Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-06-11
. 3 ''The Gates of Silence" 3 3
By Meta S1nmius Auth@ Of "EIuaAed Up'

after the servile manner of it's kind, about
his feet and legs; then, using his coat as
a support for its claws, sprang up and
settled itself on his bent shoulder. as on a
watch tower
Strange Pair.
They seemed strangely in keeping. old
man and gaunt. gray striped cat, with
this tiny shop, whose windows looked into
two of those fast disappearing streets of
old Westminster that survive here, and
there, hidden away and dwarfed by great
modern buildings. by Haunting highways,
as they stood there looking for nothing
up the street where so few feet woke the
echoes.
The legend over the shop. as well as
several fly blown cards in the windows,
announced that it was occupied by Sam
uel Jex. Goldsmith and Dealer in Anti
quties. The various trivial articles in
the window-china figures, fragile, hand
less cups, divorced for all time from their
welded saucers. old-fashioned jewelry,
heaped together heterogeneously on little
trays under one set price, together with a
good deal of old brass suggested that
Samuel JaX VISA a dealer in a very small
way indeed.
Rain was falling, not In heavy spashes
now, but in a white, driving sheet that
hid the vista of the streets. The grum-
bling of the thunder sounded momentarily
louder and more threatening. following
tearing zigzags of lightning that lit up
the dark interior of the shop
In the extraordinary stiffness that pre-
vailed between the thunder crashes every
sound appeared intensified. The echo of
rapid footsteps, ringing out monotonously
10 STR Cd oil
terously loud.
AT the sound of those approaching feet
the cat pricked up it's pointed ears. and
stared out before it with round, unblink-
ing eyes that took no heed of the light
ning-shot sheets of rain. The eyes of the
man also stared out intently. There was
something predator in this absorbed gaze
of man and animal
The steps came~nearer and paused Out
of the soidly binding rain man stepped
into the entrance of the shop and greeted
Jex by name. He was umbrellaless, shut
wore a long white macintosh coat that
covered him from head to foot.
Good heavens!" he said you and
your cat-you don't appear to mind the
thunder and lightning, either of you, do
you?"
mo, no; we mind nothing of that sort.
sir the old man said. Leah is inter
ested in the rain: she has an inquiring
mind. And you care nothing for the
vagaries of the weather neither, Mr.
Sake"
Not "a"
An Uncanny Moment.
The words were stiled on Saxe's lips
by an almost deafening crash of thun-
der AS he followed Jex into the shop
a flash of lightning cut through the dark
ness of the shop like a sword.
The cat, thaf up tin now had sat I'M
moved on it's masters shoulder. aceommo-
dating itself to his every movement with
an agility born of long practice, uttered
a frightened cry. and, jumping down.
ran helter-skelter into the shop.
SAKE took off his dripping hat and shook
it unconcernedly on the floor
quite an operate entrance, my excel
lent lex" he said Enter Mephis-
topheles with thunder and lightning-eh
Appropriate-what? I'm expecting a
friend to meet me here-T suppose he
hasn't come yet? l can have the room as
usual?" he added, casually.
surely. sir; surely" The old man
made an awkward little bow You, or
any friend of yours, are welcome to my
house.
He spoke with an accent of almost
groveling servity, but there was nothing
of servilty in the glance that he cast at
Sake who, with his back to him was
divesting himself of his long mackn-