The Washington times., 1905-09-10

were unsatisfying- During me drive
west he talked OF nothing but treas
rre he had secured, and we parted at
his hotel The next day 1 left town and
came down here" He stopped; waited
for a while IN silence; then took up
his story again.
1T was two months before / saw
either the man or the shop again. Then
shipping business connected with ny
rncie's mines brought me back to Lon
con and down TO the docks. The docks
reminded ne of Lorrison and his curio
,i,cp. / told you ii lay away down
.-theast, didn't 1? Well, en- my way
Inc strolled through the narrow
street and dropped in on the rum man.
i talked TO him for half an hour, but
left with nothing beyond a feeling of
interest-and the coin I've given you
tonight He stayed an enigma; very
gentle, very courteous, but as secretive
as the Sphinx" STROBE stopped again.
and knocked the ashes out of his pipe
We'll, business brought me TO the
decks again, and interest brought me
10 the curio shop. ] made M my mind
to know that man against his will;
made IT u point of honor TO myself. i
won't tell you how many times 1 tried
and how many ! failed. I'll go right
on TO the night things fell out straight.
Chance delayed me in a mans office
until G. IN October the dusk has begun
to fall at 6, and { was dark as walk
ed up Felt street.-the street where the
skop STANDS. The shutters had been
,>ut up and the place closed for the
right. and precisely as 1 passed the
door it opened and my odd friend came
cut. / spoke to him. and be SHE'D away
from me ike frightened horse; then
lie saw my face by gas lamp and a
look OF recognition crossed his eyes-a
look that was almost a craving for sym
pathy IL seemed TO me. Without his
lsave / joined him. and we walked down
the street side by side. lie led me by a
hundred little byways and cross streets
ocwn TO the wharves-his usual watkins
rlace And there, in the midst of q
network of bales ard barrels, with tn,
ships looming huge in the partial dark
the mesh of masts and rigging cut
against the sky. We walked for tw,
hours The filth Of the town came e
us mixed with the tar of the sea; TIT
fires of the late workmen fiared up a
Intervals of smoky gloom. The seem
was weird. but in The whole odd medic!
my companion was the weirdest objec
shadow, sometimes III up: his deforme'
Eody sharp and plain at one momen,
vague and indistinet the next. 1t wa
queer experience; IL ] was intereste
before. / was twenty times more inter
ested then. L set myself 10 draw hin
out with all the persistence possessed
] walked with him up and down
worked on him. hung back. urged hir
on" Strobe paused. His tobacco pouc
was held between his hands. Il ha
made up my mind TO get at the man
story, Anna, and I won In his yoic
there was the alert tone. the assuranc
that characterized his whole being II
leant back and looked M into the girl
face. But the night had fallen betwee
them Ike a veil His glance failed I
reach her. though his tone did not.
A shudder ran through her TO her fee
and finger tips She closed her eyes. a
enc closes them before precipce; he
Ilain. swung round as IL might on
eddy height. She had never tainted 1
her life, but she found herself wonder
ing. i'm an impersonal way, what tn
sensation might be like.
And ! won, Annai j won"
Her Lips formed some word. she wa