Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-19
"A DEED WITHOUT A NAME"

The person spoken to started, flushed, paled
| and stared with look of Amusement that
| deepened into an expression Of fixed horror.
The speaker was q man Of about twenty-five
years Of age. Of medium height, slender and
elegant form, fair complexion, yellow hair and
| mustache, and blue eyes
His name was William Hanson. He was
gentleman Of fortune and of ''elegant leisure,
taking his ease at his inn" which In this
instance was q well-known southern summer
resort
The one whom he addressed was youth
scarcely twenty-one years Of age, Of middle
height and we'll proportioned frame, but very
thin, even to emaciation. His features were
handsome, picturesque and striking. He wore
q suit OF rusty black cloth, well brushed and
scrupuously clean and neat.
he was student at q southern university,
and-now In his vacation time, being poOr-he
was clerk at the Crest house at the Isle Of
Storms, of the coast of Maryland.
! to took place In the office Of the hotel in the
still, smalP' hours between midnight and
dawn
| The two men were alone in the apartment.
Young Harcourt would have been abed and
asleep, but that something emanating from his
like cloud, murdered sleep" and so he sat in
| the office trying TO drown memory in absorbing
work on his account books. :,
| room aud in dreams but that great desire
kept him up, great hope sent him to seek this
private interview with the clerk Of the Crest
And so. when the house was supposed to be
buried In sleep, he stole to the office and
startled the solitary worker with the words
quoted.
The clerk kept his dark, troubled eyes fixed
stuneed horror 81 tba a VIM nto Sare OF
"Yes, repeat, Harcourt. Thou art the
| cused.
The youth shrank under the touch as his
breath came and went in deep inspirations, his
! flexible nOstrils expanded and contracted, and
| his sensitive lips quivered under his dark mus
from their ixed glare, nor aid Lis cheeks change
| from their ashen, death-like pallor.
Now. theni Why don't you speak? What
cuser, fixing his light blue eyes significantly on
the bianched face Of his companion,
lido not-understand,' faltered the fright
| "Oh, yes, you do! see that you understand
perfectly that am talking about the suppressed
get In this weeks drama, the deed done in
| Number %, at two O'Clock last Thursday" said
| Hanson, pointing his words with a penetrating
! look, under which Harcourt shrank into him
! self.
| sit was began the wretched youth, inn
| pulsively, and then, suddenly conscious that
threw his hands to his face and covered his
| eyes, for he was unable to bear the incisive
! gaze of his accuser.
est was'-well, whats What were you about
| to say that 1t wasp demanded Hanson.
There was no reply. only the stricken youth
seemed to collapse, to shrink more and more
me?"
Sim there came no answer from the wretched
"Noe You can't tell me? Then will tell
you, William Harcourt! 1T was'-d MURDER"
whispered Hanson into the ear of the other.
mo! no! no! AS the Lord hears me, it was
not! burst in passionate denial from the lips
OF the youth, who never moved from his
ar hi Hdnrp
sit was a midnight murdere' emphatically re-
The young man shuddered as he broke forth
in sort OF half-suppressed fierceness of denial
ut was not! Heaven truly knows that it was
not! 1t was an accident!'
at was an assassination, sternly asserted the
accuser. gazing the accused who sat, cold
stony, frozen, only repeating, with desperate
AS live and breathe, it was an accidents
pure and perfect accident"
ut iods q midnight assassination, and you, Vii
liam Hdrcoart the midnight assassin repeated
the accuser, with determined persistence.
A groan of irrepressible agony burst from the
bosom OF the despairing youth. His form
MAY the Lord strike me dead this instant
If am murderer" he groaned, wringing his
hands.
You know the law would hold you as one,
and punish you as one," coldly continued Han
at was entirely accidental" moaned Har-
court
"Accidentalw sneered the accuser "weil, it
,cas accidental that became hidden witness
Your exclaimed Harcourt. dropping his
hands from before his eyes and staring at the
Eyes, T. I, William Hanson, saw all that hap
pened in Room Number 25, on last Thursday
night, between two and three O'clock"
The wretched clerk sat with his head bowed
upon his bosom, his arms fallen each side OF his
chair, and his body sunk back il the collapse Of
shall tell you how became an eye witness
Harcourt moaned, but failed to speak.
81 ViH tell you, that you may know for a GER
tainty have the power Of life and death over
you, continued the accuser. watching the ac-
cused to mark the effect OF his words He saw
abject misery and despair; nothing more or
less. He continued:
which is next to the corner room, Number IS
These rooms look out upon the south balcony
l am rather a restless sleeper, easily disturbed
to Thas nsb
after the card playing, went to my room at
about t eleven ,hau O'clock The house was very
light came into my room. l must give you
these details so that you may understand the
accident by which l became the unseen and
unsupported witness OF crime
The speaker paused and looked keenly at his
wretched companion, but saw no change in the
utter despair OF his attitude and expression.
"After preparing for bed" continued Ham
! son, .'as It was so much too light for me,
closed my window shutters and drew down
my shade, and made il nearly totally dark
But Mea-and hereby hangs tale or rather
rope with q moose =. the end Of it,"
He paused, and glance furtively at his VIC
tim. who covered as If he had received q lash.
But then" resumed Hanson, Though nv
own room was dark, was annoyed by O line
of light from room Numbered 25. The light
which was bright beam OF the moon piercing
through small knot hole about half way uD
the wooden partition between the two rooms
shone across my room and flashed in the lace
OF the looking glass on my dressing-table and
dazZied my eyes every time. turned to the,
front of my bed. 1t was a trifle, but 1t kept me
awake to become the witness OF a crime-proyi.
dentially, perhaps. What do you think?" de-
manded the narrator, suddenly pausing to put
the question.
Harcourt never replied by word or look, and
his accuser continued his story.
II heard my neighbOr come up into his room
lock his door, and move about, preparing to get
into bed. hoped that he would close his win.
dows. He had two windows to that corner
room: one south window, opening on the bal
cOny in line with mine, and one east window
opening on q roof l knew that troublesome
moonbeam came through the open east win
dow, the moon being in the east. Pray, excuse
these details; they are really necessary to the
rupting himself to cast q glance at his wretched
companion.
But Harcourt might have Ibeen dead for any
sign he gave.
al heard Yelverton go to bed, and-without
closing any OF bis windows. After q while /
heard him snoring, while 1 still lay awake tor
mented by the mOOnbeam as well as by the
SHORES. Are you listening, or are you in a
trance?" inquired the speaker, suddenly stop