Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-08-06
The Brass BOuL
CHAPTER l-DUsT.


In the dull hot dusk of a summers day
green touring car. swinging out OF the
East Drive, pulled up smartly, trembling.
at the edge OF the Fifty-ninth street car
tracks, then more sedately, under the dis
passionate but watchful eye OF a mount
co member of the traffic squad. lurched
across the plaza and merged itself in
the press OF vehicles southbound on the
avenue.
Its tonneau held four young men, all
more or less disguised i'm dust. busters
and goggles; forward, by the side of the
gTlmy and anxiOus-eyed mechanic, sat a
fifth. in all visible respects the coun-
terpart OF his companions. Beneath his
mask. and by this l do not mean his
goggles, but the mask of modern man
ner which the worldly wear. he was, and
is different He was Daniel Maitland,
ESQUIRE; for whom no further introduc-
ton should be required, after mention
OF the fact that he was, and remains, the
IDENTICAL gentleman of means and posi-
ton in the social and financial worlds
whose somewhat sober but sincere and
whole-hearted participation in the Wild
est OF conceivable escapades had earned
him the affectionate regard of the young
er set. together with the sobriduet Of
Mad Maitland"
His COMPANIONS of the day. the four
subdued vet vibrant excitement which Is
apt to attend the conclusion Of a long.
hard drive over country roads. Maitland,
on the other hand Judging him by his
preoccupied pose), was already weary Of
II not bored by, the hare-brained enter
prise which. initiated on the spur of an
idle moment and directly due to
thoughtless remark OF his own, had
brought him a hundred miles Tor sol
through the heat Of a broiling afternoon,
accompanied by spirits as ardent and ir-
responsible as his own. in search of the
dubious distraction afforded by the night
side of the city.
AS picking its way with elephantine
nicely. the motor-oaT progressed down the
avenue-twilight deepening. arcs upon
their bronze columns blossoming suddenly.
noiselessly into spheres of opalescent ra-
diance-Mr. Maitland ceased to respond,
ceased even to give heed. to the running
fire OF chaff largely personaD which
amused his companions. Listlessly en-
gagged with a cigarette, he Iounged upon
the green leather cushions, half closing
his eyes and heartily wished himself free
for the evening.
But he stood committed TO the humor
of the majority, and lacked entirely the
shadow of an excuse to desert: in addi-
ton to which he was altogether too lazy
for the exertiOn of manufacturing a lie
Of serviceable texture. And so abandon
ed himself to his fate. even though he
foresaw with weariful particularly the
program OF the coming hours.
TIE begin with, thirty minutes were to
be devoted TO a bath and dressing I'm his
rooms. This was something not so I'M
pleasant to contemplate. 1t was the aft
erwards that repealed him: the dinner at
Sherry's. the subsequent tour of roof
gardens, the late supper at club, and
then. prolonged far into the small hours,
the session around some green-covered
table in a close room reeking with the
fumes of good tobacco and hot with the
fever of gambling.
Abstractedly Maitland frowned, tersely
summing up: "Beastlyr'-in an under
tone.
At this the green car wheeled abruptly
round a corner below Thirty-fourth
street. slid half block or more east, and
came to a palpitatsng halt. Maitland.
looking up, recognized the entrance to his
apartments. and sighed with relief for
the brief respite from boredom that was
10 be his. He rose. negligently shaking
off his buster, and stepped down to the
sidewalk.
Suddenly I'm the car called a warning
after him, and turning for a moment he
stood at attention. an eyebrow raised
quizzically, cigarette dropping from a
corner of his mouth, had pushed back
from his forehead, hands in coat pockets
a tall, slender sparcely-b built figure of a
man, clothed Immediately in fiannels.
When at length he was able to make
himself heard. Good enough" he said
clearly. though without raising his voice.
''Sberry's in an hour. Right. Now, be-
have yourselves
Mind you show up on timer
Never fear" returned Maitland over
HIS shoulder
witticism was flung back at him from
the retreating car, but spent itself un-
regarded. Maitland's attention was tenn
porarily distracted by the unusual-to say
the least-sight of young and attract
I've woman coming out Of a home for con-
firmed bachelors.
The apartment house happened to be his
own property. A substantial and old
fashioned edifice. situated in the middle
of a quiet block. II contained but five
roomy and comfortable suites-in other
words. one to a floor; and these were
without exception tenanted by unmarried
men of Maitland's own circle and ac-
ouaintance. The janitor, himself a wild
over and a convinced misogynist lived
alone IN the basement. Barring very
special and exceptional occasions las when
one Of the bachelors felt called upon to
give a tea in partial recognition of social
obligatiOns). the foot of woman never
crossed it's threshold.
In this circumstance, indeed. was COM
promised the singular charm the house
had for it's occupants. The quality which
insured them privacy and a quiet indie
pendence rendered them oblivious to its
many minor drawbacks, its lack of many
conveniences and luxuries which have of
late grown to be so commonly regarded
as necessities. II boosted, for instance,
no garage: no refrigerating system mad
dened those dependent upon Il: a dis
sipated electric lighting system never
went out of nights. because Il had never
been installed; no brass-bound hall-boy
lounged in desuetude upon the stoop and
took too intimate and personal an interest
J in the tenants correspondence. The in
habitants, I'm brief, were free to come and
go according to the dictates of their con-
sciences unsupervised by neighborly wo-
men-fOlk, unhindered by a parasitic corps
OF menials not in their personal employ.
Wherefore was Maitland astonished, and
/ the more so because Of the season. At any
other season ne would readily have ac-
counted for the phenomenon that now fell
under his observation. on the hypothesis
l chat the woman was somebody's sister
or cousin or aunt. But at present that
Explanation was untenable; Maitland