Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-11

So assembled the single flight OF stairs to
his fiat.
Simultaneously heavy feet were to be
heard dumping up the basement steps.
and surmisng that the janitor was COM
ing to light the hall. the young man
waited. leaning over the balusters- His
guess proved correct: he called down:
"O'Hagan! Is that your
'Th' saints preSarve us. But twas yer
silf gave me TIL sthart. Misther Maitland
sor!' Y Hagan paused in the gloom be-
low. his upturned face quantity iliumi-
mated by the fame Of a wax taper in his
gaslighter.
I'm dining in town tonight. O'Hagan
and dropped around to dress. Is anybody
else at homer"
'Nivver a wan. sor. Shure, tn house
do be quDets amy tomb
Then who was that lady. OHagan?"
"Leddy. sor?"-in unbounded amaze
ment.
Yes" impatiently "A young woman
left the house just as l was coming in.
Who was she?'
"Shure an ! think We must be dr. amin'.
sor. Divvle female-rayspicts to ye!-
has been in this house for nanny an
nanny tn wake, sor.'
Belize twas somewan jist sthepped
into the vesthibule, mebbe to tie her shoe,
sor. and ye thought
'Oh. very WE'LL" Maitland relinquished
the inquisition as improbable. willing to
one the more readily since he himself
could by no means have sworn that the
woman had actually come out through
the door. Such had merely been his i'm
preston. honest enough, but founded on
circumstantial evidence.
when you're through, OHagan." he
told the 1rishman, you may come and
shave me and lay out my things. If you
WILL"
Very good, sor. In wan minute"
NIoOon'Q conconfio nf tha
sage OF time was a thought vague-his
one minute had heightened into ten be-
fore he appeared to wait upon his en-
ployer.
regular man." O'HaeAn would attend
one or another of the tenants In the ca
pacity of substitute valet-as in the pres
ent instance, when Maitland, having left
his hosts roof without troubling even to
notify his body servant that he would not
return that night, called upon the janitOr
to understudy the more trained employe.
which O'Hagan could be counted upon to
do very acceptably.
Now. with patience unruffied, since he
was nothing keen for the evenings en-
joyment, Maitland made profit of the in
terval to wander through his rooms.
lighting the gas here and there and noting
that all was as 1t should be, as it had
been left-save that every article OF FUR
niture and bric-a-brac seemed to be sadly
in want of thorough busting. In the
end he brought up in the room that
served him as study and lounge-the
drawing room of the fiat, as planned in
the forgotten architects scheme-a large
and we'll lighted apartment, overlooking
the street. Here. pausing beneath the
chandelier. he looked about him for a
moment. determining that. as elsewhere.
all things were in order-but gray with
dust.
Finding the atmosphere heavy. stale
and oppressive. Maitland moved over to
the windows and threw them open. A
gush of warm air, humid and redOlent OF
with the roar Of traffic from its nearby
arteries. Maitland rested elbows on the
sill and leaned out. staring absently into
the night. for by now it was quite dark.
Without concern he realized that he
would be late at dinner. No matter: he
would as willingly miss it altogether For
the time being he was absorbed in vain
speculationS about an unknown woman
whose sole claim upon his consideration
lay In a certain but immaterial glamour
been in the house? And. IL the true an
swer were in the affirmative, to what end.
upon what errand?
His eyes focused insensibly upon void
of darkness beneath hinl-night made
visible by street lamps and he found him.
self suddenly and acutely sensible of the
wonder and mystery Of the city-the city
whose secret life ran fluent upon the hot.
hard pavements below. whose voice
throbbed, sibilant, vague strident, in
articulate. upon the night air; the city
of which he was a part equally with the
girl in gray, whom he had never before
seen. and in all likelihood was never to
see again. though the two OF them were
to work out their destinies within the
bounds of Manhattan Island. And yet.
ut would BE strange" said Maitland.
thoughtfully, "if 80 He shook his
head, smiling. Two shall be born :"
quoted Mad Maitland, sentimentally-
A piano organ. having maliciously
sneaked up beneath his window. drove
him indoors with crash of metallic
melody.
AS he dropped the curtains his eye was
arrested by a CLEAN Of white upon his
desk-a letter placed there. doubtless, by
O'Hagan in Maitland's absence. At the
same time splashing and gurgling of
water from the direction Of the bath
room informed him that the janitor-valet
was even then preparing his bath. But
that could wait.
Maitland took up the envelope and tore
! the flap. remarking the name and address
of his lawyer in its upper left-hand cor
ner. Unfolding the Enclosure, he read a
date a week old. and two lines requesting
him to communicate with his legal adj
wiser upon "a matter Of pressing mo-
ment."
Bother" said Maitland What the
dickens
He pulled up short. eyes lighting.
That's So you know he argued, BAN
herman will be delighted, and-and even
business is better than rushing round
town and pretending to enjoy yourself
when it's hotter than the seven brass
hinges OF h-l and you can't think of
anything else. " I" I'll do it,
He stepped quickly to the corner Of the
room. where stood the telephone upon a
| small side table. sat down. and. receiver
to ear, gave central number. In an
other moment he was in communication
with his attorneys residence.
lis Mr. Zimmerman in? I would like
to
"why, Mr.. Bannerman. How do you
do?"
you're looking a hundred per cent bet
ter
bad. bad word' Sauehty'.
Maitland. of course"
Been out of town and just got your
note
your beastly penchant for economy
It's not stamped; I presume you sent it
round by hand OF the future President of
the United States whom you now employ
as Office boy. And O'Hagan didn't for
ward it for that reason"
Important, Ell? I'm only in for the
Then come and dine with me at the
Prmordial. I'll put the others on"