The Washington times., 1912-05-03

man and his doings accepted and
thanked him with n readiness which
was astonishing to me II 1t was not so
to him.
Next day sent my belongings over
and took possession of the upper floor
OF the brownstone house.
Mrs. Anselm cooked for us, and
good cook she was. do not like the
life; nor yet am ] partial to the flesh
pots; but Mrs. Anselm struck a happy
medium in her cookery. Everything was
piSI Ny meals sSu'SHS %ere q% served ann in the den
where Bellair and had first supped.
he Joined me; most often
not. remember one evening he sent
Mrs. Anselm upstairs to, invite me to
supper in his own den downstairs. II
was then that began to see the sort
of life that he was leading.
that estimable woman" as he, called
her She was tall, angular and OF a
soured appearance. Her sharp race was
cut across With mouth ,1oS NV, which en- Was S,as
formed a thin, almost bloodless line.
Her air was that of woman who has
a grievance, but glories In 1t because
she feels that roo5 II al GbStan she was sas
deeply. religious, but her religion was
of the self-centered kind: IT seemed TO
me that what other people did mattered
little to her so long as 1t did not touoh
remember one day when my curiosity
was stirred to the talking point ask
ing her If Mr.. Bellair was very busy
that morning, half hoping that she
would drop a hint as to the meaning
of queer thing which I had seen the
night before.
EVERY man a perdition in his own
way!" was Mrs. Anselm's astonishing
The particular queer thing to which
l refer was only one OF many which
had observed.
Ever since I had been in the house
riositv to know what was going on In
the red room, as we playfully called
Bellair's forbidden study. Several times
I had seen strangers In the house For
the most part they were of the lower
classes. Tramps we're common, and the
night before my brief interview with
Mrs Anselm, when coming in from the
theater. had been astonished to see
an undertaker's wagon standing by the
curb.
A few minutes after had retired to
my Eoom / heard sound of many feet
moving on the stairs. Stepping quietly
to the landing, l saw three men carry
ing a coffin into the red room. Mrs.
Anselm's remark next morning filled me
with grave apprehension of know not
what.
Several nights after that was sitting
in my den upstairs, writing to a distant
friend. The silence which accompanied
my task permitted me to hear, coming
from the room below me, tinkling OF
notes as of some Impractical hand
wheedling a tune from piano with one
finger.
Now, I knew there was a plano In
the red room; I knew it to my cost. ]
am not a lover of music. but l can toll
crate pieces like Sousa's and other
things which have a decided meaning
One thing l cannot stand, however, Is
the boarding school efforts of some per
sons to make music out of an instru-
ment which is a mechanical sound-boS
| at the best of 1t. l put down my per
| and prepared to suffer with patience.
In a little while, to my inexpressiole
relief, the tinkling of the piano ceased
! Then l heard Bellair come upstairs anc
| knock at my door
new Whim, l reflected. Now he
would like to be soCiable.
| Good evening"" 1 said. little stiffiy
| perhaps, as he entered.
| Thank you," said he in tone o.
the most utter melancholy.
| On looking more attentively I was as
tonished at the peculiar aspect of hi'
face. 1t was like blue-velned marble
His lips were compressed; his great
| lustrous eyes appeared to have SUM
deeper into his head and glowed like /
moths in a half light.
You were busy, Gettys," he oh
served. the CLINT OF the half-dried ini
on the note paper catching his eye.
Il decided to stop and enjoy you
Il have been busy myself" he said
with a sad smile. Like other people
! don't like to be disturbed when In
You seem to work night and day."
II think night and day." said he
turning his eyes full upon me.
Ayerse to asking questions. I ye
| could not help wondering to what hi
| thinking night and day tended.
''As you are so busy I'll look in lat
err said he, turning languidly to 60
he should have come upstairs at all.
said. Perhaps you'll smoke a pipeP"
Thanks, said he. his hand on tn
aGGr STARS i I'm haxs sure yon pH Se ssaki@ X dow"
He passed into the hallway. / hear
him softly descend the stairs. Then tn
key turned in the lock of the red roor
door.
While waiting for him to return
selected a pipe from the rack. ] ha rdl
had done 80 when l was seized with
sensation of nervous dread and despair
1t seemed to me that in taking tina
pipe from the rack had not obeyed m
own will. l sickened at the thought G
the pipe, and a faintness stole over Ts--
AS reeled across the room and DROP
scious that l was in a strange place.
The pictures and bric-a-brac, wit
which ! had become familiar, were sud
denly new to me. And the room? l ha
never been in 1t before!
l stared like one bereft of reason, bu
still retained enough memory of m
affairs to know that the room was tn
same. But even as my eyes travele
over the personal effects about tn
room trying to identify them with thei
associations the room became cloude
as with rain-mist At the same momer
the door opened and Marcus Bellair az
peared. His figure also became er
shrouded in the mist, but before
faded from my eyes 1t seemed to m
that his pallid, intellectual face wa
illumined by a fire Of enthusiasm.
Then the evil veil closed around me
but presently out of its misty white
ness there appeared, like the first hig
lights in a developing negative, the ou
lines of something vast and spangle
with fire.
I l had ceased to know myself and wa
not greatly surprised to be walking O
J Broadway at night with the clear In
preston that l was myself" and tha
: my name was Arthur Tremlett-wher'
as It is plain William Gettys-and thf
, was destitute, my landlady. in POI
3 session of my trunk, in lieu of rent.
could still see that landlady-a Scot
3 woman, red-haired, with arms akimt
l and heart as bleak as her native lar
| in November-and she lived on Eight
D avenue, near Thirty-seventh street.
And now, what am to do|'
1 asked myself staring DULY at the diI
. monds sparkling beneath the electr
= lIPht of n jewelers. window "NO hope