The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-03-28
ATALEOF THREE WINDOWS
THE ADVENTURE OF ONE WOMAN
and Two MEN EXPLAINED.

lHeT0 twas Olo TulO governing uu6 Iulk III tnO
window that nobody ever broke. II might DO
half past 4, or 1t might be so dark that the
faces Of people passing UP tho avenue were bare
ly distinguishable through the club windows.
There was q difference in something else than
the degree OF light between these two periods.
1t kept one Of tho club walters busy creating this
difference. but 1t usually existed by the time the
group at the first window broke UP and started
for home.
The rulc was never broken. 1t was an Inn
portant one, necessary TO the unity OF the group,
which might have been wrecked permanently
had it been violated. Effective as it was, the
rulo was simple. 1t was not to speak of tho
women who passed up or down tho avenue in
front of that window. That any of these women
might be a friend or a relative Of one of the men
gathered around tho table by the window the
little group that met there regularly knew per-
fectly well. Tho appreciation OF this fact served
originally to suppress any word of comment,
favorable or otherwise, that roso to the lips, and
after q while this discretion became no longer q
matter of thoughtfulncss or restraint with tho
mon when a woman passed who attracted ntten-
ton in one way or another. 1t might be that
she was strikingly beautiful, or that she was
known as the heroine Of some recent story. But
whatever she was the group kept still. She
passed without exciting a word of IN
- ~ pbAiitAAS oAteth oohr VASA u liz ~
sido were fewer in number and there were fewer
passers on tho street for them to watch, there
was no relaxation of tho rule. From force of
habit they kept still. So they were speechless
at tho sight Of q young girl who came up tho
avenue late one summer afternoon. She was
known to all of them by sight and to most of
them by name. for her maiden name was one
long known In New York. When she changed
It for another there was no deterioration in the
social position that 1t indicated. Only n few
weeks before her namo had been discussed in
connection with a divorce in a Western city. As
she walked on up the avenue the girlish frosh-
ness of her beauty, her mir of naive irresponsi-
bility, and the childish modesty of her manner
impressed every man who saw her. But none of
tho club men had a,word to say. For once. how
ever, tho rule was almost broken. A young
Southerner sat at tho table. The sight Of the
woman had a curious effect on him, and she had
not passed out OF view before he suddenly asked:
"What in thunder is that woman's lame 7"
He had never heard of the rule, but he learned
that it existed two minutes after he spoke. He
had asked tho question hurriedly, even ex-
citedly, but his companions were unmoved.
Every one continued to stare phlcgmatically
out at tho sidewalk. After a pause his chief
friend in the group answered leisurely:.
"That Is young Mrs. Blank"
The stranger felt his mistake. The other men,
to relieve him of embarrassment. talked as
though their rule had not been broken, until q
short time afterward the group separated. Some
of the men went out to dinner, others to. the
were the only two persons left in the room.
That was a break, wasn't It'll" tho stranger
I'VE never do it," the other man answered.
But outsiders cannot be expected to know"
had I'd SSowb think K.s c9 iSs s hars helped dn i eT Snsw IF |
which was given in a resigned tone, II had
seen her before under circumstances that inter
The other men having gone. the rule which
held good ONLY, when more than two were to-
club member could ask questions now.
"Why. at Old Point Comfort. four months ago,
Hadn't the ~faintest idea what it was. and
sent there from Washington to serve in place OF
leave. / had seen her before in the hotel once or
twice. but knew nobody to ask about her. ] was
When | was suddenly awakened she got up of
tho bed and started to go toward the window.
f hnG h bed. f" iioot k r np S Mai down S%s t the piaz ga. b "P
there were no signs Of her. Before l was nj the
hotel again she had left, as l found out several
her name and I never saw her again until she
passed In front of that window"
This curious story had not been told to one so
disintcrested as the ~listcncr seemed to be. He
knew the woman who had passed the club. knew
m hsG welt' OF and a h WHOLLY ihod dffesen MeF cha 1asa at f fesa
what his. friend suspected. The Southerner at
tributed the rather unconccrned manner IN which
his friend had listened to the story to lack of in
forest in 1t, and the fact that no further refer
cnce was made to II. he attributed to the same
why his host was quiet during dinner and why
he excused himself before 8 o'clock, after max
iRE an w Snsf hfs Ipisna f %as 'h SO nS Snco dnS; nS w "nd
at the same time 80 unusually reticent. But his
mind was not of the analytical order, and he
once been near him so unexpectedly ard had
But tho man who had listened with seeming
to the story was a much moro OK
friend and was h%urrying to the woman who had
passed in front of the two men that of all others
she would rather not have seen together. She
was expecting him, and no time was wasted
You want to know how 1t happened she
s SSssn' w snnat i he s reSsy is e 3r ssi {En one only T tssp
s,ill and II listen sa;.h You t"ti can tell Jnd,a II you want to.
The man wanted above all things in the world
at that moment to listen whilo she talked. SO
" 'YioSr rcm mea Esirt when I went to Old Point last
Dakota to settle there. n had not come back
ant from Old Point would never have seen me.
and you m!ghtn't have heard this story, for a
Yoa are sp soIns to say n"y ye no had aaH no Idsa that I knew h,%;
either. But l don't. The fact that he hap
pens to know me, even by sight. ia due to tho fact
that l was In his room at the hotel. / don't be.
now he knows my name. You've told himl
Well. you've only mado matters worse than they
ever were, thon.
From the day got to Old Point there was
ono man who determined to meet me. 1
to know, nobody. was about to
BIO perfectly quiet down there. was with
her friendship. So i was necessary for me
to keep AS quiet as possible. But this creature
me. Wherever l went In tho hotel he
there. lcering into my face. Go whore l
diqn, old and dissipatod and with a yellow, dried
skin; His black eyes burned, though, like fire,
and he had the hideous grin Of a hyena. But no
never met mo, and I would meyer let him catch
safety. But ono night no did manage to DO
Introduced. and from that time, unless l
was in my room with tho door locked,
that man was certain to be in my
society. His manner was insulting, insolcntly,
Dverbearingly insulting. and his coarse famil-
Iarity seemed to DO founded on the belief that
any woman should BIO delighted to be In his
presence. He sent mo flowers and he sent me
INDEPENDENTLY French novels (which made
ono Shuudyr by their Titles alone. Ip wuH ininl- |