Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-06-23
CHAPTER D.

- EGARDING the events OF that
n rainy autumn evening at Mrs.
Moore's boarding house in the
FAR West Twenties of New York, ae-
counts differ somew1at-although not
enough, after all. but that we may
piece together connected story.
Until the great event they were
trivial. 1t was the reflected light of
the tragedy which gave them their
Importance.
Most of the boarders remained in
doors, since it was too wet in the
early evening for faring out-of-doors
with comfort. After dinner Miss
Harding and Miss Jones, stenog-
raphers, who shared a room and
a1cove on the second floor, entertained
company" in the parIor on the
ground fioor-two young officemates,
who figure but dimIy in this tale The
callers came at O'Clock. A few
minutes later Professor Noll joined
them. Professor Noll was diet de-
lusionist, the assistant editor of a
the third floor. across the hall from
Captain Hanska, in a room furnished
Gas the captain himself remarked
during one of his genial moments)
with all the horrors of home. For
Professor Noll had travelled widely,
gathering experience and junk; and in
every port of the world he had bought
freely of gilt and trash curios. He
was as proud of that bizarre apart
ment as though it had been the
Louvre. A charming old man was
Professor Noll when he dismounted
from his hobby and occasionally when
he rode it. too. A thick tangle of
silver-silk hair and a little pair Aof
china blue eyes accented per-
sonality all innocence, gayety and
old-age prattle.
Miss Harding and Miss Jones had
not arrived at that point with young
men where they wanted to visit alone.
When Professor Noll entered and sug-
gested music they welcomed him. He
sat down to the piano, therefore, and
they all sang the foolish ephemeral
songs of the picture-shows. Mrs.
Moore stood in the hall for a time lis
tening. Miss Jones spied her and in
yited her in. She was landlady of
the lugubrious type; she wept ST.
lently over the sentimental passages
with rhymes on ''posey." ''cosey" and
sAproposey;" and eventually she
Joined her voice with the singing.
once or twice she left momentarily
10 look after towels. furnace-heat and
other housewifely cares. One of these
tours took her to the top of the
house. where Miss Estrilla, the lady
sick with weak eyes, lived in a half
darkened rear room. She was new
Gamer. this Miss Estrilla, and not yet
well enough to take her meals in the
dfning-room Miss Estrilla's brother.
a slim. mercurial little Latin with an
entertaining trick of the tongue, was
reading to her with shaded lamp, as
he often did of evenings. When Mrs.
Moore rejoined the others, they were
singing full voice.
ON the stairs Mrs. Moore met Cap
rain Hanska passing up from his
late and solitary dinner He was a
little irregular about meals; and this
evening he had come in, demanding
dinner. after everything was cleared
awav Half the boarding house liked
Cantain Hanska, and half disliked
him. Rather land more accurateiy)
all half-liked and half-hated him. A
large man, of IS or so, he looked at
f,rst sight rather bloated, and at
second only gross and big through
the accumulation of middle-aged
muscle and the thicker flow of mid
A1e-aged blood. He was bull-necked.