The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-06-20
Accessory
After the Fact,
BY HOWARD FIELDING.
Copyright 1895 by Irving Bacheller.l

ser',e my cool nature; "but I'll swear.
in my turn. tnat you never knew me to
betrry one OF yours"
There's something in that" he re-
piled. with greater ease of manner.
Now. look here; I'll begin frankly. l
knew that you were in that room across
the hall. bat / didn't intend to let you
le me- When you first moved In got
glimpse OF you, and, one morning
about a week ago, l took means to as
sure myself"
II remember that" said I. But
why"
"Tu answe: the question before you
ask it. I'm living here very quietly.
Nobody knows that l am here. There
are reasons
"Creditors?" I asked.
"Yes, confound them, and that's not
the worst Of it, he replied with a
frown. "But don't ask me any quu-
tionS. Just remember that I'm dead.
If YOU want to see me in my grave. I'll
let you in here once in while. but If
YOU make the smallest mistake, If you
breathe word to a living soul, If you
whisper my name in the corridors or
this Internal mausoleum. you will ut
terly ruin me. I'm Smith; remember
that You used to be my friend; prove
it now. A friend in my present situa-
ton will be next best to nobody at all"
This is cheerful" | rejoined. How
long is this agreeable situation likely
to last?'
Heaven knows. Sit down, and talk
of something else. Talk of old times"
,l,-l Lii, oh, rod
for the better We sat till the light be-
gan to creep in through the windows
with their heavy curtains, and not once
did we refer to our surroundings. As
the light increased. he grew uneasy,
ard presently | stole away across the
hall. leaving him alone.
From that time, / saw him frequent
ly. He came in the forenoon while his
room was being cared for. 1t simpli-
fed matters, he told me. Heretofore
he had stood in the curtained recess of
window while the woman attended
to the order of the apartment. How
he secured his food l could not guess.
He had heavily bribed the janitor and
that may account for it. But he looked
as If he had eaten much less than would
have been good for him. Late in the
evenings, he sometimes admitted me to
his room. 1t was agreed that / should
not knock upon his door; he was to
summon me. He seemed to take some
pleasure In my society, but l fancied
that he cared less for it than for the
chance of assuring himself that / still
kept his secret.
AS to the true nature of that secret
l was long in doubt. The hypothesis
of debt was weak, though it fitted the
man. knew him to be careless beyond
measure in financial matters. But that
he should voluntarily imprison himself
for such a reason was beyond my Gre
, dence. He was man to keep his cred
itors waiting, but never to keep them
searching. In my first struggles with
the problem / could get no further than
his own words carried me; he was in
debt, but that was not the worst of it.
For poor man, / was quite in funds
at that time, and / offered, with the ut
most heartiness. to let him have s., 900
on his own terms. He hesitated, and
then with warm expressions of graft
tude. declined. ! urged the loan upon
him, and even went so far as to ques-
tion him about his needs; but the net
result to me of the entire conversation
was doubt whether money was pow
erless to help him or the sum l had
named was too small.
/ hope that there is within me the
capacity for friendship, and am well
aware that curiosity can have no part
in anything so high. Perfect mutual