Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-10-02
"Initials Only = By Anna katherine Greer
Thrilling Mystery Story Of Modern Times

III YOU ever go up Henry street it's
| likely enough that you've seen me not
once, but many times. I'm the fellow
VINO works at the bench next the window
IN schuper's repairing shop. Everybody
knows me-"
Audacity often carries the day when
subtier means would fail. Brotherson
stared at the youth, then ventured an
other question:
carpenter, eh?"
Yes, and I'm an Al man at my lob.
Excuse my brag It's my one card of
/ Introduction"
I've seen you. I've seen you some
where else than in Schuper's shop. Do
you remember me?"
No, sir; I'm sorry to be imperlite. but
don't remember you at all Won't YOU
SIT down? It's not very cheerful, but
m so glad to get out of the room was
IN last night that this looks all right
| 10 me- Back there, other building" he
whispered. II didn't know, and took the
room which had a window in it; but"
The stop was significant; so was his smile
which had a touch of sickness in il.
as well as humor
But Brotherson was not to be caught.
You slept in the building last night?
| Yes, Slept?
| 1He stIoHS Up or Inc older man curled
disdainfully.
i saw you," said he. you were
standing in the window overlooking the
court You were not sleeping then. 1
suppose you know that woman died in
that room?"
Yes; they told me so this morning"
Was that the first you'd heard of it?"
Sure The word almost jumped at the
| queStiOner DO YOU supuose I'd have
taken the room if"
But here the intruder with disdain-
full grunt, turned and went out, disgust
IN every feature-plain, unmistakable,
downright disguise, and nothing more!
This was what gave sweetwater his
second bad night; this and certain dis
coVery he made. He had counted on hear
ing what went on in the neighbor
room through the partition running back
Of his own closet. But he could hear
nothing, unless it was the shutting down
OF window, loud sneeze, or the rat
ting of Goals as they were put on the
fre. And these possessed no significance
| What he wanted was to catch the secret
sigh, the muttered word. the involuntary
! movement. He was too far removed from
this man stil.
How should he manage TO get nearer
| him--at the door of his mind-of his
heart? SweetWater stared all night from
his miserable cot into the darkness of
that separating closet and with no re-
| suit. His task looked hopeless; no Won
der that he could get no rest
| Next morning he felt i'll, but he rose all
the same, and tried to get his own break
fast. He had but partially succeeded and
was sitting on the edge Of his bed In
wretched discomfort, when the very man
he was thinking of appeared at his door
I've come to see how you are" said
Brotherson. Il noticed that you did not
look well last night. Won't you come in
and share my pot of coffee?" =,
IL can't eat" mumbed SWeetwater,
for once in his life thrown completely
, Off his balance. You're very kind, but
I'll manage. all right. I'd rather. I'm
not quite dressed, you see, and must get
TO the shop"
Then he thought-''What an oppertu-
nifty I'm losing Have I any right to turn
tail because he plays his game from the
outset with trumps? No, I've a small
trump somewhere about me to lay on this
/ trick 1t isn't an ace. but it'll show I'm
not chicane.' And smiling though not
with his usual cheerfulness, Sweetwater
added, rs the coffee all made? / might
take a drop of that. But you mustn't
ask me to eat-I Just couldn't"
Yes, the coffee is made and 1t isn't
mad either. You'd better put on your
coat; the hall is draughty," And wait
ing till Sweetwater did so, he led the way
back to his own room. Brotherson's man
ner expressed perfect ease, Sweetwater's
not. He knew himself changed in looks,
in bearing, in feeling even but was he
changed enough to deceive this man on
fl,A yl,1na IL, -.
each other few days before in a keen
moral struggle? The looking glass he
passed on his way to the table where
| the simple breakfast was spread out
showed him a figure so unlike the alert,
! businesslile chap he had been that night
that he felt his old assurance revive in
! time TO ease a situation which had no
counterpart in his experience.
| Il am going out myself today, so
we will have to hurry a bit" was
Brotherson's first remark as they
seated themselves at table. DO you like
your coffee plain or with milk in it?"
plain. GOSH what pictures! Where
do YOU get EN-? You must have a lot of
coin" Swectwater was staring at the
row of photographs, mostly OF a very
high order tackled along the wall separat-
ing the two rooms. They were unframed,
| put IHey were mostly copies OF great PFC
lures, and the effect was rather impos-
ing in contract to the shabby furniture
and the otherwise homely fittings.
! Yes, I've enough for that kind of
] thing" was his hosts reply. But the
tone was reserved, and Sweetwater did
i not presume along this line Instead, he
looked at the books piled upon the shelves
under these photographs, and wondered
! aloud at their number and at the man
who could waste such a lot of time in
/ reading them. But he made no more di-
rect remarks Was he cowed by the PEN
] etrating eye he encountered whenever he
j yielded to the fascination exerted by Mr..
! Brotherson's personality and looked his
1 way? He hated to think so, yet some
! thing held him in check and made him
/ listen, open mouthed, when the other
! chose to speak.
| Yet there was one cheerful moment.
| 1t was when he noticed the careless way
in which those books were arranged upon
! their shelves An idea had come to him.