Tombstone epitaph., 1916-02-20

AE. W due. ss tne Ciu so, MT. EStrllla came down from the floor above.
 "Oh, good evening. Mir. Estrilla," said Mrs. Moore. Did your sister"
 Just then the voice of Captain Han ska broke in from behind the door.
 Wait a minute. Ask MT. Wade if he minds my not getting up. I've a cold and I've taken some medicine" |"
 Very well. Captain" replied Mrs Moore. Estrilla. seeing that she was engaged. went on downstairs to the front door.
 This narrative has gone, so far, from the point of view Of Mrs Moore We will shift now 10 Miss Harding; for time let her mind be the crystal Of our thought. A moment before Mrs. Moore came back and told Mir. Wade that Captain Hanska would see him. Mir Estrilla appeared at the door Of the parlor. Although they had seen s"t htt!e .. h!-c 9. Mrs. Mcors's, he was popular for a Latin lightness of temperament. a cheerful and winning smile. nimble wit which lost nothing because Of his quaint accent. and va rious, winsome. actor tricks which Mrs. Moore called "capers" At that moment they were singing "Yip-hi- addy- -hiay." then in its first run. MT Estrilla. bundled up in hat and mack. 'ntosh. cut curvet in the hall. kicked out one of his small Andalusian feet. joined note of the chorus in a pleas ant light. tenor voice. changed to a falsetto tone which was plainly an imitation of Miss Harding's singing. and whirled toward the outer door. Miss Harding called:
 Come in and sing," But Mir. Els trilla only pivoted through the door. calling:
 Buenos noches-yip-hi-addy hi ay,"
 Perhaps five minutes later. Miss Harding went upstairs for a handker. chief For a moment she was absent minded-a rare thing with her-so that Instead Of turning on the second hoor, where her room was situated, she continued another flight and brought up. suddenly aware of her mistake, at the third-foor landing Something held her there fer a mo ment-the sound of high words from Captain Hanska's room Miss Hard ing paused longer than necessary. She was an honorable girl enough. but the most honorable of us pay instructive tribute 10 our curiosity.
 T tell you both I won't" came Cap tain Hanska's rather harsh voice.
 "Oh, think perhaps can make you change your mind" came other ac- cents which. Miss Harding reflected. went perfectly with the personality of MT. Lawrence Wade.
 Some sort of a rumpus going on up there." said Miss Harding as she re gained the parlor. Then remembering that she must account to Mics Jones for her presence on the third floor the bachelor quarters of the establish ment-she added vaguely. You can hear 1t just as plain."
 They had all stopped singing from very weariness of voice, and Mrs Moore and Professor Noll had retired to leave the young couples alone with their devices, when NIT. Wade ap peared again in the hall-this time on his way out Every one saw him plainly, especially Miss Harding. who sat facing the door.
 Look who's here, Essie," she whis- pered in an undertone to Miss Jones. As she recalled it afterward, he seemed little pale. He cast no more than one quick absent glance at the group by the piano: and the door closed behind him. Within ten min utee. the company" left and the young women went to their room. There was silence in the house.
 Silence until half past two o'clock and then Tommy North. who occupied the third floor frG2t. came home from a stag smoker drunk.
 This was not the first time that he had returned. uncertain Of tongue and foot, in the hours of vice. On the last occasion. he made 50 much noise that Miss Harding refused him her coun. tenance for a week and Mrs. Moore gave him warning That warning rested at the bottom of his maudlin psychology as he crept up to the front door. unlocked 1t, and stole within.
 The yigilant Mrs. Moore, who woke at every night entrance of lodgers. leaped out of bed. opened her door a crack, and observed Tommy as he stood balancing himself under the dim point of the gas-jet. Oblivious to the oran door and the watchful eye, he made a turn about the newel-post and began putting one foot cautiously be- fore the other. saying over and over a drunken refrain which ran: Hay foot-straw foot-one goes up and the other goes down." So he vanished from the vision of Mrs. Moore. By similar devices he nego- tiated the stretch of hall carpet on the second floor, and took the next flight He was near his haven now his own room. third floor front In | the dim hall light, he balanced him self and let his tongue play again. Energy and perseverance-victory almost won." he said. Just talk to your feet and let 'em do your work ' But the muscular effort of climbing two flights had sent his liquor surgins to his head. so that he dizzied and staggered. He caught the banister for support Then something. real or fancied, caught his eye-somethine which held his drunken attention He stopped and clutched at 1t The enors