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| | Genre = short story | | | Genre = short story |
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| | Microsummary = A landlady showed a small working girl a room on the third floor, which she took. The next morning, she was found unconscious and taken to the hospital, where the doctor said she would recover. | | | Microsummary = Two young artists sacrifice their pride and comfort for the sake of their art when money gets tight, with one taking on a job teaching music lessons and the other taking on a job in a laundry. |
| | Wikidata = | | | Wikidata = |
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| == Plot Summary == | | == Plot Summary == |
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| A strict landlady showed a hopeful renter around her building, and eventually took her to the fourth floor, where a coloured maid showed her a small room with an iron cot, a washstand, and a chair. The renter, a small working girl, took the room and every day she went out to work. At night, she would bring home papers with handwriting on them and make copies with her typewriter. One summer evening, the small working girl pointed up to the sky and exclaimed that she could see a star that she had named Billy Jackson. The next day, the fat, flush, and foolish man seized his chance and asked her to marry him. The next morning, the coloured maid found the door to the small working girl's room locked and they had to force it open. An ambulance doctor arrived and quickly took the small working girl away in his arms, and the next morning there was a news item in the paper about the small working girl being taken to Bellevue Hospital, and the last sentence of it said that the ambulance physician who attended the case said that the patient would recover.
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| == Chapter-by-chapter Summary ==
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| === Chapter 1 ===
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| Mrs. Parker was a landlady who rented out rooms in her building.
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| {{Character
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| | Name = Mrs. Parker
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| | Description = proprietor of the boarding house; a woman in her 50s; icy stare; demon's smile
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| | Emoji = 👩🏼
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| She was very particular about who she rented to, only allowing doctors and dentists to rent the double parlours. She showed a prospective tenant the second-floor-back at $8, but the tenant wanted something cheaper. Mrs. Parker then took the tenant to look at Mr. Skidder's large hall room on the third floor, where the tenant admired the lambrequins.
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| One day, Miss Leeson came hunting for a room.
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| {{Character | | {{Character |
| | Name = Miss Leeson | | | Name = Joe Larrabee |
| | Description = a very small girl in her late teens; eyes and hair that had kept on growing; gay-hearted and full of tender, whimsical fancies; a poor little working girl; vivacious features | | | Description = young male artist from the Midwest; flowing necktie and a capital tied up; enthusiastic about morning-effect sketches; Monte Cristo-like |
| | Emoji = 👧🏼 | | | Emoji = 🤵🏼 |
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| She was a very small girl with eyes and hair that seemed to be saying, "Goodness me! Why didn't you keep up with us?" Mrs. Parker showed her the double parlours, but Miss Leeson could not afford them. Mrs. Parker then took her to Mr. Skidder's room, where Miss Leeson admired the lambrequins.
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| {{Character | | {{Character |
| | Name = Mr. Skidder | | | Name = Delia Caruthers |
| | Description = one of the roomers; wrote plays and smoked cigarettes all day; cast Miss Leeson in his mind for the star part in a private, romantic drama | | | Description = young female musician from the South; six octaves; gentle and high-bred; sweetest, simplest manners; wears white |
| | Emoji = 👨🏼🎤 | | | Emoji = 👩🏼🎤 |
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| After they had gone, Mr. Skidder changed the tall, black-haired heroine in his latest play to a small, roguish one with heavy, bright hair and vivacious features.
| | Joe Larrabee and Delia Caruthers were two young artists from different parts of the United States. They met in an art and music school and soon fell in love. They got married and moved into a small flat. Joe was studying painting under the great artist Magister, while Delia was studying music under the renowned musician Rosenstock. |
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| Mrs. Parker then took Miss Leeson to the fourth floor, where Clara, the coloured maid, showed her the Skylight Room. It was a small room with an iron cot, a washstand, and a chair. There was a shelf that served as a dresser, and a skylight that let in a square of blue infinity. Miss Leeson took the room, and every day she went out to work. At night, she would bring home papers with handwriting on them and make copies with her typewriter.
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| When Miss Leeson had time to sit on the steps of the building, the gentlemen roomers would quickly group around her. Especially Mr. Skidder, who had cast her in his mind for the star part in a private, romantic drama in real life. And especially Mr. Hoover, 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 cigarettes. The men voted her "the funniest and jolliest ever," but the other women in the building sniffed.
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| === Chapter 2 ===
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| It was a summer evening and Mrs. Parker's roomers were gathered together. Miss Leeson, a small working girl, pointed up to the sky and exclaimed that she could see a star that she had named Billy Jackson. Miss Longnecker, another tenant, corrected her, saying that it was Gamma of the constellation Cassiopeia. Mr. Hoover, a forty-five year old man who was fat, flush, and foolish, defended Miss Leeson, saying that she had just as much right to name stars as any of the old astrologers.
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| Miss Leeson then began to tell them about how she could see Billy Jackson from her skylight room. She said that it was like the shaft of a coal mine, and that it made Billy Jackson look like a big diamond pin.
| | They were happy and content with their lives, but soon their money ran out and they had to find a way to make ends meet. Delia decided to start giving music lessons to make some extra money, while Joe kept on with his painting. |
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| The next day, Miss Leeson had not had dinner and when she returned to the building, Mr. Hoover seized his chance and asked her to marry him. She dodged and caught the balustrade, and then slowly made her way up the stairs to her skylight room. She was too weak to light the lamp or to undress, so she just lay on the iron cot and looked up at Billy Jackson. She tried to raise her arm and blew a kiss out to the star, saying goodbye.
| | Delia found a student, Clementina, the daughter of General Pinkney, a distinguished widower. She was a delicate girl and Delia quickly grew fond of her. She was paid five dollars for each lesson and was able to make enough money to keep them going. |
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| The next morning, Clara, the coloured maid, found the door to Miss Leeson's room locked and they had to force it open. Vinegar, and the slapping of wrists and burnt feathers proving of no avail, someone ran to 'phone for an ambulance. The ambulance doctor arrived and quickly took Miss Leeson away in his arms. Mrs. Parker followed slowly, and when she met the doctor coming back down the stairs, he let loose the practised scalpel of his tongue.
| | Meanwhile, Joe was able to sell two of his paintings to a man from Peoria. He was so excited that he came home with eighteen dollars in his pocket. Delia was also excited, but she was hiding something. She had burned her hand while serving a Welsh rabbit to Clementina and had made up a story to cover it up. |
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| The next morning, there was a news item in the paper about Miss Leeson being taken to Bellevue Hospital, and the last sentence of it said that Dr. William Jackson, the ambulance physician who attended the case, said that the patient would recover.
| | Joe soon found out the truth and was touched by Delia's sacrifice. He realized that she had been working in a laundry for the past two weeks to make sure he could keep on with his painting. He was so moved by her love and dedication that he declared his love for her once again. |
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| {{End of text}} | | {{End of text}} |
Disclaimer: This summary was generated by AI, so it may contain errors.
The Skylight Room
Microsummary: Two young artists sacrifice their pride and comfort for the sake of their art when money gets tight, with one taking on a job teaching music lessons and the other taking on a job in a laundry.
Plot Summary
🤵🏼
Joe Larrabee — young male artist from the Midwest; flowing necktie and a capital tied up; enthusiastic about morning-effect sketches; Monte Cristo-like.
👩🏼🎤
Delia Caruthers — young female musician from the South; six octaves; gentle and high-bred; sweetest, simplest manners; wears white.
Joe Larrabee and Delia Caruthers were two young artists from different parts of the United States. They met in an art and music school and soon fell in love. They got married and moved into a small flat. Joe was studying painting under the great artist Magister, while Delia was studying music under the renowned musician Rosenstock.
They were happy and content with their lives, but soon their money ran out and they had to find a way to make ends meet. Delia decided to start giving music lessons to make some extra money, while Joe kept on with his painting.
Delia found a student, Clementina, the daughter of General Pinkney, a distinguished widower. She was a delicate girl and Delia quickly grew fond of her. She was paid five dollars for each lesson and was able to make enough money to keep them going.
Meanwhile, Joe was able to sell two of his paintings to a man from Peoria. He was so excited that he came home with eighteen dollars in his pocket. Delia was also excited, but she was hiding something. She had burned her hand while serving a Welsh rabbit to Clementina and had made up a story to cover it up.
Joe soon found out the truth and was touched by Delia's sacrifice. He realized that she had been working in a laundry for the past two weeks to make sure he could keep on with his painting. He was so moved by her love and dedication that he declared his love for her once again.
