The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-05
THE GRAY TOWER,

what am going to tell you is not really
the whole of the tale, but only the first chap
ter yet 1t is good story in itself, and there
are some things which make me unwilling to
say all | know, at least in print.
The Gray Tower was the southeast corner
turret OF that stone building which stood I'M
til quite recently on Waverley Place. at the
corner of Washington Square 1t had a pic
turesque effect as you walked down Univers-
ity Place from Union Square, and it was al
most the only romantic building in New
York
My first chapter opens on a winters day
about 1890 or 1892, if 1 recolect rightly. 1t
was showing heavily as I stepped into Broad
way, and turned up my collar and stood a
moment irresolute. The old horse cars tangled
by with their bells muffled in the snowy
storm; the tall newspaper offices across City
Hall Square tWinkled and shone from their
thousand windows, and 1 was slowly turning
toward the Park Place station when l saw
what L guessed, even at that distance to be
a familiar figure cross the brilliant light of
one of the highest windows on the other side
or the Square. 1t was Collins No one else
moved about a room in just that Looping
darling manner. l knew it was his office.
and L knew he was the very man I wanted
to see before dinner. I hurried over to Park
Row and was shot up to his floor.
"Hullo, old man; bCsy?'
mo, no; come in
Collins sat under an electric light, a pair of
shears in his hand and sea of papers toss
ing round him. He parted his red hair back
from his forehead with his left hand, and
looked up quickly with that childish gnome-
ike smile, and the piercing glittering blue
eye-light, that his friends knew so well. Sud
denly he dropped the shears and ran his long
conspicuous hand hurriedly through the stack
OF old papers he had been clipping
Look here, look here! This is what YOU
ought to see Where is that copy?'
What are you looking for?''
something [ found this afternoon It's a.
romance; whole story of forty years ago.
most startling of IN,
And not scare head on it, O, those fell
lows didn't know how to make up a paper."
(Fumbling all the time and rummaging with
that aggressive hand) Now, l have LOST if
Where in the name of seven-'
Then he swore feverishy in a high minor
gutteral.
All here it is. Look at that look at that!"
His eyes were like glowing steely girnlets
and the perspiration started on his TEMPLES
in his excitement. 1t was nothing but an old
scrap of unbelievable romance he had IN
earthed. 1t had no possible use to him. But
he was always a Undertook of enthuS;asno
and fired like child at small things. Collins
has no particular part in this story vet I
can never dissociate him from it. It's strange
uneXplalnable quality has certain kinship
with his half-canny personality 60 that
never recall it without feeling his ewes hnrn
ing into me with incredulity and delight and
defiance and mockery, as he handed me that
torn issue of New York journal of half
century ago.
AS he said, they made little disnlav of
startling matter in those days. and the story
as 1 remember, was told in that brief sober
way which has since become almost extinct
among newspaper men.
Briefly, 1t was an account of a strange dis
covery made by some workmen who had haen
repairing one of the towers of the old build
ing on Washington Square. In making thai,
renovations they had come upon disused
closet, whose door had been bricked nm and
roughly plastered over. On the closet &c.
covered with impalpable dust clothed in her
silk evening dress, lay the beautiful snecter
cf woman.
say specter, for 1t seems destruction had
come upon her gently, so furtivelv tha+
her body was almost unmarried, except for
the dinginess of where she lay. or there bed
been some time. There are records Of such