Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-05-19
WATERBURY EVENING DEMOCRAT, SATURDAY. NAY 49, 1894

Now try yourself, and if you fail''--
Eyes, assented Maxey, "if fail?"
''Why, then we shall see what can
do
This was SO good a joke that both of
them-so ignorant are we of that which
even a few days may bring forth-both
of them laughed
''Still l think you are right, Ellen.
Our private affairs have been sufficiently
discussed in the public prints already.
It is about time that we again relapsed
into obscurity. The police includes the
press. That is my first objection, and
that decides me. will go on alone-at
least till encounter something that
looks too big for me to cope with. Yes,
I'll do that, and I'll begin at once"
So Julian Maxey, the artist, putting
ON his outer garments, set forth from his
lodgings in the gathering dusk of a De-
cember evening to begin the unraveling
of very tangled skein.
dye! Dye! I am very positive never
heard that name BEFORE he said to him
self as he went along.
1T is hardly probable that there is
more than one family Of that name in
the city
To assure himself of this fact as we'll
as to save himself the trouble of under
taking lengthy task in Flood street,
Maxey went into a store and consulted
directory. He was very much disap-
lEinted, though not a great deal sur
prised, when an attentive perusal of the
Aames beginning with Dy showed him
that no such person as Dye was recorded
in this registry. The possibility of La
mar s having made a mistake occurred to
him and led him to devise some curious
combinations of letters which he thought
might be susceptible of q similar pro-
nunciation. But his success was no bet
ter than before. Digh, Dygh, Dey and
similar barbarous expedients met with
the same disheartening fate Clearly
there was nothing to do but to plunge
into Flood street and question the in
bsbitants.
Fortunately this was not an extensive
avenue, but it made up in the density of
its population what it lacked in length.
There was more humanity here to the
square foot than in 10 streets out of any
average dozen in the city. TWAS a cross
street stretching between two brilliantly
lighted thoroughfares easy of access and
not a dangerous neighbOrhood, but per-
vaded with a general air of dilapida-
ton and thronged with a most hetero-
genous collection of people.
'Cheap lodging houses" thought
Maxey as his glance wandered along the
fronts of the dingy brick structures.
''Truly 1 have undertaken serious
task. may as well begin at the first
house and go through in order. shall
never find out anything by random
queries. "
Maxey did not at all overestimate the
magnitude of his undertaking. If he
had Seen on an ordinary errand or in an
ordinary mood, he would have retired
in disgust ere he was half through. He
rang at least two thirds of the bells in
the street and followed each ring with
a more or less tedious inquiry into the
personnel of the inmates of that house
before he met with an encouraging re-
Spouse. At the door of No. 40 he put
the usual question to an overgrown
urchin, who answered his summons, and
received the customary reply:
''No sush person here, sir. -
"Sure?''
81 am sure said tho boy, ''but l
will ask pa if you say so. -
Pa was small, why man, with a sly
face, who came up from the basement
wiping his mouth on his sleeve when
the overgrown urchin called to him. He
looked at Maxey with no small degree
of curiosity while the artist repeated his
inquiry.
81 am looking for q man named
Dye"
"Well sir. you won't find him here.
What did you want with him?''