New-York tribune., 1903-03-08

sat in my bath chair at the corner Of the
square alone, for had sent my man to dispatch
q telegram and it was pIeasanter for me to wait
in that quiet spot than IN the busy thorough
fare It was warm day in mid-October. The
sun shone with soft, mellow radiance on the
yellow leaves that were clinging to the trees in
the garden Of the square or huttering quietly
10 rest on their parent earth. No passengers
were TO be seen; but for the duh sound from the
far OF streets the silence was profound.
The melancholy Of autumn-that season Of
spent endeayor, Of slow decay, Of rest-was in
the air.
Most Of the houses in the square were shut,
their owners not yet returned from the coun-
try: but one very large house was evidently in
habte5. 1t filed the centre Of the block facing
the square on my right. 1 was wondering what
il could be- for the building seemed too large
Tor private dwelling house, when my attention
WAS attracted by a young mara YOUTH l
ought rather to say, for he did not seem 10 De
more than nineteen or twenty-who was Slowly
pacing along the pavement close to the railings
that incIosed the square garden, looking all the
tine at the large house have just mentioned
i seemed almost as if he were expecting or
hoping to see the face CT some one he knew ap-
pear at one Of the tall windows. And what
particuIarly struck me was that he walked
he touched with his fingers every fourth one OF
He came nearer and nearer to me, still touch
Ing as he went and then when he had Teacheo
the corner without noticing me in the least he
turned round and retraced his steps, still touch
ing the ratings. But it seemed to me that he
did not lay his hand on the same uprights that
he had touched before
This circumstance stimulated my idle curios-
ity Th8se who have known as 1 have what
il is 10 lie for many hours too weak 10
read OF talk a prey TO wandering fancles' VIII
understand me when I say that L became IN
tenseIy anxious to know why he was touching
those raIings. There did not seem to be any
way Of satisfying myself on this point ana 1
strOve-this will explain my state OF mind as
well as anything 7 can say stroVe 10 make
sure that he was really putting his fingers on
different uprights from those he had toucheo
Ehen ne vas walking toward me. There was
& ready way OF settling this point Every
twelfth upright terminated in a spike some
inches higher than the others. and 1 observed
that he had touched the high ones as he came
toward me If he touched one OF them now,
vas wrong; IL he touched the next to one Of the
high ones, then I was right
A few seconds told ne that was right. The
youth laid his fingers on the upright beyond the
tall one every time. And so he went on till he
reached the further corner Of the square.
! thought he would turn and come hack again.
vas sure he would. He did, touching the rail-
ings as before And this time he touched the up
rights on r-y side Of the tall ones That meant
that he WIS Systematically touching every one
of thea
Ny curiosity, satisfied on this point, imme-
istely reverted to the more important question
what could be the young mans reason for
behaving in this extraordinary way?
He came slowly nearer, and just "a ne was
about 10 turn round, obeyinE an Impulse
called 10 him.
He gave little guilty start as aware for