Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-12-28

which hung about the place IN a street
where everything else was teemng with en-
ergy and life had often called forth
wandering speculation to my mind. 1 Won
dered how long 1t had stood 50, idle-what
state of former magnificence. now falling to
decay, was hidden behind those green shut
tiers; whether 1t would ever again throw
them open to the air and ounny cheerfulness
which it's neighbors enjoyed
/ was at the time Junior member of a
private firm of detectives with headquarters
in 9Th street, and, with, on my own part,
vast amount of conceit concerning the inn
portance of my chosen profession. had, as
it then seemed to me, natural bent toward
the foxy game of getting in my nose and
then making the body follow; while fond
ness for adventure and a leaning toward
anything in the way of the mysterious gave
me the notion that 1 was particularly
, adapted to the work. 1 was, besides, a
young man of strong athletic habit, ener-
getic and determined to make my mark in
the world. my fortune which usually is put
forward first. being already sufficiently as
sured.
1 lived in a bachelor apartment in East
Both street. 1t had been my home for three
years. and it was, therefore, with a good
deal of annoyance and chagrin that l re-
ceived from my landlord, at the end of this
time, the intelligence that no leases We're TO
be renewed, as the old building was about
to give place to a new business block.
had, therefore, to look about for new
place in which to set up my PenateS, and in
this quest my late landlord was able to rem
der me good service. He recommended to
me house which stood directly facing my
friend of the Green Blinds. Upon investiga-
ton found the place to be admirably suited
to my needs, and a week later found ME as
comfortably installed in my new quarters
as young bachelor could hope to be. In
order, however to escape from the actual
moving of my effects from the old place to
the new, had left everything to the mercies
OF the van men, and elected to spend the
eyentful day in playing tennis at the C
Club, up the river. From this place l re-
turned at night, accompanied by a severe
and obstinate attack Of la grippe. In the
ten Gays connnement to my new home
Whlch followed. frequently amused myself
IN Speculatlng about my vis-a-viS. 1t was
10 tell the truth. an ordinary house enough
brown stone, like its neighbors with the
usual four stories the heavy outside shut
.ers. always so tightly closed, being its most
obstructive feature. The entrance was
boarded over on a line with the vestibule
"hlle even the area region presented no sign
of occupancy
The entire darkness which the front
tnus presented to my view had the effect
OF annoying my weakened sensibilities to
sucn degree that the thing became a
positlVe fascination to me. l could scarce
III
FOR hours at time, prevented as | was
by. an illness from any more serious diver
slon sat in my window, gazing across the
not street. sometimes 1 smoked, oftener 1
did nothing, until the lazy action of the
nght or the soothing monotony of the
street sounds lured me finally to sleep.
IL was when in this sem-somnolent con-
ditfon one afternoon at the end of NV con-
valescence that I was startled by a very
unusual manifestation. My half-closed
eyes had been lazily scanning the green
blinds for some moments when, suddenly
one of the blinds on the third-story middle
window opened to its full width, disclosing
to my view the head and shoulders of a
man. For an instant saw him plainly. A
strange figure, small-judging his height
from that of the window-a dried attenu-
ated face, with sharp eyes glancing this
way and that, a white shirt or bedgown
seemingly his main attire. while a cotton
hishtcap ludicrously framed his face. After
a hurried scrutiny of the street his eyes
fastened themselves upon myself; a thin
nervous hand went with a Misunderstanding
movement two three times across his
forehead, and then the blinds closed with
snap, leaving the space blank and i'm
penetrable as before. Being half inclined
to doubt the evidence of my own senses
and to think that 1 had been dreaming
for some minutes ! allowed myself to
watch conspicuously for repetition OF this
strange occurrence. Nothing more, how
ever, appeared.
On the third day, with my breakfast,
dressed. and the maid told me that
messenger boy had just left it, with the in
struction that it was to be given to the
gentleman in the third-foor front. Upon
opening it l found a sheet of thick white
note paper upon which was pasted, in
words carefully cut from newspaper, the
following communication:
Ring the area bell the clock strikes
nine and wait in the shadow of the steps
Be prompt, be sure, be silent Three and =
make -
1 read it over several times, but at first
could make nothing of it. The chief, in
some instances where a case needed to be
carried on with extreme secrecy and eau
ton, had been known to address misSives
of similar nature to his juniors, but to
my knowledge we had no such cases
hand. Besides, 1 had talked with him for
an hour only the evening before, and moth
ing which implied the necessity for such
letter had been touched upon. l decided
therefore, enforcing my conclusions with
number of evidences which need not here
be recorded that the affair was entirely
outside the office. The last phrase of the
letter puzzled me most of all until my
eyes once more wandered in the direction
OF the house opposite, and light suddenly
broke upon me.
Three and make ="
The numbers which filled the blank
spaces l cannot, for obvious reasons, make
public. But 1 saw that the first two, placed
consecutively, would represent the number
of the street, and that added, the sum
House with Green Blinds. Taking 1t In
connection with the demonstration 1 had
Witnessed a few days Defoic. and which L
now was even more strongly inclined to
think had been meant as a signal to my
self, this seemed a very probable solution
of the letter. In this idea l was not long
to be left in doubt. With tina paper in
hanl J went to the open window and look
ed . ross. My eyes having been much
wca@,Gcd by my recent illness, l had ac-
a:;irci the habit of passing my hand be
fore them to protect them from too crude
a light, and in the act of doing this l now
stood and waited. 1t was not for long. A
moment later the blind opened as before.
The same figure appeared agarl-aSaln
looked up AID down the street an finally
across. performing the same pantomlme
with the nervous hands, and was gone.
| returned to my breakfast and disposed
of 1t absently. Here, | reflected, was the
necleus perhaps of that affair to which
every junior in the profession looks for
ward with impatieuce as the pivot upon
which his own success or failure may hang.
A mystery or an adventure of some Sort |
was sure, awaited me in that strange house
across the street. 1t had in it that element
of risk uncertainty, and of possible