The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1909-08-12
pearing in cloud of smoke like an
aerial o,,ft1oAoh

sounded to the world the state of Miss
Lessons purse. A dark goblin seized
her. mounted stygian stairway,
thrust her into vault with glimmer
Of light in its top and muttered the
menacing and cabalistic words 1.-Two
dollars!"
"1'll take it, sighed Miss Lesson.
sinking down upon the squeaky iron
bed.
Every day Miss Lesson went out to
work. At night she brought home
papers with handwriting on them and
made copies with her typewriter.
Sometimes she had no work at night,
and then she would sit on the steps
Of the high stoop with the other room
ers. Miss Lesson was not intended for
a skylight room when the plans were
drawn for her creation. She was gay
hearted and full Of tender, whimsical
fancies. Once she let Mr.. skidder
read to her three acts Of his great
(unpublished) comedy. Its No Kid;
or, The Heir Of the Subway
| There was rejoicing among the gen.
tlemen roomers whenever Miss Lesson
had time to sit on the steps for an
hour or two. But Miss Longnecker.
the tall blond who taught in a public
school and said "Well. reallyw to
everything you said, sat on the top
step and shifted. And Miss Dorm, who
shot at the moving ducks ut Coney
every Sunday and worked in depart
| ctn no
and shifted. Miss Lesson sat on the
middle step. and the men would quick
ly group around her.
Especially Mr.. Skidder, who had cast
her in his mind for the star part in
private, romantic (unsroken drama
in real life. And especially MIR. Hoo
Yer. who was forty-fve. fat. flush and
foolish. And especially very young Mr..
Evans, who set up hollow cough to
induce her to ask him to leave OF Gig
arottcs. The men voted her "the fun
NEST ard tollicst ever" but the shifts
Oh the top step and the lower step
were implacable.
pray you let the drama halt while
Chorus stalks to the footliyhts and
drops an epicedian tear upon the fat
ness of Mr. Hoover. Tune the pipes
to the tragedy Of tallow. the bane Of
bulk, the calamity Of corpulence. Tried
out. Falstaff might have rendered
more real romance to the ton than
would have Romeos rickety ribs to
the ounce. A lover may sigh, but he
must not pun. To the train of Menus
are the fat men remanded. In vain
beats the faithfulest heart above q
fifty-two inch belt. Avaunt. Hoover!
Hoover. forty-ive, flush and foolish,
might carry off Helen herself. Hoover,
forty-five. flush, foolish and fat, is meat
for perdition. There was never
chance for you. Hoover.
AS Mrs. Parker's roomers sat thus
one summers evening Miss Lesson
looked up into the armament and
cried. with her gay little laugh:
"Why, there's Billy jackson! can
see him from down here too"
All looked UP, some at the windows
of skyscrapers. some casting about for
an airship. jackson guided.
ITS that star" explained Miss Lee
son, pointing with q tiny finger. Not
the big one that twinklcs-thc steady
blue one near it. can see 1t every
night through my sllylight. named
it Billy Jackson"
well, really" said Miss Longneckcr
II didn't know you We're an astrono-
mcr, Miss Lccsol."
"Oh. yes" said the small star gazcr;
II know az much as any of them about
the style OF sleeves they're going to
wear next fall in Mars"
well. really" said Miss Longncckcr.
"IHe star you refer to is Gamma, of
the constellation Cassiopeia. 1t is
nearly Of the second magnitude, and
its meridian passage is"-
"Oh," said the very young Mr..
Evans, II think Billy Jackson is a
much better name for it."
Same here" said Mr.. Hoover. loud
ly breathing defiance to Miss Long
necker. ~ think Miss Leeson has
just as much right to name stars as
any of those old astrologers had"
We'll, really" said Miss Longnccker.
II wonder whether it's shooting
star" remarked Miss Dorm. 81 hit
nine ducks and rabbit out Of ten
in the gallery at Coney Sunday"
"lIe doesn't show up very well from
| down here" said Miss Leeson. ''You
ought to sec him from my room. You
know. sou can see stars even in the
daytime from the bottom OF a well.
| At night my room is Ike the shaft of
Il coal mine. and 1t makes Billy Jack
son look like the big diamond pin that
Night fastcns her liimono with"
There came time after that when
Miss Lesson brought no formidable pa
| pers home to copy And when she
went out in the morning, instead of
working, she went from Office to Office
and let her heart melt away In the
| drip Of cold refusals transmitted
through insolent Office boys. This went