Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-03-08
The Argus Daily Short Story
The Boy and the CelebyB Fannie Medbury PendIeton
Copyrighted Literary Press

Every sojourner in the apartment
house knew him as the boy. He had
come to the city to wrest success from
| the hands of fate. His capital con-
| sisted, first, of dreams, of which he
had an unlimited supply, and. second,
of small income, just sufficient to
pay the rent of his two rooms and to
| keep him from a rough contact with
the realities of life.
Although these stern realities were
| all about him, he regarded them from
afar because he had never been forced
to grappIe with them.
Day after day he bent over the keys
of his typewriter, transferring to pa
per Il cloud of visions that were then
hidden in long envelopes and took
wing to the literary market. whence
too often they fiuttered back.
| Still he wrote on and his dreams
rose as bulwark against the Bullets
of the world, and his cheerful face
smiled at life.
Among the many other dwellers in
the house was the little music teacher
across the hall, who squeezed barely
enough income from, the world to keep
together her slender body and her gen.
tie soul.
Her face was young and sweet, but
the struggle with life had set its work
upon 1t, and she sometimes envied the
boy his cheerful face, though she took
herself to task most sternly for har
boring such unworthy thoughts.
The boy thought little of his neigh
Dor. although he always liked to listen
In the evening when her sweet voice
and the notes of her old piano fioated
across the hall.
This afternoon the boys mind was
busy with quite another person than
the music teacher.
81 wonder" he said to himself, IF
she'll wear them. OF course she'll new
er know from whom they came"
A wistful line deepened between his
leyes.
."Of course she'll never know" he
repeated, with a little sigh. "She
must have any number of admirers"
He Strengthened his square Shout
ders as though to shake off an invisi-
BILE burden.
, ''She is so beautiful and so success
full. wouldn't want her to know"
, He wrapped his package carefully
and sought the janitor, whom he re-
quested to act In the capacity Of mes
senger.
The man looked at the boy with
r amiable tolerance. Every one was
t amiable with the boy
'Hellow he called after him. "You
4 haven't told me which lady on your
: hail."
The boy turned with flushed cheeks
and shy eyes.
Il "Why," he said, ''she"- He could
$ not bring himself to speak her stage
k name. 1t Jared upon him, ard he
shrank from confessing that he die
!. not know her real one The amused
eye of the janitor was upon him. ani
he threw up his head with sudden, un
wonted dignity.
"Please take 1t to the beautiful sing
} or" he said proudly. "
That evening the boy pictured thu
ICiCOhtty PAScciAS uCE AdAA 1otS AZ Sh'
fragrant violets. Would she weal
them? He opened his door and walk
ed down the long hall to the window
at the end. His eyes were on the doc
of the celebrity's sitting room. Pres
ently she would come out on her wa!
to the theater.
She was most lovely in the big blacl
velvet hat and lace veil, and withou
the veil, thought he. she must b
lovelier far. His eyes were brigh
when her door opened and a womal
looked out into the hall.
She wore soiled kimeao, he
cheeks were lined and sallow. her hal
was only half arranged. and In he
lands she heid q string OF aubur