The Skylight Room (Henry)
from the Collection «The Four Million»
Plot Summary
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.
Chapter-by-Chapter Summary
Chapter 1
Mrs. Parker was a landlady who rented out rooms in her building.
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.
One day, Miss Leeson came hunting for a room.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Chapter 2
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.