The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1909-04-23

grown to be so commonly regarded as
necessities. IL boosted, for instance,
no garage; no refrigerating system
maddened those dependent upon it.; a
dissipated electric lighting system
never went out of nights, because 1t
had never been installed; no brass
bound hall boy lounged in desuetude
upon the stoop and took too intimate
and personal an interest in the ten
ants correspondence. The inhabi-
tants, in brief, were free to come and
go according to the dictates of their
consciences, unsupervised by neigh
borly women 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 OF the year he
would readily have accounted for the
phenomenon that now fell under his
observation, on the hypothesis that the
woman was somebody's sister or cous-
in or aunt. But at present that expla-
nation was untenable; Maitland hap
pened to know that not one of the 9TH
er men was in New York, barring
himself; and his own presence there
was a thing entirely unforeseen.
Still incredulous, he mentally conned
the list: Barnes, who occupied the
first fiat, was travelling on the con-
tinent; Conkling, of the third, had left
fortnight since to join yachting
party on the Mediterranean; Bannister
and Wilkes. of the fourth and fifth
floors, respectively, were in Newport
and Buenos Aires.
"Odd!" concluded Maitland.
So 1t was. She had just closed the
door, one thought; and now stood
poised as if in momentary indecision
on the low stoop, glancing toward
| Fifth avenue the while she fumbled
with a refractory button at the wrist
of long white kid glove. Blurred
though it was by the darkling twilight
and a thin veil, her face yet conveyed
an impression of prettiness; an inn
preston enhanced by careful groom
ing. From her hat, small affair,
something green, with a superstruc-
ture of gray ostrich feathers, to the
tips of her russell shoes-including a
walking skirt and bolero of simmer
ing gray silk-she was distinctly
smart" and interesting.
He had keenly observant eyes, had
Maitland, for all his detached pose;
you are to understand that he COM
pretended all these points in the flick
ering of an instant. For the incident
was over in two seconds. In one the
ladys hesitation was resolved; in an
other she had passed down the steps
and swept by Maitland without giving
him a glance, without even the trem-
bling of an eyelash. And he had a
view of her back as she moved swiftly
away toward the avenue.
Perplexed, he fingered upon the
stoop until she had turned the corner;
after which he let himself in with a
latch key, and, dismissing the affair
temporarily from his thoughts, or pre-
tending to do so, assembled the single
flight of stairs to his fat.
simultaneously heavy feet were to be
heard dumping up the basement steps;
and surmising that the janitor was
|
man waited, leaning over the balus-
ters. His guess proving correct, he
called down:
"O'Hagan? Is that your"
9TH saints presarve us! But twas
yersilf gave me tn sthart, Misther
Maitland, sor!" O'Hagan paused in
the gloom below, his upturned face
quantity illuminated by the flame of a
wax taper in his gaslighter.
I'm dining in town tonight, Ola
gan, and dropped around to dress. Is
anybody else at homer"
''Nivver a wan, sor. Shure, tn house
do be quiet's amy tomb"
Then who was that lady, O'Hagan ?"
Teddy, sor?"-in unbounded amaze
ment.
yes" impatiently. "a young WON
an left the house just as l was com.
ing in. Who was she?"
"Shure an l think We must be
dr'amin', sor. Divvle female-ray-
spicts to ye!-has been in this house
for nanny an nanny tn wake, sor."
But, | tell you"
. twas SOLltWdu JlSL Slucppcu
into the vesthibule, mebbe to tie her
shoe, sor, and we thought"
"Oh, very we'll" Maitland relin.
pushed the inquisition as Improbable
willing to concede O'Hagan's theory a
reasonable 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 impression, honest
enough, but founded on circumstan.
tial evidence.
When you're through, O'Hagan," he
told the Irishman, you may come and
shave me and lay out my things. II
you will"
Very good, sor. In wan minute"
But O'Hagan's conception Of the
passage of time was a thought vague
his one minute had heightened into
ten before he appeared to wait upon
his employer.