Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1917-11-13
Thy NEIGHBOR


/ 8NuoAtf WIFI hAHAVAA ~ W. NuNt nm
the order for a book. IL was TO deal
with New York life on the group sys'
TEN, showing how the city was divided
into little neighborhood villages, es.
pecially among the. poor.
Young Aston had suggested that h.
move over to the East side and study
conditions among the submerged tenth
mt first hand. Il had not appealed to
Linnelle. He was not of the tramp
poet variety. Even while he liked 10
be denizen of the old Greenwich viii
lage, still his quarters were ON the
north side of the square. But IL
came TO pass that he became an in
mate-he would not call II resident
of the Digs apartments.
At some time Mr.. Diggs had felt the
weight of millions preying upon his
mind and had placed model apart
ments for the deserving poor in their
midst ON the East side.
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 longT' asked Mario
"For awhile"
"What do you do for a livingi
Write? Play the music? Painti
Soup? No? Just professor. huh?"
Linnelle felt his face redden as the
girl smiled.
Must one give an excuse for living
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. Just as he was starting to write
down a new idea, his telephone bell
started to ring. 1t was his neighbour.
Mario had told her he had left her
goods with Mr.. Linnelle, apartment II
Would he be kind enough to let her
have them?
Linnelle smoked savagely on his re-
turn. She had been smiling at him
igain in that cool, appraising, amused
way. He plunged at his work with
,vidity, trying to Danish the memory
If a slim young person in a rose linen
'mock with curly, dark hair.
He made the discovery the next
that from his windows on the
inner court he could look over at her
windows. Quite against his instinct
# good taste he found himself doing
% constantly. She had window boxes
where spring bulbs bloomed profusely.
She came twice a day to water her
'lants. Then she would stand for a
ong while looking steadfastly up at
he square patch of sky Eve stories
bove. He used to wonder If she could
'e a sunworshiper. The shaft Of sun
light just struck her windows as II
hone aslant down the court, and she
frank it In even as her flowers did.
70 passed the weeks and their &C.
ugintapce ripened: $50 re- .
His book Was nearing completion to-
ward the middle of the summer. he
lad dinner at q little Turkish restau-
ant 29 ,Twenty-sixth street 1t was
learly nine when he put his passkey
n the lock of his own door,
ooh! Mr.. Lilnelle:" 1t was Mar.
orie Fraser, her face pale and anxious
I wonder if 1 could ask you to come
md look at my window. l just got
lone myself, and it looks as If some
me had entered the apartment" Lin
lelle followed her down the hall.
In her little living room the s'crim
curtains and daffOdil valance lay In q
,rumpled heap on the floor, the upper
window pane had round hole through
is center.
DO you think anyone is heref" she
asked, standing in the doorway. For
answer Linnelle glanced around quick
" and picked up a baseball that had
rolled under the steam heater.
There's your burglar" he laughed
md laid 1t on the table.
"rll be so glad when this is over"
She said. "I've soaked in local atmos-
phere until I'm sick and tired of 1t, and
| want to go home. You see, Mr.. Lin
nellie, Pm an actress and have a per-
fectly dandy part in Carruthers' new
Children of Clay / only
came down here TO live and catch ne
spirit of the East side. If II HADN'T
been for you living so near to me I'd
have been scared to DEATH"
"If it hadn't been for you living SO
near 10 me I'd have been bored to |