The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-11-08

-A1f@ &ARt III 6b44AI
there is the love element. in others there
IS a mystery, and all breathe a spirit or
adventure.
1t has often been my fortune to start
out on some insignificant matter and
tumble into something big and impor-
ant by merely keeping my eyes open
and my wits about me-" remarked Cap
tain Dickson as we warmed our hands
before the cheerful fire in his snug den
and listened to the bowling storm with
out.
9TH adventure I am now going to re-
late happened in one of the larger
southern cities. / had been sent down
there on some minor matter. the real
nature Of which is immaterial. 1t was
a case that required time and secrecy.
For this reason I did not take quarters
at 2 hotel, but searched out a quiet
boarding house, on a side street. where
| secured a room and excellent table
board at a figure surprisingly reason
able.
There were three young men besides
myself in the house. The family con-
sisted of a gentleman and his wife. If
/ a searched the city over / could not
have found a place more completely
suited to my necessities. | pretended
that l represented a northern wood
working concern and that 1 was in thu
south to buy Understands. This char
acter was easily borne out, as I was
often out of the city. and at such times
/ ave ii out that ! was looking over
tracts of timber.
The city. like many of those in the
south, possessed n large negro popula-
ton. and it was a strange thing to me
when ! first went there TO see negro
shanties sprinkled along the best resi-
danca =fraaTC urhnPayar fhar~a u-ac a
low place or bayou, several Of which
wound about through the downtown
districts. The place where 1 boarded
was a small brick house. one of a block.
all of the same design, and just be-
tween IL and town was a frame build
ing, that was occupied by a negro fam
lily. / learned thai his was a spite
house. built by the owner of the ad-
joining lot as a matter Of annoyance
to the owner Of the brick block. against
whom he cherished. an old grudge-
Some days after my arrival. the
lady with whom I boarded announced
one evening. when we came in for sup
per. that the negro family was NOV
ing out OF the cottage, n that she be-
lieved it was going to be torn down
In this last she was mistaken, for next
morning when I went to town I noticed
wOrkmen repairing the shanty.
Il gave the matter no further thought
for several days. One night 1 noticed
smoke issuing from the chimney of the
little cottage and on closer inspection I
saw the windows were fitted with fine
lace curtains and there was a lock of
expensive make upon the front dOOr
That night I casually asked my land
lady about her new neighbors. She
seemed surprised. and told me she did
not know any n had moved into the
house. Women are naturally curious.
aad Tho r1xt nfghf a4 SrTn-or Sha u-a : in
a nutter of excitement. She said the
people next door must have moved in
during the night; that none of the
%ncighbOrs had seen their furniture de-
iivered. and. although she had watched
the house all day, she hadn't seen a
soul about it and no sign OF life ex-
cept the smoke she had noticed coming
from the chimney.
AT the breakfast table the next
morning one of the boys. who had been
out late the night before, said he had
seen a private carriage drawn by two
handsome bays. and with a driver in
fur coat and top-hat. stop before the
door of the humble little cottage. He
had been some distance away and the
vehicle had paused but a moment, just
long enough to allow two persons to
alight. 1t had driven away instantly.
This had happened some time after l
o'clock.
My landlady was especially inter
ested in her invisible ~neighbCrs, often
talked OF them. and ~speculated on who
might live there and why they should
preserve such secrecy about their
movements She offered many wild
suggestions in solution of the mystery.
but none Of them seemed to fill the
bill, and there seemed to be no way
to tell whether the one or the other
or none of them was right. The thing
finally got on my nerves. and l neve
passed the cottage without looking at
II and wishing l might be allowed to
see through its walls.
u was called out of town about this
time. and didn't think of the cottage
again until my return. Ny train ar
rived after midnight. and I caught an
owl car uptown, which put me off with
in two blocks of my boarding house.
The streets were deserted and the echo
or my football rang loud and clear in
the still streets. Some distance ahead
] noticed a man slouching along, look
ing about with that nervous, stealthy
air Of a man who fears he is being
followed. This attracted my attention.
and I walked slowly so I would not
overtake him. ! wanted to see where
he was going. and for some reason the
thought of the mysterious house popped
into my mind. We were on the p
site side of the street from the house.
but at the neares- corner he crossed.
and / had a fairly good view of his
face under the street lamp. He was
evidently a foreiener. but ] could not
make out the nationality. He wore a
heavy brown beard and dark goggles.
For a moment he PAUSED in front Of the
little cottage. l stopped i'm the shadow
OF a building and watched him. After
looking carefully i'm every direction he
stepped up. on the porch and the door
opened to admit him before ne had
Knocked. This looked interesting. and
! decided TO watch the house for a
while and see il any others went in.
There was a vacant house directly
across the street. and 1 slipped into the
side yard and took a position in the
heavy shadow cast by the building. I
had a fine view of the front of the cot
tage. Smoke ives pouring out of its
chimney. but here vas no light visible
at any of It's windows.
II did not have to wait long. Scarce
~ had l taken my position when an
other man entered the cottage. He
was nicely dressed, but I did not get 70
see his face. He wore a long Overcoat