Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-01-28
THE GRAY TOWER.

THE GRAY TOWER.
What | am going to tell you is not
really the whole Of the tale. hut only
the first chapter; vel il is II good story
in itself. and there are some things
which make me unwilling To say all
| know. nj least iii print.
The Gray Tower was the southeast
corner turrct of that stone huillin.
which stood until quite recently nn
Waverlcy place N the corner nf Wash
ington square. II had Il picturesque
effect as you walked down University
place from Union Square. and il WAS
almost the only romantic building IN
New York.
Ny first chapter opens on y winters
day about 1890 or 1892. If rrco:lcct
rightly. 1t was showing heavily aS
stepped into Broadway. and | turned
lIp my collar and stood u NOM II; ir-
resoluie The old horse ears ianglcd
~ with .cir bells muillcd in the
snowy storm: the tall newspaper offices
across City Hall square twinkle, ard
Shone from their thousand windows.
and | was slowly turning toward the
Park place station. when ! saw what
| guessed. even M that distance, 10 be
familiar figure cross the brilliant
light of one of the highest windows on
the other side of the square. II was
Collins No one else moved about =
room in just that Looping. darting man,
ner | knew il was his office. and |
knew he was the very man | wanted
to see before dinHnr. | hurried over
To Park Row and was shot up 10 his
floor
"Hullo. old man: busy
NO. no: come in"
Collins sat under an electric light. Il
pair of shears in his hand ard sen
of papers tossing round him. lie part
ed the red hair back from his forehead
with his left hand. and looked up
quickly with that childish. nome-like
smile. and the piercing. gliiterhg blue
eye-light. that his friends Il IT 50
well. Suddenly he dropped The Irs
and ran his long. conspicuous hand
hurridly through the stack of old pa
pers he had been clipping.
Look here. look here. This is what
you ought 10 see. Where is that copy"
What are you looking for:"
'Something | found this afternoon
It's Il romance: whole story nf forty
years ago: the mest startling piece of
fiction in real life. And not II scare
head to IL, o. those fellows didn't
know how to make up Il paper"
tFumbling all the lime and runainag
ing with that aggressive hand. Now.
! have lost it, Where in the name of
seven"
Then he swore feverishly In high
minor cultural.
"ih. here it is. Look NJ that. look
nj that
His eyes We're like glowing steel,
gimlets. and the perspiration started
on his temples in his excitement. 1t
was nothing but IN old scrap of un-
bclicvable romance he had linparthrd.
II had no possible use 10 him. I:ut
he was always tinder-h box OF cn
ihnsiasm. and fired like Il child at
small things. Collins has no particular
part III this story. Yet | can never dis.
Saciatc him from H. Its strange IN
eNplainahle quality has a certain kin
ship with his half-canny personality.
80 that never recall ii without fcelin.
his eyes burning into me with in
crrdulity and delight and drtiance and
mockery. as he handed me that torn
isSn" of New York Journal Of half
century ago.
As he said. they made little display
Of startling matter in those DAYS. and
he story. as | remember WAS told in
that brief. sober way which has since
become almost extinct Il long news
paper men.
Briefly. IL was an account of n
Sfr.frIup IiScnNRIsy Ina,l. l,x-c IL
men who had been repairing nns. of
the towers of the old building on
Washington square. In making their
renovations they had come upon dis
used closet. whose door had been
hricked up and roughly plastercd over
On the closet floor covered with i'm
palpable dust. clothed in her silk even.
ing dress. lay the beautiful specter
of woman.
say specter. for il seems dcstruc.
iion had come upon her so gently. SO
iartively. that her body was almost
unmarried. except for the dingineSs %
where she lay, or there had been some
time. There are records of such in
stances. showing that dissolution j.
not always swift to follow death Bul
whether the present ease had been due
To the sealing of the narrow room
chemical treatment of her body and
garments after death. was all Surmisc
But there was the fact. ON the dusty
iioor. in little apartment scarcely
larger than an ample bath. as if she
had fallen in faint. with one arm
spread abroad and the other hand n.
her throat slept young beauty arrest
I'd in mid pleasure $50 she looked. an.i
Il IA. ~
round of life rumhleu in the streets
below. 1t must have been the very
pathos and wistfulness of beautv-the
image of that shadowy laveliness.
snatched away from the midst Of 10:
and gayety. 50 untimcly. and not even
allowed the common boon Of oblivion
Whrr" was she all this while. the ra,li
am spirit who had dweli in that com,.
iy tenement? Had she herself. too
ike her frail, .ndcstructible person.
been held in suspense somewhere
neither among the living nor the dead:
Ii was white. white silk and mass
of white lace that She was dressed i'm
And under the soilurc of dust the pale
gold of her hair was shining and alive
But the only clcw to her identity was
the small cambr;c handkerchief. in
itialcd in one corner \. II.
When | had read the srticle Collins
said
'How's that:'
Fine
'whv don't vor Investigate it?'
'InTestigate It? What is there to in
vesrigate? This is all ancient history"
We'll. perhaps. Still, have an idea.
You know the buiIdiug don't you!'
"Ycs. | have seen II. | nave never
been in IT, answered.
'Very good. said he. Now | know
an old fellow who lives there. has
rooms in one of the towers: the tower
on the southeast corner. Ill give you
card 10 him. Go and see him. He is
fun of stories of the building; has had
n roost there for fifteen years or more.
and. If you can get hIm to talk, you
may hear something"
Collins gave his gnomclik inscruta
bile. childish laugh. AMI his eyes danced
in eliish glee. He might have known
everything or notL ng at that very
minute.
What sort is he7' asked
Well he is old. queer. II character.