Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-01-18
The Argus Daily Short Story
THE SINGING LADY---BY MARTHA c. SANFORD.
Copyrighted 1908. Literary Press.
Copyrighted, 1908, by Associated Literary Press.

John Tyndal Seymour. Jr., had been
tucked into his little shining brass bed
at precisely Z O'Clock.
Being tucked in," however, does not
| necessarily shut out the wonder world
OF lights and laughter and singing.
| John junior had discovered this al by
himself, for often, as tonight, after
| calling to his nurse and getting. no an
| swer, he had crawled out with conf
| dence from under his tight covers and
| stood by the window watching the
| grownups in the houses. across the air
| shaft.
He had just climbed back for the
| third time by actual count when the
| singing began. John junior loved that
| singing more than anything else in the
world. ii
He lay very still aud fat on his little
back, because he had found out that
if one ear was buried in the pillow he
could not catch all of the notes, espe-
cially the soft. low ones.
| He had not been listening very long
when he heard the hall door open and
| shut. and then he knew that his father
had gone out. Perhaps he was going
to find the beautiful singing.
John junior wished so hard that he
might 60 too. He sat up In bed, half
determined to follow. But, then. hear
ing the click of the elevator door, he
knew that it was too late. ard SO lay
back again with a sigh.
Suddenly. right in the middle of a
note so high ard sweet that it made
John junior hold his breath in an &C.
stasy Of happiness, the voice stopped.
And for long time il did not go on
again. What had happened? Perhaps
his father-no. If his father had found
the singing. he would have just hid
behind a curtain somewhere and listen
ed. OF that John junior was sure.
At length, quite as suddenly as it
had stopped, the singing began again.
With bound John junior was at the
window. This was the song he loved
best of all. He could hear the words
quite clearly as they came floating UP
from the window far below:
Sweetest little fellow
| Everybody knows.
Don't know what to call him,
but he mighty ike a rose.
And little John junior, who had
known no lullabies or mothers crocn-
ings In his lone babyhocd. felt that he
must follow and find where the beau
, tiful voice came from.
After some> cropping he found his
: small wooden slippers, and after pull
) ing them en- very slowly and carefully
he climbed out of the window and be-
gan the perilous descent of the fire
Z escape.
The wind blew right through bis
nightgown, and the iron steps were
5 very cold, but he kept bravely on
: afraid only that the grownups in the
t fats across the air shaft might sudden
ly peep out from tue curtains and see
t him.
The window at the foot of the long
{. ladder stairs was open, just as John
oI junior expected 1t would be. so hf
t climbed in softly The voice was still
] again, but he was sure he must be
] very near it.
81 By the light that came into the rOop'
= through the transon he could see big
bed, with the covers all turned dowr
as II waiting for some one to creep in
and so, as John Junior felt quite shiv
cry. he crept In himself.
He had NO sooner drawn himself VI
into snug little bunch than the sing
ing began again. and so near that i
made his heart thump hard. 1t came
right in over the transom.
When the last sound of 1t had dice
away he heard a mans yoice-his ia
Tiers voice! So his father had fol
lowed the singing, just as he thought
In fash John junior was out o
the big bed. had opened the door ant
went pattering down the hall TOWARD
the lights and laughter and singing.