I1IK CITIZEN, FRIDAY, JULY 30, 1000. THE SKYLIGHT ROOM How Dr. Billy Jackson Found the Girl It Sheltered. By O. HENRY. Copyright, 190G, by McClure, Phillips & Co. First Mrs. Parker would show you the double parlors. You would not dare to Interrupt her description ot their advantages and of the merits of the gentleman who had occupied them for eight years. Then you would man age to stammer forth the confession that you were neither a Aloctor nor a dentist. Mrs. Parker's manner of re ceiving the admission was such that you could never nfterward entertain the same feeling toward your parents, who had neglected to train you up in one of the professions that fitted Mrs. Parker's parlors. Next you ascended ono lllght of stairs and looked at the second floor back at ?S. Convinced by her second floor manner that it was worth the $12 that Mr. Toosenberry always paid for it until he left to take charge of his brother's orange plantation in Flor ida, near Palm Beach, where Mrs. Mc Intyre always spent the winters that had the double front room with private bath, you managed to babble that you wanted something still cheaper. If you survived Mrs. Tarkcr's scorn you were taken to look at Mr. Skid der's largo hall room on the third floor. Mr. Skldder's room was not vacant, lie wrote plays and smoked cigarettes in it all day loug. But every room hunter was made to visit Ills room to admire the lambrequins. After each visit Mr. Skidder, from the fright caused by possible eviction, would pay something on his rent. Then oh, then if you still stood on one foot, with your hot hand clutching the three moist dollars in your pocket, and hoarsely proclaimed your hideous and culpable poverty, never more would Mrs. Tarker bo cicerone of yours. She would honk loudly the word "Clara!" She would show you her back and march downstairs. Then Clara, the colored maid, would escort you up the carpeted ladder that served for the fourth lllght and show you the skylight room. It occupied 7 by S feet of floor spaco at the middle of the hall. On each side of it was a dark lumber closet or storeroom. In it were an iron cot. a washstand and a chair. A shelf was the dresser. Its four bare walls seemed to close in upon you like the sides of a coffin. Your hand crept to your throat, you gasped, you looked up as from a well and breathed once more. Through the glass of the little skylight you saw a square of blue inlinlty. "Two dollars, suh," Clara would say in her half contemptuous, half Tuske geonlal tones. One day Miss I.eeson came hunting for a room. She carried a typewriter made to be lugged around by a much larger lady. She was a very little girl, with eyes and hair that had kept ou growing after she had stopped and that always looked as if they were saying: "Goodness nie! AVhy didn't you keep up with usV" Mrs. Parker showed her the double parlors. "In this closet," she said "one could keep a skeleton or an aesthetic or coal" "But I am neither a doctor nor a dentist," said Miss I.eeson, with a shiver. Mrs. Parker gave her the incred ulous, pitying, sneering, icy stare that TO "I'll JUST A POOR LITTLE WORKING OIItL. she kept for those who failed to qual ify as doctors or dentists and led the way to the second floor back. "Eight dollars?" said Miss Leeson, "Dear me! I'm not Iletty, If I do look green. I'm just a poor littlo working girl. Show rno something higher and lower." Mr. Skidder jumped and strewed tho 3oor with cigarette stubs at the rap on his door, , "Excuse me, Mr. Skidder," said Mrs, Parker, with her demon's smile at his pale looks. "I didn't know you were In. I aslil'd tho lady to have a look at your lambrequins." "They'ro too lovely for anything," said Miss Leeson, smiling In exactly the way tho angels do. After they had gone Mr. Skidder got very busy erasing tho tall, black haired heroine from his latest (unproduccd) play and Inserting a small, roguish one with heavy, bright hair and viva clous features "Anna Held '11 Jump at It," said Mr. Bkidder to himself, putting his feet np against tho lambrequins and dlsap UM pearlng in a cloud of smoke like an aerial cuttlefish. Presently the tocsin call of "Claral" sounded to the world the state of Miss Leeson'8 purse. A dark goblin seized her, mounted a Btyglon stairway, thrust her into a vault with a glimmer of light in Its top and muttered the menacing and cabalistic words "Two dollars!" "I'll take it," sighed Miss Leeson, sinking down upon tho squeaky iron bed. Every day Miss Leeson went out to work. At night she brought home papers with handwriting on them and made copies with her typewriter. Sometimes she had no work at night, and then she would sit on the steps of the high stoop with the other room ers. Miss Leeson was not intended for skylight room when tho plans were drawn for her creation. She was gay hearted and full of tender, whimsical fancies. Once she let Mr. Skidder read to her three acts of his great (unpublished) comedy, "Ifs No Kid; or, The Heir of the Subway." There was rejoicing among tho gen tlemen roomers whenever Miss Leeson had time to sit on the steps for an hour or two. But Miss Longnecker, tho tall blond who taught in a public school and said "Well, really!" to everything you said, sat on the top step and sniffed. And Miss Dorn, who shot at the moving ducks at Coney every Sundajv.nd worked in a depart ment store, sat on the bottom step and sniffed. Miss Leeson sat on the middle step, and tho men would quick ly group around her. Especially Mr. Skidder, who had cast her in his mind for the star part in a private, romantic (unspoken) drama In real life. And especially Mr. Hoo- cr, who was forty-five, fat, flush and foolish. And especially very young Mr. Evans, who set up a hollow cough to Induce her to ask him to leave off cig arettes. The men voted her "the fun niest and jolliest ever," but tho sniffs on tho top step and the lower step were implacable. I pray you let tho drama halt, while Chorus stalks to the footlights and drops an epicedlan tear upon tho fat ness of Mr. Iloover. Tune the pipes to the tragedy of tallow, tho bane of bulk, the calamity of corpulence. Tried out, Falstaff might have rendered more real romance to the ton than would have Borneo's rickety ribs to the ounce. A lover may sigh, but ho must not puff. To the train of Momus are tho fat men remanded. In vain beats the faithfulest heart above a fifty-two inch belt. Avaunt, Iloover! Hoover, forty-five, flush and foolish, might carry off Helen herself. Iloover, forty-five, flush, foolish and fat, is meat for perdition. There was never a chance for you, Iloover. As Mrs. Parker's roomers sat thus ono summers evening Miss ljcoson looked tip into tho firmament and cried, with her gay littlo laugh: 'Why, there's Billy Jackson! I can see him from down here too." All looked up, some at the windows of skyscrapers, some casting about for an airship, Jackson guided. "It's that star," explained Miss Lie son, pointing with a tiny finger. "Not tho big one that twinkles the steady blue ono near it. I can see It every night through my skylight. I named It Billy Jackson." "Well, really!" said Miss Longnecker, I didn't know you were an astrono mer, Miss Leeson." "Oh, yes," said the small star gazer "I know as much as any of them about the style of sleeves they're going to wear next fall in Mars." "Well, really!" said Miss Longnecker. "The star you refer to is Gamma, of the constellation Cassiopeia. It is nearly of the secoud magnitude, and Its meridian passage is" "Oh," said tho very young Mr. Evans, "I think Billy Jackson is much better name for It" "Same hero," said Mr. Iloover, loud ly breathing defiance to Miss Long necker. "I think Miss Leeson has just as much right to name stars as any of those old astrologers had." "Well, really!" said Miss Longnecker, "I wonder whether It's a shooting star," remarked Miss Dorn. "I lilt nine ducks nnd a rabbit out of ten In tho gallery at Coney Sunday." He doesn't show up very well from down here," said Miss Leeson. "You ought to sco him from my room. You know, you can see stars even in the daytime from tho bottom o.flfe well At night my room is like the shaft of a coal mine, and it makes Billy .Tacit son look like the big diamond pin that Night fastens her kimono with." There came a time after that when Miss Leeson brought no formidable pa pers home to copy. And when she went out In tho morniug, Instead of working, she went from office to office and let her heart melt away lu tho drip of cold refusals transmitted through insolent office boys. This went on. There came nn evening when sho wearily climbed Mrs. Parker's stoop nt the hour when sho always returned from her dinner at the restaurant But she had had no dinner. As she stepped Into tho hall Mr. Iloover met her and seized his chance, no asked her to marry him, and his fatness hovered above her like an ava lanche. She dodged and caught the balustrade. lie tried for her hand, and she raised It and sinoto him weakly In tho fnce. Step by step she went up, dragging herself by the railing. She passed Mr. Skldder's door as he was rod-lnklng a stage direction for Myrtlo Delormo (Miss Leeson) in his (unaccepted) comedy, to "plrouetto across stago from L to tho sido of tbo count" Up tho carpeted ladder she crawled at last and opened the door of tho skylight room. Bho was too weak to light the lamp or to undress. She fell unon the Iron 1 cot, her fragile body scarcely hollow ing the worn springs. And in that Erebus of a room she slowly raised her heavy eyelids nnd smiled. For Billy Jackson was shining down on her, calm nnd bright and constant through the skylight. There was no world about her. Sho was sunk in a pit of blackness, with but that small square of pallid light framing the star that she had so whimsically and, oh, so ineffectually named. Miss Long necker must be right it was Gamma, of tho constellation Cassiopeia, and not Billy Jackson. And yet sho could not let it be Gamma. As she lay on her back she tried twice to raise her arm. The third time she got two thin fingers to her lips nnd blew a kiss out of tho black pit to Billy Jackson. Her arm fell back limply. "Goodby, Billy," sho murmured faintly. "You're millions of miles away, nnd you won't even twinkle once. But you kept where I could see you most of tho time up there when there wasn't anything else but dark ness to look at didn't you? Millions of inlls. Goodby, Billy Jackson." Clara, the colored maid, found tho door locked at 10 the next dny, nnd they forced it open. Vinegar and the LET LOOSE Tim PRACTICED SCALPEL OP HIS TONGUE. slapping of wrists and burnt feathers proving of no avail, some one ran to phone for an ambulance. In due time it backed up to tho door with much gong clanging, and the ca pable young medico, in his white linen coat, ready, active, confident, with his smooth face half debonair, half grim, danced up tho steps. "Ambulance call to 40," ho said briefly. "What's tho trouble?" "Oh, yes, doctor," sniffed Mrs. Par ker, us though her trouble that there should bo trouble in tho house was the greater. "I can't think what can be tho matter with her. Nothing wo could do would bring her to. It's a young woman, a Miss Elsie yes, a Miss Elsio Leeson. Never before In my house" "What room?" cried tho doctor in a terrible voice, to which Mrs. Parker was a stranger. "Tho skylight room. It" Evidently tho ambulance doctor was familiar with the location of skylight rooms. He was gone up the stairs, four at a time. Mrs. rarker followed slowly, as her dignity demanded. On the flrst landing she met him coming back, bearing the astronomer in his arms. Ho stopped and let loose the practiced scalpel of his tongue, not loudly. Gradually Mrs. Parker cram pled as a stiff garment that slips down from a nail. Ever afterward there re mained crumples in her mind and body. Sometimes her curious room ers would ask her what tho doctor said to her. "Let that be," sho would answer. "If I can get forgiveness for havln heard it I will be satisfied." The ambulance physician strode with his burden through the pack of hounds that follow tho curiosity chase, nnd even they fell back along tho side walk abashed, for his face was that of ono who bears his own dead. They noticed that ho did not lay down upon tho bed prepared for It in the ambulance the form that he car- Wed, and all that he said was "Drive like sin, Wilson," to tho driver. That is nil. Is it a story? In tho next morning's paper I saw a littlo news Item, and tho last sentence of it may help you as it helped mo to weld tho incidents together. It recounted the reception into Belle- vuo hospital of a young woman who had been removed from 49 East - street suffering from debility induced by starvation. It concluded, with these words: "Dr. William Jackson, the ambu lance physician who attended the case, says the patient will recover." A Quaint Tract. A quaint tract entitled "Woo to Drunkards," being a sermon by Sam uel "Wnld, preacher of Ispwich, was printed In London in 1027. The preacher based his remarks upon Proverbs xxlll, 20-32, "Look not thou upon tho wine when it is red," etc., imd Illustrated his arguments by ex amples from various parts of the king dom of "God's judgments on drunk ards." Among other instances ho quotes tho following ono from Ten by: "At Tenby, in Pembrokeshire, Drunkard being exceedingly drunke broke himself all to pieces off an high and steep rock in most fearefull man ner, and yet tho occasion and clrcum- Btancos of his fall so ridiculous as thtnke not fit to relate, lest in so seri ous a judgement I should movo laugh ter of the Header." Cardiff Times. NIGHT TALKS roajbmaINO? By REV. F. E. DAVISON g V ' ""(1 ) I OCXX)OOC)COOOCOCOOCOCOOOCQ THAT BLESSED HOPE. International Bible Lesson for Aug. 8, '09 ( 1 Thess 5: 12-24). Of the twenty one epistles of the New Testa ment at least thirteen bear the name of Paul. He wrote one letter to Romans, eight to Greeks, and four to individu als. These let ters aro not bound up in the Bible in the or der In which they were written. The flrst letters which the apostle wrote were the 1st and 2nd epistles to the Thessalonlans, and they were written upon Just one theme, the second advent of Christ. History Unrolling. The Jews for hundreds of years had been living in anticipation of the coming of a Messiah. For them, world-history had unrolled itself in this order, viz.: a chosen man, Abra ham, was called out of Ur of the Chal dees, and this chosen man had be come the head of a chosen family, Hebrews, and this chosen family had become a chosen nation, Israelites, and this chosen nation should produce chosen, supreme teacher, Jesus That was as far as they went. And right here the apostles took up the chart, and taught that this chosen Jewish Messiah is the Saviour of all men, and that this chosen Supreme teacher has founded a chosen church and that to this chosen church shall ultimately be given all nations. The Gentiles on the contrary the Greeks, Romans, and barbarians could not be reached by that argument The Old Testament, and the Jewish prophets were nothing to them. Whether Christ was the Messiah or not was 01 no particular force so far as they were concerned. What they wanted was a living Lord, mightier divinity than Jupiter, or Jove, one who could appropriately be termed King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. To them, therefore, Paul preached a Mighty Redeemer of all men, now enthroned in heaven, a vic tor over death and the grave, and a king who was destined sooner or later, to ride down the skies in clouds and great glory, to judge the world in righteousness. The thought of the imminence of the second advent, that the judge was even then at the door, that the trump of the archangel might 6hake the earth at any moment, was a mighty incentive to repentance, and a cordial for every fear in the days of fiercest persecution. The King's Return. It is doubtless true that the early church anticipated that Christ would return to earth in person within the lifetime of those then living. They felt that they were living in the last days and they looked with longing eyes for the absent King to burst upon the world with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, de stroy their enemies, restore the an cient glory of David's kingdom, and make the twelve apostles his prime ministers of state, to rule over na tions. The tendency of the doctrine was to make people indifferent to anything that made for permanency. If every thing was going to be so completely revolutionized so soon, what was the use of trying to evangelize the world, or establish institutions only to have them wiped out of existence when He came. Therefore, to correct that er ror, Paul wrote his second letter, not to deny what he had already pro claimed in any way, but to dispel the idea tbat Christ had already returned or was just on the eve of it Two thousand years have rolled away and the Parousia or appearing of Christ has not yet taken place. Two thousand years is a long time as men count time, but not in the clock of eternity. According to the chronology of heaven, "a thousand years In thy sight are but as yesterday when it is passed." And, "A thousand years is with the Lord as one day," That be ing so, it follows that it is not yet two days since Christ ascended from Olivet, and it is still perfectly proper to say, "The Lord Is not slack con cerning His promise as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." Now, suppose the tidings should suddenly go forth that He was com ing to-morrow. Suppose it should be definitely established that at precise ly 12 o'clock, noon, August 9, 1909, the heavens would roll together like a scroll, the throne of the universe would appear In tho clouds, and every eye should see Him, on whose head are many crowns! What do you sup pose would happen? Wouldn't there bo some revolutions in society? What would happen In the individual life? In the homes of the people? In busi ness, in legislation, crooked things would bo made Btralght Injustice and oppression would cease, the churches would be crowded, the halls ot pleas ure would be deserted. Well, If these ttitnca to mild hnnnnn fhn In vfow nf mio rnmimr onn Anv nn. Hv nnv I OI -wv 0. T w good and sufficient reason, why they I 1 should not take place now? A GOOD ROADS BOOM. Present Impulses Toward Their Build Ing Never Equalled. There has been manifested in the several States of the East and South, the past year, an impulse toward the construction and maintenance ot good roads, that has never been equalled In the past and that is likely to grow as the years come and go. In almost every one of the older commonwealths there has been an awakening to the economic value of such improvement Perhaps the multiplication of automo biles has been one of the impelling causes of this larger movement but the farmers and all others Interested in local transportation have caught its spirit, and have come to realize that business as well as pleasure would be promoted by the es tablishment of thoBe conditions to ward which It tends. When a hus bandman masters the simple calcula tion that because a span of horses can draw twice as much over a good road as a poor one he is therefore getting twice as much service at no additional expense, he is pretty sure to give his approval and support to the enterprise. Almost every State along the Atlan tic slope has taken action within the past year looking to the betterment of its highways. Although Massachu setts has been a leader In this re spect for a number of years, the new distribution of a percentage of the ap propriation made for this purpose among the small towns is bound to show material Improvement in a very short time. It will not give all sec tions such roads as the highway com mission constructs for demonstration purposes, yet It will Inevitably raise the general standard and stimulate local Interest to a larger extent In this form of Improvement. New Hamp shire has projected a decided advance in this respect by taking steps to build three trunk highways through the State. New York has bonded her self for millions for a like purpose and the result will doubtless promote her internal interests to a greater ex tent than her barge canal and at a much earlier date. By much pressure the governor of Pennsylvania succeed ed in having authority given by tho recent Legislature for the construe tion of a great highway between tho principal cities of the State, represent ing the eastern and western halves. With her comparatively limited re sources, Maryland has appropriated millions for this purpose and in con junction with West Virginia has ar ranged for a hignway that will bo a revelation to the people of those States. Similar action, even If on a less ex tended scale, might bo instanced in other States, but, comparatively speaking, Georgia seems to have gird ed up her loins for the most signifi cant advance in the whole sisterhood, COVERS THE HOT WATER JVG. Simple Cosy That Will Aid in Keep ing the Contents Warm. It is quite as necessary to keep the hot water warm that has occasionally to be added to the teapot as it is to keen the tea itself warm. It is, there fore, a good plan to make a cosy of a similar nature to the ordinary tea v hut. of course, differing in shane. to fit the hot water jug. simple cosy of this kind Is shown in our sketch, with the picture of a hot water jug embroidered on one side. It is edged with a stout cord, with three loops at tho top to form a han dle by which it may be lifted when required. A cover of linen or campric that can bo removed Is nice, as it can then bo frequently washed. A wad ded foundation covered with sateen 6hould bo made, then tho cover should be a trifle larger so as to slip on easily, and button at the lower edge to buttons on tho foundation. The French Method. Tho excellence of the French road is due not to the superior quality of the material used in their construc tion, as the same materials oxlst most everywhere, or to the perfection of tho French method of construction, for their roads are built according to the Macadam plan, which is also used in this country, but to the su periority of the French method of ad ministration, which places all roads under constant and Intelligent super vision. I The value of commercial fertilizer! ( . Alt At. 1 I aepenub on voeir conunmB uie bib ments which the soil needs. WHEN THE ENGINE COMES 8 no time to be regretting your neglect to get insured. A little care beforehand is worth more than any amount ol re gret. KRAFT & CONGER, ieneral Insurance Agents HONESDALE PA. Holmes Memorial, St. Rose Cemetery, Carbondale, Fa. Designed and built by MARTIN CAUFIELiD Tooth Savers We have the sort of tooth brushes that nre made to thoroughly cleuusu uml save tho teetn. They are the kind that clean teeth without leaving vour mouth full of bristles. We recommend those costing 25 cents or more, as we ran guarantee them nnd will re place, free, any that show defects, of nianu facture within three months. O. T. CHAHBERS, PHARHACIST, Opp.D. & It. Station, HONESDALE, PA. JOSEPH N. WELCH Fire The OLDEST Fire Insurance Agency in Wayne County. Office: Second floor Masonic Build ing, over C. C. Jadwin's drug Etore, Honesdale. FOR SALE 1 One of the best equipped farms in Wayne county situated about three miles from " Honesdale, Everything llp-To-Dale.; Over $5,000.00 as been ex ended with n the Inst fivR years in buiuuna 165 tatfv tools and improvements. of which 75 acres are good hard- oou umuer. ill ue som reasonably. A Bargain. For further particulars en- quire of W. W.WOOD, "Citizen office. For New Late Novelties -IN I ruj.' tti. 1 jff Mf I" f I IF' -. I L'W. JEWELRY SILVERWARE WATCHES Try SPENCER, The Jeweler "Guaranteed articles only sold."
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers