The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-03-14
THE SINGER

many umes before, but Sneldorn ma
never noticed II.
This evening the other men VIII
shared his bachelor apartment wer
out. II was raining His cigar ha
proved unsatisfactory and he ha
nothing to read that interested him
This combination OF circumstance
was quite sufficient to make any mai
blue, especially a man who was A.
and domestic by nature. but who hat
4 never had time TO think about al
I ranging for congenal home society
Through the poorly deadened wal
came the mutfied notes OF piano ant
a voice, richly, poignantly sweet
singing foolish. oldfashioned love
song with haunting melody
Sheldorn's cigar burned his fingers
before he realized that he had beer
sitting staring into the gas CRATE foi
long time and-what was worse
sing that very song. He had been
p and very much in love.
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 il 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 thesong grew till
IT. included the singer: ~,
He Gould not find out who. she. was,
Nobody appeared to oknow the tenaits
OF that fiat This. of course, lied to
Sheldorn,s yisualizing 'her. 1t was
quite easy to tell what a. WOMAN
looked. like who shad. a..yolee, like that
TENDER .desp .ang 'emotiopal:. She
was OF mediums height" and esslender'
and she: bad: ese: ?!hat werS dagk:sanld.
expfessIyeo:': ne :c6gcIudsdSs: fhat her;
complexion oSas 'clearo white. without
any !cofqra9dsShe was, cSrtain:th at!:slh!ssr'
mouth vase Obeantifullyo cagyede.o oeard;
feminIneS: !. He Slated. the STRENGTHENING.
mouth ,Shlcho the msiorit;yS of: women!
to-day POSSESS !: oo'
HeswasSstibb 6rnlyo positive. thiat?ssffe3
was unmarried. 'oHe told"himself, that;
it 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
Sheldorn said 1t was woman's
voice, not 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, Sheldorn had it very
bad by this time.
The two men who shared his quar-
tiers with him, being unenlightened.
suggested three different treatments
for liver complaint and said privately
to each other that Sheldorn was GER
tainiy getting cranky and beginning
to show his years. They themselves
were brisk youngsters OF 35 and SO
Sheldorn had reached the point
where he was chemically sorry for
himself. He sentimentalized over
Wasted years-years idled away. when
ne might have been happy man with
, home OF his own. Yet. he assured
himself. he was still young, for man.
lots OF men did not marry till they
we're 40. He took to staying at home
more than ever, which was foolish;
or the partition still stood between
lis fiat and the next one. Whenever |
lis special song came floating through |
o him he had the feeling that she |
Knew he was sitting listening and |
ooking al herr5his vision of her. |
When at last che should meet her he
cit they 0%6ddSo really bee very. well.
equal tedss: ssha2 cerfaiilS.." MUST feelsSi'
iS:a6sgsbnS IA res :ins. Ser !itS:3 thaf4.
ys:SaSAsyJJ hiSg sinat 19ight strsasfai5s B;
oro'a!l deScatf9y. attgneds .S!6msn ?sIcRiI'
s "slie 'shSd .s6iimew'lat' .6f. dRes' nfHsticsI
n. hem ;;Hsid9sgedly set out to ;fnd.l
who, Knew herr He could I
cafeely-. ;belieYe, his yinheard4of luck I
Eken' Hathletst who had. dropped: IN
orask him; TO go .to:tie' Climb for biz: |:
IaEds. and whom. he had refused. 10 /
company on the truniped:up. excuse
I headache. said as he buttoned his
vercoat that he had'to stop and see
man on business.
Lives right next TO you, by. the
ray" Hathlets mentioned. Sanford
him."
Sheldorn was getting into his coat
nd wildly scrambllng for his hat. II
elieve will go with you after ALL"
0 said In voice that actually shook
With excitement 1T may do my
cad good"
He did not talk much as they
ought the Strongs fla: and he barely
introductions. so intent
as he In gazing with all his eyes at
he back Of the singer at the piano in
lie next room. A moment later she
ecame aware of their presence, rose
I'D turned toward them.
She had thin, sandy hair, a protrud-
q jaw and wore spectacies and her
aist measure was %. She regarded
m with grim dislike. II was a dis