The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-12-05
BOOK |.
The Silent House.
CHAPTER |.
Number 1913.

Number 1913.
As Rudolph Van Vechten entered
the outer doorway Of his club, the
handsome mission clock In the hall
was Ginning the three-quarter hour
after eight
The young mans thin, sensitive lips
assumed rueful curve and his brow
gathered in a scowl.
Fifteen minutes yet until nine," he
muttered in tone of complaint. star
ing hard at the dial. whatever |
shall do until night the gods alone
know. Plague on such rotten luck!"
And having thus given audible ex.
preston of his feelings, he dismissed
the temporary irritation with re-
signed shrug and sauntered listlessly
into the luxurious but deserted loung-
ing-room overlooking the street, where
he dropped heavily into huge. bill
lowy leather chair which stood facing
one Of the windows He Immediately
discovered that the chair was insuffer-
ably hot, and bounding to his feet,
glared round for an attendant.
None was to be seen; so he showed
the stuffy chair await was too
heavy to kick-and jerked a cooler
and more inviting willow one into its
place, wherein he once more seated
himself.
Somebody ought to kick me for
having come here" he feelingly re-
marked. Then he turned again to his
incipient contemplation of the hot
empty street.
Van Vechten might have told YOU
II he had paused to analyze his feel
ings respecting the Powhatan, that his
attachment to his club was based upon
some sort of sentiment. His slender,
modishly attired figure. and his finely
chiseled, high-bred features (which
were much paler than they should
have Leen) were by no means strange
to their present rich and elegant sur
roundings. In point of fact, no mem
Der Of the Powhatan more assiduously
availed himself of the clubs exclusive
privileges than did he. Among the
small coterie of his intimates and
friends, and the much longer list of
acquaintances who would have liked
to share the closer relationship, no.
body ever thought Of calling for him at
hie own handsomely appointed bache-
lor apartments in the Kenmore until
the Powhatan Club had first been
tried. and even then not before noon.
Because, prior to that hour, all at.
tempts to communicate with him so
invariably had been frustrated by his
diplomatic valet, Barnicle. that every
body had long since learned that he
was not in the habit of rising before
twelve o'clock.
Familiar, therefore, as his appear
ance was to the astonished and dis
comfited club attendant Tin season.,
It was ssociated-reluctantly as the
fact must be admitted-only with late
hours, the poker or bridge table. and
multitude of cocktails whose mum.
Der was known by no man save that
miracle of divination, the Powhatans
steward. He carefully indexed and
preserved all the checks which Van
Vechten so promptly forgot.
Without spending too much time,
or trying to interpret too many words.
let us endeavor to make the situation
clear; for 1t was all very strange, the
manner in which the commonplace sit.
uation described interlaced with what
Immediately followed
Here-and this is the point to be
brought to the front and borne in mind
was concurrence of time, place and
individual which had never happened
before, and in all likelihood would
never happen again, but which wore
every outward aspect of one of those
rare and inexplicable tricks on the
part of Fate, as rare and mysterious
as mushrooms, freakishly contrived to
land some poor mortal plump in the
midst of troublesome predicament,
like Napoleon's star at Waterloo. Mer-
curry blazed at midday on that mem.
orable occasion, if you have not for
gotten this apocryphal footnote to
history.
Certain 1t is, at any rate. il Van
Vechten had been anywhere else at
this particular hour on this particular
Sunday morning, he would have
missed witnessing an incident which
presently was to jar him from the
lethargy of his ennui as effectively as
if the rotation of the earth upon its
axis were suddenly TO BE- reversed.
And the incident but one of a start.
ling series, was not long in coming.
Again from the hall loated Lhe state.
ly, melodious chime.
Nine o'clock.
With the first dulcet note, Ven yech.
tens regard fell idly upon man who
was passing along the farther side
of the street.-The first human being he
had seen since taking up his position
at the window. He was not at all in
terested in the man, who was entirely
unknown to him; but the stranger had