache, said as he buttoned his
,vercoat that he had TO stop and see
/ man on business.
Lives right next to you, by. the
way" Hathlets mentioned Sanford
Strong-know him."
Sheldorn was getting into his coat
ind wildly scrambIng for his hat. Il
believe ! will go with you after ALL
Q said In voice that actually shook
With excitement 1T may do my
lead good"
He did not talk much as they
ought the Strongs flas and he barely
introductions. so intent
vas he in gazing with all his eyes at
he back OF the singer at the piano in
he next room. A moment later she
ecame aware OF their presence, rose
nd turned toward them.
She had thin. sandy hair, protrud-
" Jaw and wore spectacles and her
-aist measure was %. She regarded
i'm with grim dislike. 1t was a dis
ke. on general principles. Of all
Masculine Kind.
My daughter" Sanford Strong was
avfnr.