The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-03
EVENING STORY
Thy Neighbor.
CBy Lois WOODY

the order for a book. II was to ueal
with New York life on the group sys-
tenn, showing how the city was di-
vided into little neighborhood villages,
especially among the poor.
Young Aston had suggested that he
move over to the east side and study
conditions among the submerged tenth
at first hand. 1t had not appealed to
Linnelle.- He was not of the tramp
poet variety Even while he liked to
be denizen of the old Greenwich vii
lage, still his quarters were on the
north side of the square. However, in
the interests of art, he had crossed the
dead lines beyond Third avenue and
Sought temporary eyrie south OF
Thirty-fourth street. Thus it game to
pass that he became an inmate-he
would not call it reS1dent-ot the
DiggS apartments.
At some time Mr.. Diggs had felt
the weight of his millions preying
upon his mind and had placed model
apartments for the deserving poor IN
their midst. But strange to say the
local inha bitants refused to move out
of their familiar rookeries, and the
three great Georgian buildings with
their patio courtyards and ltal1an
gardens on the roof, would have gone
a-begging for tenants had not little Bo-
hernia swept in to the rescue, ana
taken possession.
After the third day in his new lodg-
ings the monotony palled on him. he
had prowled around the neighborhood
and made the alarming discovery that
| instead of being in the midst of thugs
and night hawks he was in the midst
of highly respectable old settlers In
stead of their being peculiar to their
kind, they regarded him as rara
avis.
He was buying green peppers and
| fresh tomatoes from the little Greek
Mario at the corner and answering his
questions idly. when he became aware
/ of another customer who seemed high
| ly amused at his inquisition.
You stay very long?" asked Mario.
For awhile
What do you do for a living?
Write? Play the music? Paint? Sculp2
No? Just professor, huh?"
Linnelle felt his face redden as the
| girl smiled.
Must one give an excuse for liv-
! ing here?'' he asked.
And Mario let it pass. Hearing the
| girl give her address for the delivery
| of goods Linnelle realized that he had
| a neighbor. He caught one swift
glance from big gray eyes that smiled
at him as he passed on. When his own
goods were delivered via the dumb
waiter there was another basket there
on. Mario's voice called up asking
| him to be so good a S to ring Miss Fras-
! er's bell and hand it to her. He found
her name on the door of little apart
ment down the hall and took the bas-
| ket to it, making note of its contents
on the way-grape fruit peppers, GU
eumbers, oranges. endive and romaine.
| 1t only needed ambrosia to place her
| on the celestial vegetarian diet. And
she was not in. He carted it back to
| his own apartment and it made him
nervous 1t broke up his entire morn
ing OF peace Why the dickens could
MT she be in when she knew she was
having goods delivered? He felt re-
| sponsible for her lunch and went to
| her door several times unsuccessful
| ly. Then just as he was starting to
| write down new idea, his telephone
! bell started to ring madly 1t was
his neighbor. Mario had told her he
/ had left her goods with Mr.. Linnelle.
apartment -. Would he be kind
| enough to let her have them?
| Linnelle smoked savagely on his re-
| turn. She had been smiling at him
/ again in that cool, appraising, amused
| way. He plunged at his work with
| aVidlty. trying to Danish the memory
of slim young nerson in rose linen
smock with curly, dark hair.
he made the discovery the next
morning that from his windows on the
| inner court he could look over at her
windows. Quite against his instinct of
! good taste he found himself doing so
! constantly. She had window boxes
| where spring bulbs bloomed profuseIv.
/ Long cream scrim curtains hung
within in cottage fashion, and when
/ the wind blew he caught a glimpse of
| daffodil-tinted cretonne.
| She came twice a day to w. err her
plants Then she would stand for a
long while looking steadfastly UP at
the square patch of sky five stories
| above. He used to wonder if she could
| be a sun worshiper. The shaft of sun
light just struck her windows as it
| shone aslant down the court and she
drank it even as the flowers did.
| So passed the weeks and their ar
quaintance ripened He insisted upon
: emptying her waste basket for her
! when the garbage bell rang at T. He
! always carried Mario'S basket to her
! door nowadays and often at night thew
/ passed each other in the italian gar
! den on the roof. Here was a place
/ where dreams might come true Be
| yond its mystery of shadowy pergola
/ the lights of the city decked the skies
indeed like Jewels in the Ethiope's
/ ear. The brilliant crescents of the
three bridges over the river were like
] necklaces on the bosom of the night.
/ He rarely spoke to her up there;
4 but he felt strangely comforted to
watch her leaning over the parapet,
/ her face turned toward the sky
HIS DOCK was nearing completion
toward the middle of the summer. AL
! ston remarked to him one day that he
could leave his east side den very soon
All the way back across town the pros
pect of such thing troubled Linnelle
1t would mean separation from her.
| his neighbor. He had dinner at lit
| tie Turkish restaurant on TWENTY
sixth street. 1t was nearly when he
| put his passkey in the lock of his own
/ door Suddenly he heard his name
/ called.
oh; Mr.. LinneIle." 1t was Marjorie
Fraser, her face pale and ANXIOUS. Il
wonder If 1 could ask you to come
and look at my window. 1 just got
! home myself, and it looks as if some
! one had entered the apartment" Lin
nellie followed her down the hall
/ In her little living room the scrim
! curtains and daffodiI valance lay in
| a crumpled heap on the floor the
| upper window pane had a round hole
| thru its center Z a l,n1