The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-03-02
A Man And A Mystery


know the people who passed by, and
II was to me as IL had never been In
that part OF the city before. I walked
as II In o dream, and l felt as | have
never felt before. I felt my life diff
ferent from what had known before,
stranger and deeper. mysterious and
unknown, as a book one reads and
does not quite understand. II seemed
to me as if forgot my life little by
little, and as IL | walked through the
fog into a new life. Then suddenly |
stopped at q street corner and then TO
think OF my own name. but l did not
know 1t. realized that l had forgot
ten 1t, but l did not care. and l kept
on walking.
"All at once stood In the hall OF q
house. A smoky lamp was burning.
and mounted the stair walking as II
in a dream. A door was In front Of
me, and I'm the uncertain light saw
on brass plate the name Steam
water
WAS II I who rang the bal? I do
not know. but heard bell tinkling
In the distance. Then the door was
opened and / stood inside Q rather
large room.
The table was set, and without
knowing how or why I sat down In an
old arm chair. II was as IL had been
expected. The lamp was smoking, and
the hot punch In the glasses gave out
a sweetly strong smell which did not
like. First, then, I looked up at the
people who were In the room,
There were three. Opposite me a
young girl was sitting embroidering.
Her head was bent down over her
work so that could see only her hair.
On my right at the end OF the table
a woman was sleeping. resting her
head In her hands. On my left q little
further away a tall. bony man was
reading dirty newspaper. Nobody
looked up; nobody said word. They
all found It quite natural that l was
with them and drank their punch.
Thus I may have sat for an hour or
more. Not q sound was In the room.
The girl embroidered, the mother
slept. the man read his paper. Occar
sionally when he turned 1t heard the
rattle Of a large silver monkey head
on his watch charm.
IL stared at the three without
speaking. My thoughts were far
away. Outside the windows II was
fog, and nothing but fog. did not
feel strange. I was not myself and
realized that was aHethef. Molten
less sat there without speaking. Then
I emptied my glass and went out. No
body looked up, nobody said good
night, and I had not seen the face Of
any OF the three.
II do not know how l came home.
An unspeakable horror drove me there,
since then I must go to that house
every day to see the Steamwater fam
lily. When evening comes I am In
the street. The fog leads me through
streets and alleys always to that
place, always to that house, the loca-
ton Of which do not know. enter
the house. mount the stair. | read
the name. walk inside. Nobody
opens the door when the bell rings.
1t opens itself, and see the three peo-
pie sitting there always In the same
position as on the first day. There Is
one empty chair at the table with the
tfffiet glass I'm front of II, and sit
down and empty the glass which is
waiting for me. The girl stoops over
her work, the mother sleeps, and the
man reads. He Is shabbily dressed
and the silver monkey head rattles at
his chain. I do not know the people
but am their guest every evening
AS soon as II is dark must go there
a power which Is stronger than my
will forces me to II. When the fog
comes have no will. Then leave my
house and go to the Steamwater fam
lily. There / SIT and drink. / am an
other being There is no word In me
and no thought. do not know who
I am. and l have forgotten my name
I am like vessel lost In the immens
ity OF the ocean and must follow the
fog.
Thus spoke Kaspar LIGHT. He
spoke excitedly, his hands moving
swiftly. as they always did when he
was nervous, Then he looked out Of
the window into the street and agair
at me.
"'The fog, the fog. he cried.
tried TO hold him back. but with su
tperhuman power he tore himself loose
and rushed out. lie had gone to SCI
the Steamwater family again.
2..EaTly-tAe next morning he Ma
found dead way out In part OF ths