The Washington herald., 1911-01-08
THE KITCHEN LIGHT.
~ n. J. PHILLIPS.

nights searching the skies at the observ-
atory on Tower Hin because he loved II.
Tho scientists and attendants recognized
the tan young man with the shoulders Of
an athlete and the bulging brow Of a
student as one Of themselves, and he had
the run Of the place.
Tower Hill stood between the ocean
and the plain. 1t shot up into the air
several hundred feet. Oak Harbor. a
city Of considerable size nestled at its
| base. spread over the plain. and climbed
| ambitiously up its side. Wiles liked to sit
on the hill. like an eagle on his crag. and
sweep the pageant sea with a long. slim.
powerful telescope that was his own
property. Between this telescope and the
teries, Of the sky and was moved only by
pcnderous machinery he was perfectly
happy.
One evening in early spring the sky
was overcast SO that no stars were visi-
bic. and the sea was empty Of ships.
Wiles took his telescope to a loophole in
the dome of the observatory adjusted it
on its tripod. and sat down to the eye
piece. The city Of Oak Harbor was in
front and beneath him. pricked out by
Its hundred thousand lights.
Seated thus at his telescope, Hoover
Wiles felt like one Of the immortals. He
abode on his mountain, above humanity
and its petty. buglike emotions. How
aimless and useless seemed ALL this has
tening to and fro! What waste of energy
in trivial, blind pursuit Of pleasure!
Surely an anthill. with its misdirected
activity. was a conservative and intel
lectual community beside the city OF Oak
Harbor.
Thus musing. wiles turned his tele-
scope slowly. like a long. moving finger.
1: showed the groups waiting for cars on
the corners: occasionally II followed an
automobile for a block or two. Then. as
Il swept far to the left. the telescope
seemed to stop Of it's own volition on a
pretty scene.
A lighted kitchen window. surrounded
by vines newly green. filled its field.
Within the kitchen small boy was sit
ting at a table eating. young woman
was waiting on him. She wore a light
dress and had a profusion or dark hair
Wiles felt that she was pretty, though
his instrument would not bring out her
face in detail. But the air Of beauty was
about her.
In her passing to and fro once she stop
ped to to,Isle the youngsters hair. The
watcher could see the happy smile on the
lads face. Presently. having finished his
supper. he showed back from the table.
The girl. bubbling over with mirth and
high spirits, began to dance about the
kitchen.
The light, irregular steps were the per-
sonifcation of grace. She swayed back
and forth across the space opposite the
window. The boy clapped his hands
gleefully. Wiles watched the scene until
the dance was over. Then he leaned
back. took a long breath, and said:
Il shall find that girl and marry herr"
The next night he was early at his post.
His heart beat with anticipation as he
sat down at the telescope and watched
the dusk close in and the lights Of Oak
Harbor spring into being like jewels on
left it the night before. Again he was
disappointed.
When the clocks in the city below be-
gan booming the hour OF II Wiles ad-
mitted to himself that it was too late for
small boys to be eating supper and for
pretty girls to be floating across kitch-
en- floor like thistledown. So he turned
his attention to the stars. 1t was a very
wandering attention. though. The stars
could have skipped from their courses
and gamboled together like lambs ere
comment or censure would have been
elected from Wiles.
For a week this continued. From short
ly after I until II he would sit at the
telescope searching patiently for that
vine-clad kitchen window which seemed
TO have emerged from the land O. dreams
for a night to torture him with longing.
only to slip back again before his fingers
could close on me vision and prove 1t
real
And then. as capriciously as it had ap-
peared before, the window and the dear
sight behind it came back to him.
.,y,I~ w,,sA -,
its tender greenery; the homely room,
CHEEKY and pleasant under the glow Of
the shaded gaslight: the table and the
small boy seated at it eating his supper:
the girl in low chair in front of him.
elbows on knees.
Presently the boy finished his meal and
began a spirited tale. He measured with
with them: then jerked on an invisible
rod. The gestures were eloquent; the
youngster was telling about fishing
When he had finished the girl-an he
washed the dishes. She made all tidy
with a charming little air of housewifery
and turned out the light. Wiles sighed.
He spent the night at the observatory,
determined to locate that kitchen win
dow.
When the mists rolled away early next
morning and the sun began to gid the
plain to the east. Wiles looked into his
telescope again. He was overjoyed to
find that he could pick out the window
easily. He studied IT until there could
be no possibility of mistake. There was a
wide, well-shaded street in front of the
house to which it belonged. He followed
the street until a gap in the trees be-
tokened an intersection.
1t was an achievement to read the
name on the lamp post at that corner.
but he did it, spelling it out slowly while
his eyes blurred with the strain: Locust.
But the name Of the cross-street was ef-
fectually hidden.
After breakfast at his boarding house
Wiles plunged into a series Of abstruse
calculations, in which the height Of Tow
er Hill. the magnifying power Of his
telescope. and the distance Of Oak Har-
Dor above the sea level all had part.
Just before dusk that dag Wiles, "all
dressed up like a broken arm," as he ad-
ia