Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-06-25
THE EVENING STORY.
The Room Opposite.
Copyright. 1918. by W. Werner


There were violets and daffodils on
the street stalls and Julie glanced at
them lingeringIy. longingly. as she crept
past on sore feet. Her way led to Mrs.
Morley's boarding house, three stories
high. with basement. of red brick,
with green shades, and front door
which sadly needed fresh varnish. But
that front door had already become the
most familiar and welcome sight in the
whole city to Julie. 1t meant security
and shelter, both Of which she had
learned in the space of three weary
months to value as never before.
Julie had her own latch key and she
let herself into the dark hall, in which a
refined nostril could detect cabbage, coal
gas, cigarette smoke. onions and burned
fat.
Three flights Of stairs after whole
day of standing behind counter is
back breaking business, but Julie finally
reached her own particular cubbyhole.
1t was close and musty, for the spring
sun had warmed the brick walls all day.
UGH she said. Then she ran to the
window and up went the sash high and
wide. She parted the dingy sash. cur
tains and looked out. A wide open win
dow had meant for her hitherto vision
of outdoor things. Here it meant only
view of another window with a coin
dotted sash curtain and green SHADE
in red brick wall. Julie vaguely re-
membered hearing somebody say some
where that the building was another
boarding house and strong rival OF
Mrs. Morey's.
The cool inf1owing air freshened the
room and Julie. reviving. remembered
that she was hungry. She was supposed
70 toll bor 1c hut six llncheOn9
a week were the only meals she did not
manage in her ROOM Those consisted
invariably of a sandwich and cup or
tea. Last night she had smugSled in by
way of her pillow muff loaf OF bread;
half dozen presumably fresh boiled
eggs a small bag of cakes and some
peanut butter. Her regret now was that
she hadn't Struggled In more. FOR with
daffodils out there was no longer the
slightest excuse for mum.
Her housekeeping tools, which she kept
out of sight in the closet in case Mrs.
Morley or that Bridget of hers should
take fancy to prowl, consisted or a tiny
frying pan and porcelain basin. Her
kitchen fire was, of course, the gas jet
She made her some tea and set her din
ner out upon a corner Of the bureau re-
served for that purpose book, which
she had got from the public library.
companioned her. 1t made her forget the
stuff she was eating, and also the fact
that she was eating alone.
She was in the act of sprinkling salt
on her second boiled egg when she
heard a sound that nearly made her
drop the egg on the questionable carpet
Somewhere near by man had begun to
sing in a rich, flowing tenor. Such
voice, So moving! So exquisite! 1t
brought tears to her eyes-made her
SILVER deliciously-although she could not
yet make out a word of the song. Julie
listened for moment in awed astonish-
ment before she realized that those glori-
Gus sounds came in through her open
window: then she perceived that the
voice came to her through the window
of the room opposite. She could now,
indeed, hear each word perfectly. They
were the words of a love song.
jules voice got tangled in a sob Her
head bent down. She got up and went
back to her cold boiled egg and her
cooling tea. but she no longer had appe-
tite for the food. And while she sat
bordering whether she should try to eat