The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-17
The GOLDEN TRAP.
BY CHARLES ID. LESLIE.
Copyrighted, lS3S, by Charles ID. Leslie.

bury Square. he was fumblng in his peck
ct for his latchkey when sudden resolve
made him desist.
Perhaps it was the sudden puff of wind
which famed his face as he Stood bear
ing faint fragrance from the flowers al
the garden in the center of the square, per-
haps the recollection that he had taken no
exercise that day, or merely the idle whim
of an idle man with no one but himself t"
consider but a reluctance 10 enter the
house and go to bed came upon him, and
he decided to take a long walk through
The empty London streets in whichever
direction his feet carried him.
The season was May and the subtle
touch of spring had not evaporated from
the breeze In spite of the miles of bricks
and smoke It had passed to reach Blooms
bury, the soft Intangible air played round
him caressingly, inviting him to remain
out of doors: with final glance at his
house standing wrapped in solemn silence
and Responsibility, he turned westwards.
He walked swiftly, with the firm tread OF
a strong man. his feet echoing on the emp
" pavement, for he chose the less ire
quented roads, by this time almost desert
ed 1t is impossible at any hour TO find
London streets entirely so, and as yet
there was plenty of traffic on the main
streets, little of which strayed into his
path as he went along.
A night cab passed him, drawn by a
wretched horse, two drunken men were in
side singing in maudlin voices, the driver
half drunk Also thrashed the wretched
horse too weak to move beyond a shut
fling trot, the whole forming a cynical
commentary on the city which send mis-
sionaries to every part of the globe. Here
and there he met a belated reveller return
ing from theater or music hall; the face of
a woman handsome once. but showing
haggard under her paint flashed on his I'M
der lamp-post, further wretched tramp
sat crouching on a doorstep trying to
snatch a few minutes sleep before the
next policeman moved him on. Above all
twlnkled the stars, looking down with Sc
rene disdain. Such things were. such thing
would be, for the world alters little.
Mr.. Pattison needed nothing of what
he saw he had been to a dull dinner par
~, then to his club which had been
equally dull, he felt irritable and restless
and devoted himself to walking off this
feeling.
He was a big good-looking man of about
80, with a sensitive lip belied by his air
of calm British stolidity; well off, mate
rally he would perhaps have been hap
pier if obliged to work, but he had no oc-
cupation or profession. of course he had
a hobby, oh idle men have, 1t is the only
thing which prevents them dying of bore
dom. He was the happy possessor of one
of the finest collections of china in Eng
land. His house was full of china cups
and plates, they lined the walls, they filled
innumerable cabinets bought to hold them,
they were the one trouble of Miss Marian
Heath, a relation of his mothers, who
kept house for him, and whose placid ex-
istence was only marred by the fear that
a clumsy servant might break some prec-
ious specimen of chinaware.
1t was a curious coincidence that while
his feet were bearing him on to an ad-
venture destined to alter his whole exist
ence, his mind was dwelling on the pro-
saicness Of modern life in general and his
own in particular He was feeling bored
and unable to make up his mind as to his
future plans.
Presently 1t occurred to him that he
had been walking now for some time. he
slackened his pace, and looking round
wondered where he was. His geographic
cal knowledge of northwest London was
limited, the Edgware Road was a long
way behind him. what lay past ID and
north of Paddington and Bayswater?
he was now standing in a wide street
and facing row of houses fronted by
the usual tiny garden behind him were
garden walls, night hiding what lay be-
hind. A lane ran off from the road close
by leading apparently to the exits of the
gardens Ihere was certain amount of
Aght from the lamp-post opposite and his
eyes fell on something lying on the
ground at the entrance to the lane, some
thing glittering.
He stopped and picked it up; it was a
sovereign. He held il in his hand half
amused at his find, it was one of LIES lit
tie ironies, that he. well off, should find
me com Whlle there were so many thou
sands near to whom the discovery would
have meant an infinite piece of good luck.
Thus thinking he looked on the ground
all round; ii was a purely mechanical in
stinct which everybody does on finding
anything. The lane was dimly lighted bv
two or three gas lamps at rare intervals.
there was just enough light for him to see
another sovereign about four yards further
down the lane.
Picking up the second sovereign he now
saw third, and then a fourth and fifth.
There was track of them extending down
the lane placed at equal distances apart.
Pattison followed the golden path picking
up each coin, his excitement growing with
his spoils. At about the eighteenth he
came to garden door, open, the first he
had seen, on either side of the lane a
sovereign lay on the threshold. Looking
round he saw opposite him the open
French window of a large room. 1t was
brilliantly lighted, and portions of the in
terror were plainly visible from where he
stood, but no signs of any person within.
His curiosity reused 10 the highest pitch.
he advanced, still collecting his golden
harvest, the third sovereign in the garden
Brought him close to the open window and
he now saw the figure of a woman stand
ing within.
She stood still and motionless. and as he
looked interest turned to admiration of her
beauty. He saw young girl dressed in a
white silk dress her arms and neck bare
the latter, however, encircled by a string
of large pearls. She was of medium hight
and slightly formed, the face was pale but
delicately refined and beautiful and crown.