Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-02-05
THE CRYSTAL MAN.
New York SUE.


Temoer 6. 1879, ran plump into an individual
coming the other way.
II was very dark On this corner. | could see
nothing OF the person with whom had the
honor To be IN collision. Nevertheless, the quick
habit OF mind accustomed to induction had
furnished me with several well detinef-facts re.
gardiDg him before fairly recovered from the
shock OF the encounter.
These were some OF the facts: He was a
heavier man than myself and sitter In the legs
but he lacked precisely three Inches aad a hal;
OF my stature. he wore a silk hat cape OF
CLOAK OF heavy woOllen material, and rubber
! oVerSh0eS or arctlcs. He was about thlrty-f1ve
years old, born In America, educated at a Ger
man university. either Heidelberg or Freiburg
naturally or hasty temper, but considerable and
courteous in his demeanor to Others He was
! not entirely al peace with society: there was
something 10 his life or in his present errand
which he desired to conceal
HOW DID know all this when | had Bot seen
the stranger. and when only a single monos, |.
liable mad escaped his lips? Well / knew that
ne was stOuter than myself. and firmer on his
feet, because It was l, not he, who recoiled
knew that was Just three inches and hall
taller than he, for the tip Of my nose was still
tingling from It's contact With the stiff sharp
brim OF his hat My hand. Involuntary raised
nad come under the edge OF his cape. He. wore
rubber shoes, for had rot heard football. To
an observant ear, the Indications OF age are as
plain In the tones OF the voice as to the eye In
Tue lines or the countenance. In the first mo-
ment OF evaporation at my maladroitness he
had muttered ''OX!n term that would occur
70 nobody except aGerman at such time. The
pronunciation OF the cultural, however told
me that the speaker was an American German,
not German American, and that his German
education had been derived south OF the river
Nam. Moreover, the tone OF the gentleman
and scholar was manifest even Ia the uLterance
OF wrath. That tie gentleman was La no par
ticular hurry, out for some reason anxious to
remain unknown, was conclusion drawn from
the Tact tnat, AFTER listening In silence TO my
polite apo ogy, he stopped to recover and re-
store to me my umbrella, and then passed on
as noiselessly as he mad approached.
! make II point tosverlfy my conclusions
when possible. So turned back into the cross
street and followed the stranger toward lamp
pant way down the block. Certainly, was not
more than five seconds behind him. There was
no other road that he could have taken. No
house door had opened and closed along the
way. And yet, when we came into the light.
the form that ought TO have been directly In
front OF me did not appear Neither man nor
man S shadow was visible.
Hurrying on as fast as could walk TO the
next gaslight, | paused under the lamp and
listened. The street was apparently deserted.
Inc rays from tne yellow flames reached only
ute way into the darkness The steps and
doorway, however, OF the brown stone house
facing the street lamp were sufficiently ilu-
minated. The gilt figures above the door were
distinct | recognized the house: the number
was familiar one. While l stood under the
gaslight, waiting, l heard a slight noise on
these steps, and the click OF a key In a lock.
The vestlbue door OF the house was slowly
opened, and then closed with slam that
echoed across the street. Almost Immediately
followed the sound OF the opening and shutting
OF the inner door. Nobody had come out. as
far as my eyes could be trusted TO report an
event hardly ten feet away and In broad light,
nobody had gone in.
With notion that here was scanty material
Tor all exact application OF the inductive pro
cess, stood long time wildly guessing at the
Philosophy OF the strange occurrence. / felt
that vague sense OF the unexplainabe which
amounts almost to dread IL was relief to
hear steps on the sidewalk opposite and, turn
Ing, To see policeman swinging his long hight
CLUB and watching me.
This mouse OF chocolate brown, whose front
door opened and shut at midnight without In
dcations OF human agency, was, as have sad
Wen known TO me, had LETT It not more than
ten minutes earlier, after spending the evening
with my friend Bliss and his daughter Pan
dora.
The house was Of the sort In which each story
constitutes dOmcile complete In itself. The
second floor, or fiat. had been inhabited by
Bliss since his return from abroad; that is to
say, for TIVE !yemonth. held Bliss In esteem
Tor his excellent qualities OF heart, white
his deplorably Illogical and unscienti1c mind
commanded my profound pity, adored Pan
dora,
BS good enough TO understand that my az
mirati0n for Pandora Bliss was hopeless. aad
not only hopeless, but resigned to its hope ess-
Less. In our circle OF acquaintance there was
taclt Covenant that the young lady's peculiar
pcssillon as Dirt welded TO memory should
&c n all times respected. We adored Pandora
mildly, not assioDateIy-just enough to feed
Der coquetry without eXcoS.atlng the scared
surface Of her widowed heart. On ner EEaarts
Pandora conducted herself with signal pro-
-pristy. She did not siglftoo obtruslVely when
she fiirtet; and she always kept her limitations
so we'll Ia hand that she could cut them short
Whenever the fond, sad recellections came
: 1t WIS t1Gs,aefed proper FOR Us 10 ten Pan.
10 put aside the dead past like closed book
and TO urge her respectfully to come forth into
the living Present. It was net considered proper
70 press the subject after she rad cnCe replied
that this was fOreveT inspoSs.bie,
The particulafS ca The tragic episode in Miss
PaEdaras European experience were not accu-
Tately known to us. Ii was understood, 10 a
vague way that she had loved while abroad
and tTliied with her lover; that he had dSap-
pear3d, leaving her Ia ignorance or his fate and
In perpetual Tem0rse for her capriciouS bena-
vior From Bliss had gathered at times few
sporadic facts not coherent enough to form a
history or the case. There was no reason TO be
lieye that Pandoras lover had committed SUI
eide His name was Flack. He was a scientific
man. In Bliss opinion he was fool. In Bliss
opinion Pandora was fool 10 pine OH his &C.
count. In Bliss opinion all scientific men we're
more or less FOOLS.
That year / ate Thanksgiving dinner with the
Blisses. In the evening / sought TO astonish the
company by rectting the mysterious events on
the night of my collision with the stranger.
The story failed 70 produce the expected sensa-
ton. Two or three odious people exchanged
glanCeS. Pandora, who was unusually pen
Ssye, listened With seeming indifference. Her
father, in his stupid inability TO grasp any
thing outside the commonplace, laughed out
right and even Went so far as TO question my
truStworthineSs as an observer OF phenomena.
somewhat nettled, and perhaps little shaken
In my own faith In the marvel, made an ex-
cuse TO withdraw early. Pandora accompanied
me TO the threshold. "Your Story" said she.
interested me strangely. i, too. could report
occurrences in and about this house which
would surprise you. / believe am not wholly
In tie dark. The sorroWrul past casts a glIn-
| mer OF lght-Dut lest us not be haSty. For my
sake probe the matter 10 the bottom"
Inc young woman sighed as she babe me
good night. thought ! heard second sigh
In deeper tone than hers, and too distinct to
be a reveTDeratfon.
began 10 go down stair. Before mad de
scended half dozen steps | felt mans hand
laid rather heavily upon my shoulder from be.
hlnd. My nTSt Idea was that BLISS had followed
| me into the hall to apologize for his rudeness
] turned around 10 meet his friendly overture
Nobody was In sight.
Again the hand touched my arm. | sEud-
| dered in spite OF my philosophy.
IhlS lime the hand gently pulled at my coat
| sleeve as II TO invite me up stairs. / assembled
/ a step or Two, and the pressure on my arm was
| relaxed. j paused, and the silent Invitation
was repeated with an urgency that left no toubt
| as 10 what was wanted
| We mounted the stairs together the presence
| reading the way, / following. What an extra