Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1908-09-19

Rice x Bennett company was to Blairs-
Vile what grand opera Is to the cities.
Last year she and Jack had attended
the spring performances together but
in the fall she was gone How time
had flown, The Rice & Bennett com
pany would open their spring engage
ment the following week. and Jack had
sent her hanger An odd lump came
in her throat as she returned to the
table and her neglected coffee.
When she started to tidy up after the
meal she thumb tackled the italian
poster to the wall of her tiny private
hall The wall was bare, and the yell
low poster with its foreign lettering
gave a smart touch to the hall. like
hotel labels on a steamer trunk or suit
case
Elizabeth sat down to the typewriter,
but presently there came an insistent
ring at the hall door. Tony, the rosy
faced italian. who supplied the ten
ants of the house with ice, displayed
two rows of cleaning teeth as be ex-
plosively announced "Icew Elizabeth
held open the door for him while he
lifted the cake from the dumb waiter
and placed it in her refrigerator.
But the smile faded from Tony's
face as he turned to leave. With an
inarticulate cry he sprang at the post
er, lingering it lovingly and scanning
every word of the beloved Italian.
1T is from the home" he explained,
blushing, when the first shock of sur
prise had passed. 1T is to there that
take-a what you call--sweetheart?
All, to the Salone Margherita, me an
my Marie Marie she cannot leav-a da
pop-da fard'. l come-a to America to
mal1e-a mon. 1t is YER lonely, signora,
Scus-a mi"
He shuffled haltingly from the apart
ment. his jovial face drawn with home
sickness and thoughts of the distant
Marie.
Elizabeth went back to her work. On
| the floor the Rice & Bennett playful
still lay neglected, but now it caught
her attention. and she picked it up to
read, even as Tony had done with the
other every word of the familiar an
nouncement
She wondered if Jack would be go
ing. If so. who would be in her place?
Mrs. Hardy did not care for the the
alter, and it was not fair to expect
: Jack to go alone She smiled at her
! jealous thoughts and sat down reso-
lutely before her typewriter, but she
| found that the thread of the story
which had started so well was lost.
She could not force her mind to con-
centrate upon the adventures of an
imaginary heroine. Her attention per-
! sistently wandered to the playful on
| the floor
She could see the opera house with
out even shutting her eyes. The roller
skating craze had somewhat revived
its original glories. The common
wooden chairs were in place now only
when some theatrical performance
was given. Probably there were
RULES and Regulations" tackled up on
the walls with Beacon Job Print" Ill
large type beneath the phrase, by
order of the management" She could
hear the ragged strains Of the three
piece orchestra, and she knew that
viii Taber and Rem Blake would hus-
tie Importantly through the stage en-
trance They were always the land
others" on the programme, the army
in Under Two Flags" and "a Cele-
brated Case" the miners in 1.-THE Dan
ties" etc. 1t was all so vivid that
che eaamad raal1V m he tbprp With q
choking laugh at her new emotions she
ripped the story from her typewriter
and slipped in a fresh sheet
John Hardy Blairsvine:
Please get seats for all next week.
am coming nome tomorrow.
ELIZABETH.
Then she gazed about the coy little
fat 1t would be very different in
Blairsville and she knew that in send
ing that message she had virtually an
nounced her surrender, but she hum
med a blithe little song as she put on
her hat and prepared to take the tele-
gram to the Office When she came to
! the narrow hall she stopped and took
down the Italian poster and, with the
one from home. placed 1t in the drawer
Of her desk
You've carried your messages" she
whispered to them as she smoothed
the folds. but | want to keep you
for remembrance and warning. To
Tony and me you meant home. I'm
more fortunate than Tony, for I'm go
/ ing home-to Jack"