Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-31
Copyright, 1885, by Bachelor, Johnson Bacheller)
Continued fl ON Mondays Starr
SYNOPSIS.

SYNOPSIS.
The Junior member of a private firm Of
detectives in New York becomes interested
in deserted house. opposite which he hap
pens to take 4 room. While watching IL
during a convalescence from illness, the
blinds of one of the windows are opened
suddenly, disclosing the figure Of small
man, who waves his hand and disappears
Three days later the detective receives a
mysterious letter, appointing an hour to
call He looks across at the deserted house,
shading his eyes with the letter. The figure
reappears and repeats its signal. That even
ing the detective arms himself. pushes open
the iron gate CT the deserted house and en-
tiers a dark passa geway. He is ushered
INTO a lighted room by the same strange
figure Two men and handsome woman
in evening dress receive him, all masked.
He has been mistaken for an expected mes
senger. He pretends that it has not been
safe to bring certain papers. and is COM
missoned to visit the town of P next day.
AS he is about to leave, young girl arrives
with warning. The masked lady fires at
the detective. He runs down stairs and es-
capes by the rear door.
PART III.
I found that I had gained the yard. or
small court, which properly belongs to
every New York house. Inclosed as 1t
was on three sides with its high, smooth
palings, and on the fourth by the house
from which 1 had but just escaped, 1T
seemed at first glance as neat trap as a
man could well wish himself well out Of.
I stopped for a moment to listen for any
sign from my pursuers, but all lay still
and dark behind me. They would, 1
thought. scarcely venture from house
which was supposed to be unoccupied, into
a place where so many windows could look
down upon them. l remembered that the
house stood not many numbers from the
street corner, and that the avenue upon
that side had no buildings to face it. The
row of yards" lay inclosed only by their
white palings. An escape, therefore. meant
no more, after all, than the scaling of
some ten or dozen of these fencings and
my assailants naturally would consider
that l could easily accomplish this, not
knowing how my strength was already
wasted. l crouched, meanwhile, to rest
in the deep shadow cast by the house be-
ing invisible from any of the windows,
unless a light were held. This l knew
they would not dare to do any more than
they would engage in a struggle to bring
me forcibly back, since by so doing they
must inevitably attract notice to them
selves.
1 do not know how long 1 lay crouching
there. the summer air that night had an
evil chill in 1t which crept gradually into
my bones A kind of apathy came over me
which made me obivious to the surround
ing strangeness. For the moment the
twinl<ling lights in the houses about. the
soft sounds of children's voices and the
chatterng tongues of the servants. borne
above the dull roar of the streets, had
little meaning for me. The danger L had
passed through was forgotten; TO the
danger l was still in l was obliviouS.
l was awakened to it by the sound of a
window being slowly and carefully raised
somewhere above my head. Shifting slight
ly my position so that 1 could look up
and -tt aiT GOV Vno ny,
peering cautiously down into the shadow.
He drew in his head, and again looked out,
apparently but half satisfied with the poor
opportunity his position afforded him.
Some one inside whispered inaudible
direction to him. ard the window was low
cred. No doubt he was preparing to come
down. L got to my feet therefore, and felt
my way along the wall until my hand came
in contact with the paling. 1t was covered
in the corner nearest the avenue with a
struggling, but long-limbed creeper of some
SORT which chung partly to the brick wall of
the house itself and partly to the wood.
1t was but poor support, but by grasping
with my hands the top of it, l about to
let myself down into the next yard, when
q sound of voices whispering together some
where near arrested my attention. little
above me was the last of the row of three
windows in the second story of the house
with green blinds. By getting my feet upon
the top of the fence and standing upright |
could see that the glass was lowered slightly
from the top. The blinds inside were closed.
SO that the room beyond was invisible. l
had not a moment to decide upon which
course l should pursue, for below me
heard Jackson coming along the passage to
make his exploration of the yard. Again
clingirg lightly to the vine, 1 stretched out
my foot until it touched the stone coping of
the window. light push of the other
against the paling, a little more dependence
upon the creeping plant, which, happily, had
fastened itself strongly against the wall.
and l was standing upright in the shallow
recess of the window. AS Jackson came out
of the shadow in which 1 had just been lying
L could see him plainly. He was followed
by the taller of the other two men, and they
made the round of the yard together coming
even to stand close undlr my feet and look