| Show copyright asso ana 1891 by robert sons CHAPTER IX it some of them go to place and some to another or all their meals thero are several decent houses in the neighborhood where food Is provided three times a day at so much a week our friend St habitually pa yes one of them it s the cheap est method but as I 1 have served my apprenticeship at it elsewhere I 1 have been in no hurry to make a selection indeed I 1 have lately induced him to vary his cuisine by playing the bo cemian with me during the very hot weather he was looking peaked and needed a change so we breakfast in this room and lunch as you see and we take our dinners our meal of the day at whatever restaurant happens to hit our fancy we are great hands at discovering out of the way little places where one can dine appetizing ly for a mere song and perhaps the next day we hie away to one of the beaches to enjoy the crowds and ban in a large pavilion to the music of a band how delightful cried eleanor and you must do the same now that I 1 have come and take me with you uncle phyneas smiled at her enghu spasm it Is a dog s life at the best peach blossom he said with a sigh drain ing his tankard A trifle more divert ing than the other perhaps but a dogs life at best no my ambition Is to be able to settle down some day in a little house of my own where I 1 can have just what I 1 want as I 1 want it and when I 1 want it I 1 m beginning to see my way to it too queer fancy for an old bachelor to have ita and my only fear ha ha Is that I 1 shall be morally certain in time to marry my housekeeper but I 1 shall be your housekeeper and you can t marry me you he exclaimed with gay incredulity by that time you he was going to say will have a house 01 your own but he stopped em barr assed tearful of introducing the dreaded subject oh no I 1 shant uncle phin she answered stoutly divining his intention I 1 know what you were going to say and there isn t the slightest chance of it well well he responded shyly beginning to put away his papers one can never tell what a year will bring forth CHAPTER X he had finished his studies for the day and he now proposed to eleanor that she should accompany him on several errands which he had to do they sallied forth together and after visiting the institution with which he was connected and a library where he had to mouse among the shelves for a few minutes to consult authorities trey sauntered through various book stores and picture galleries with which the professor was familiar it was nearly dinner time when they returned and the professor ex pressed surprise at not finding mr struthers in possession of his den ah he said on second thought he has feared to interrupt us good boy he has thought we had many things to talk about and so we have but such modesty deserves its reward shall we invite him to join us eleanora 7 the professor went clambering up the necessary two flights and after a few minutes reappeared with mr struthers who had doffed his fustian jacket tor conventional attire so you have had a good day young mana said uncle phleas I 1 have been trying some interest leg experiments only think of it peach blossom he keeps lightning on tap in his laboratory we all live in constant fear that he will burn the house down what sort of a fume Is rampant to daya the professor added sniffing the air one day he perfumes the atmosphere with hydrogen and the next mrs todd is cook ing salt fish in the basement chemist versus cook and I 1 don t know which is the worse eleanor laughed and said what Is the special thing you are trying to discover mr Struthers 9 i A mere bagatelle interjected her uncle this audacious youth has the hardihood to maintain that it Is only a matter of a few years or months Is ita when our steam en gines will be run by electricity instead of steam and he hopes to be the for dunate man to demonstrate that it can be done successfully but if I 1 once let him loose on his hobby there will be no dinner for us he continued with a bantering smile at the em barr assed youth whose tongue his pleasantly had fettered I 1 war rant now peach blossom that you have five minutes of prini ing yet to do and a woman s five minutes are always ten be right down uncle cried eleanor as she gathered up her be longings and ran up the stairs fifteen minutes later they were at table in a sn ig restaurant one of the choicest into which the professor con keyed them announcing to the electrician whose eyes were dilating at such prodigality that he had thrown economy to the winds I 1 am spree ing it spree ing it and all on a woman s account and there will be no headache tomorrow to morrow he whispered jubilantly as he began to peruse the bill of tare with the maa ner of a man who meditates gance it will do you good too young man A pretty face assists the imagination I 1 have realized that already an struthers whose visage the moment after he had spoken glowed from the unaccustomed use of comell ment A puree of green peas and soft shell crabs and a filet a la bor delaise to begin with began the professor reflectively and and some cham of course I 1 m afraid uncle if you go on at that rate you will never have that little house said eleanor it will be a castle in spain never you mind young lady he replied drawing a fat old fashioned wallet arom us pocket and tapp fig it significantly everybody must have an occasional fling and this Is mine if I 1 be come riotous it will be from joy at having you with me bring every thing he added to the alter every thing that la good you will know we want plenty and the best for we have lunched upon sandwiches the waiter smiled broadly and bow ed low doubtless he scented a fee in the professor s sportive manner and language and he began to bustle diligently these infected likewise eleanor and mr struthers who were soon chatting and laughing gayly heedless of the hot atmosphere of the crowded res caurant trifling remarks and inci dents convulsed them all and there was scarcely a pause from the puree of green peas to the dish of rosy peaches that followed the raspberry ice cream coffeen asked the waiter in a confidential undertone the professor looked at his watch now young people how are we to spend the evening 7 I 1 have two sug gest lons to make either we will go to the theater in which case we had better take our coffee now or we will adjourn to the root park in ahlich case we will take it there which shall it be I 1 fear said struthers with a laugh that root park Is scarcely in teUl gible to miss baldwin it sounds very interesting said eleanor let us go there by all means it Is too hot for the theater the two men exchanged glances of amusement so be it said the professor roof park it is and he called tor the bill they retraced their steps to the boarding house and while mr struth ers was fumbling in the lock with his door key fleanor inquired why they had come back we are going to the roof park answered uncle phineas mr struthers led the way up stairs past s story and the professor s story and vet another story to the highest landing which was illumined only by the moon streaming through the skylight A short ladder like flight of steps led up further to a sort of trap door shall I 1 get the banjos said struthers pausing on the lowest round the idea of asking such a ques alon replied the professor do we not always have the banjos you are one person sir and miss baldwin Is another said he turning to open a door behind him just op cosite the foot of the ladder Is that his laboratory 7 whisper ed eleanor as he disappeared in side yes do you call this hospitality to leave us kicking our heel in the cried the pro fessor as he pushed in after him here Is a lady very anxious I 1 know to inspect your mysteries eleanor following found herself in a room that seemed a sort of cross between an apothecary s shop and a smithy there were pestles and mor tars and bottles of suspicious looking liquids arranged on a shelf around an alembic a pair of bellows and other chemical apparatus and most interesting of all a network of wires extending from the green jars referred to across the room and into a smaller apartment which was evi dently the young man a chamber eleanor looked around her with aston dished ees I 1 wish yoi could tell me what some of these things mean she said a she scrutinized interestedly the rows of green jars in which the liquid bubbled around bits of submerged metal that is a battery he said would you like a asked her uncle above all things mr struthers accordingly laid down the banjo and after adjusting varl ous wires and implements approached her shyly and said it you win hold this piece of wire in one band and this in the other I 1 will let the current on do not be will not hurt you oh how queer it feels she cried an instant later shall I 1 stopa ached mr struthers solicitously oh no I 1 rather like it I 1 I 1 oh how queer it Is oh oh I 1 think that will do mr struthers I 1 I 1 can t let go I 1 the cessation of the and the loosening of her grasp consequent upon it cut short her words her uncle and mr struthers were on the broad grin it s the queerest feeling it makes one feel as it small prickles were running through one im very glad I 1 tried it though was it a big dose oh no you can take more than that with a little practice and think nothing of it but it he had a mind to he could commit murder at the expense of un suspecting friends said her uncle see here adjusting the apparatus with the deftness of one skilled in such mat the professor bade eleanor re gard the point where the two ends of the wire had been brought in contact then following a quick glance which he gave at mr struthers a white sizzling flame leaped into being which caused eleanor to utter an ex cla matlon of awe how wonderful science Is she murmured yes but the full moon Is still more wonderful and we must not for get her come my boy pick up your banjo why it smells as it does after a thunderstorm she exclaimed it Is the same element tamed struthers answered as he waited for eleanor to follow her uncle out of the room the professor after climbing the raised the trap door and dis appeared A flood of moonlight greet ed them shall I 1 go firsta the young man ached oh no I 1 can find way I 1 am used to ladders tor I 1 was brought up la the countr what a lovely night she added as she stepped lightly from the last roand over the sill of the trapdoor CHAPTER eleanor found herself en a graceles gra veleS tin root with chimney pots on every sade and a network of wires stretch ing like mammoth silver cobwebs hither sad thither into sheeny space far off to the right and left a river glistened whereon many lights moved and twinkled high over head the nabon rode in gorgeous tranquillity sole mistress of a heaven by a single cloud you have your wish you are in roof park my lady will you take your choice of seatse said uncle phineas with mock solemnity inai eating a couple of comfortable looking chairs and a hammock in front of them which swung between two chimneys the hammock for me it no one else wants it she said this Is per faction so cool too you can feel the breeze from the sea why do not more people do at least it is no longer very hot she added observing the smile on both their faces she stretched herself out and drew the netting closer around her so that only her face peeped forth swing me uncle phin the professor removed froin his mouth the pipe he was about to light and smilingly complied while mr struthers dropping into one ot the chairs began to finger lightly the strings of the banjo he will sing or you II 11 you ask him said the professor I 1 do ask I 1 am very fond ot sing ing mr struthers for a moment the young man hesi bated then after a preliminary thrum or two he sang in a sweet strong voice there was pathos in his tone before the finish and when he had come to an end and the inspru ment was at rest the hammock still swayed and the smoker still smoked and only the creak and the far off rumble of the city streets broke the silence the professor having set the swing a flying by a couple of stronger twists of his fore arm composed himself in the other chair to watch the cat die as he said which melan choly event took place just as the mel ody was brought to a close there upon eleanor sat up and grasping the netting on either side pushed against the root with her feet and set herself in motion again to be continued j |
