The Ely miner., 1911-05-26
THE COMING
OF PEARL

When the Besingers tell the story
of Pearl they always apologize. As
Mrs. Besinger says, you really can't
expect people to believe anything
which sounds so much like a cheap
farce made out of whole cloth.
IF l really did make it up" she
adds protestingly, I'D have invented
a story that sounded more reasonable.
And how could 1t ever be reasonable
for any girl to be named Pearl Bean
blossom? But she was.
Arthur brought her first letter
home to show me so I'd know it was
all real. He said he was afraid that
otherwise I'd insist he simply had an
intoxicated imagination. You see,
Pearl wrote from some little village
out in Kansas that she wanted to
come to Chicago and study music at
Arthur's musical college. She said
she knew she had talent, because
every one told her so, and she was
going to make it her life work and
would he write her prices? AS if he
were selling suits or hats wholesale.
you know!
Arthur had quite corresponds nee
with Pearl. He attended to it him.
self, instead of turning it over to his
secretary. He said he needed mental
recreation. anyhow.
| well, Pearl wrote that she would
come and asked Arthur to get her
place to board, as she was strang-
sr in the city. / had become inter
ested In her, for, in spite of her chear
notepaper and cramped writing and
general ignorance, l could tell from
her letters that she was sincere. So
| found her room in a nice, reasOna
BILE boarding house on a side street
near US and Arthur sent her the ad
dress.
Then he got a short note from his
prospective pupil. She said she would
arrive at the Union station the next
Wednesday evening and would he
please meet her, as she didn't know
anything about street cars and where
to go!
THAT was pleasing prospect
| spread out before him-dashing mad
ly from gate to gate of the big station
all evening trying to watch SIX OF
seven trains at once! AS Arthur said
the catalogue Of the college did net
offer the services of the president as
train porter for all arriving pupils
Still, told him that he just had to
meet Pearl
II knew the wife of an official of
one of the roads running into the
Union station, so I called up that Of
| fetal on the phone and he was very
nice and accommodating. When he
found the name of the town where
Pearl lived he got out folders and
time tables and figured that she had
to come on one of two railroads. The
evening train of the likeliest of the
two roads got in at S:10.
1--WE were due at a card party that
evening, but Arthur met the train,
with taxicab waiting warranted to
break the speed limit. Pearl was not
on the train. Therefore Arthur has
tened to the card party and dis
missed her from his mind.
Meanwhile Pearl arrived on the un.
| likeliest train about nine o'clock.
Somehow-goodness knows how-she
got to her boarding house. She had
that address, you know, though she
didn't know the name of the owner
Therefore when the door. was opened
to her ring about 80 she brushed
right in past the maid, and when they
began asking why she came she mere
ly said that she had come to study
music.
$50 they decided she was crazy.
She was dead tired and scared, you
know, and her face was all over train
SCOT and she carried a cheap little
bag and wore a badley cut coat and
skirt. The more they questioned her
the more tangled and bewildered she
got and the more they were afraid
Of her.
Finally she mentioned Mr.. Besin-
gers name and the maid told her
where our house was. The boarding
house owner was not in, so nobody
knew about the room I had engaged
| when Pearl rang the door bell at
our house and got the maid out Of
bed that scandalized person, of course,
refused to let her in. However, Pearl
begged so piteously to be allowed to
wait till we came home that the maid
finally admitted her and sat up in the
kitchen waiting with carving knife
in her hand till we came.
Arthur let us in with his latch
key. When l stepped into the H.
brary and switched on the lights
| jumped two feet and shrieked because
l saw somebody curled up on the
couch. 1t turned out to be Pearl
Beanblossom asleep.
| We'll, when Arthur had Gained us
both, / turned Pearl into the guest
room and then l couldn't sleep. The
shock Of discovering her was too
much for me, so an hour later l got
up and began to prowl around, as I've
a habit of doing. AS / passed the
closed guestroom door 1 had an un-
canny feeling that something was
wrong, so l opened the door, Then