The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1900-01-10
The Three
O'Clock Man
A Ghost That Was Banished by
Resolution.


Carl Westerly left the office at n
quarter to 3 O'clock There seemed
not TO be the remotest danger OF an
extra that night, and the telegraph
man had long since sent In his go"
For some reason or other Westerly
was more than ordinarily tired. Per.
haps 1t was his spirit that was weary.
He was tired OF the endless and relent-
less grind of newspaper work. tired
of the newspaper point of view, tired
of the whole round of life. He won.
dered II men who had home knew
how blessed they were and thought.
with distaste, of his dismal room,
where his thoughts alone kept him
company. 1t was an unlnvlting room.
as any one who saw II must have con.
fessed, for Westerly did not have the
trick of DEMONSTRATING himself rs some
bachelors do.
He was n bachelor indeed He Ind
always lived In n womanless sort of
way. Sometimes II came across him
that he was missing the best part of
his life In knowing nothing of them.
but he was shy and reverent, and It
appeared TO be his lot to dwell alone
and envy other men. So. what with
loneliness and oyerwork and ennul, he
was not Mt his best on this particular
night. No car was in sight, and he con.
cluded that he had just missed the
hourly horse car which took belated
workers homeward after the cable had
10 Ina enp 1,
started out to walk. He loltered for
time half hoping some vehicle might
come In sight, but the streets seemed
deserted. SO, after pauslng n moment
TO admire the sinister plcturesqueness
of the Chicago river, with the lights
cleaning upon Its murky waters from
masthead and high window, he starte
to cross the bridge.
A distant clock struck 3, and Wester-
i,,s. --r-.-,eai i..' i. s..,.a zii ..--.~.i l. -,
| ed up TO see n man Just before hlm-a
man who seemed to have come up out
of the solid planks of the bridge He
wore hat well back on his head and
showed long, horselike face, with a
hooked nose and one blind eye. About
him was n cape such rs men wear over
their evening clothes. All his garments
were of fine cut and quality, but
worn with n noticeable negligence.
1t was exceedingly curious. but as
Westerly approached this man he felt
fesr Of hlm-not such n fear as one
may be excused for feeling ut meeting
Il stranger In an unlikely place at n
late hour, but fear of the nerves. II
seemed to him that If, by any chance,
that man were to touch him he would
faint, lie moved as far away from
him as the limits of the footpnth would
permit, and passed him hastily, cold
ness stealing along his veins as he did
so. The man merely smiled In sar-
DOME fashion, lifting the eyebrow of
the blind eye and dropping one corner
OF his mouth. 1t was an Understandable
smlrk and filled Westerly with aver
sion.
To the newspaper mans unspeakable
annoyance the man followed him along
the streets to his home. and after no
was In his room he peered out of the
window and saw him standing on the
sidewalk looking up. Actually II
seemed to him { It he must shrek
aloud for protect 4 from this silent
man. But he ccItrollcd himself and
went to bed anf slept tier time.
The next night he con essed to some
apprehension as he ,proached the
bridge. and he looked OF anxiously for
his dread companion q the night be-
fore. He was not to be seen any
where. But Mt about the center Of tho
bridge there lie was. looking at West
erly with that one haunting eye. Again
he grlnned. Again he followed Wester-
erly TO his house and again he stood
without and stared up at the window.
This went on for nearly three
months. If by any chance the young
editor went home later or earlier than
3, he had the privilege Of going his way
| alone, but II the hour was 3 the man
was there. watchful and sardonic and
silent as the tomb. At times Westerly
thought Of addressing him, but when
ever he strove TO do so his tongue Glove
| to the roof Of his mouth. He evaded
| him at times by changing the hour OF
his homcGolng or By riding on the
emily drawn back to the bridge and
the Three O'Clock Man, as he demon
mated blnj He sometimes wondered
II he would soc the man upon the
bridge II l." were to pass In II car. but
as no ear went NJ that hour he was
not 10 know
II chaEccd that better times came to
| Westerly and that they came quite
suddenly. lie was given more salts
| factory position. which would involve
| a pleasing change of hours. and he also
| discovered that Elsa Sessions. the girl
who did the book reviews aud who had
eyes several degrees blucr than the
Italian heavens was not averse TO his
society. But there is no need to go
Into that. The point Is, lie found out
these two gratifying matters In one
day and, walking home In a state of
considerable exultation, noticed the
| Three O'clock Man with less impa-
thence than usual.
"Our acquaintance Is ended, my UNI
canny friend he thought. "Tomor-
row you may keep tryst, but Will not.
/ will walk abroad at Christian hours
! and leave you to your unholy habits
| Thinking these things, he passed the
creature, and 1t seemed to him that the
smlrk on his face was even more than
usually offensive.
Go suro vvas he that the unwelcome