The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-12-02

Ietnargy or MS ennu1 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 floated the state
ly. melodious chime
Nine o'clock
With the first dulcet note, Van Vech-
tens regard fell idly upon a 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
advanced within his field of vision,
and it was much easier to follow him
than it was to look away. So he con-
tinued to watch him, albeit but hazily
conscious Of the fact, because his
thoughts were occupied with matters
Of vastly more importance to himself
That is to say, at the time he fancied
they were Of more Importance; subse-
quently his opinions on this score un-
derwent a decided change.
Only few seconds later, in truth,
he regretted that he had not given the
man more Of his attention-sufficient
at least, to recall something of his
appearance. But even at that, he
never dreamed how nearly the cpl
sOde affected himself at the moment,
nor did he have any premonition of the
extraordinary events that were to en-
sue in the immediate future.
Tho rtoir
halting, indefinite slowness, the while
he studied the house numbers, as if
in search of a particular one.
All at once he stopped stock-still.
Van Vechten, as it CHANGED failed to
observe this, for his eyelids, heavy
with loss of sleep, chose this precise
second to curtain the scene. Nothing
had yet occurred to prick his curiosity.
His lids dropped only for an instant,
to be sure; but within that brief space
the strange mans bearing had sud-
denly altered. He had thrown off his
irresolution, and had gone quickly up
the steps of the house directly oppo-
site. Van Vechten opened his eyes
only just in time to see him disap-
pearing through the doorway, and the
door itself swing shut.
The Silent House! The House of
Mystery! The house wherein nobody
had even been seen to enter!
There was no mistaking the fact
that Van Vechten was galvanized into
an alertness which, had it been almost
any body else under the same cOndi-
tons, would have amounted to excite
ment.
SAY" he demanded of himself IN
der his breath. rs this a pipe-dream?
Or did somebody really go into that
house?" And after a reflective pause:
mo, l wasn't asleep" he deliberate
! ly settled the unwonted occurrence in
his mind; Il saw the chap coming
along the walk. Let's see-what did
he look like? What was he doing?
What the dickens does it mean, any
! how?"
There was nothing or nobody to an
swer these puzzled inquiries. He was
| convinced that he had remained
awake, although drifting along the bor-
| derland of slumber, because he dis
tinctly recalled having heard the clock
| in the hall strike nine. He glanced at
his watch. Yes, only nine. So he
could not have been asleep, even for
| a second
All of which may seem a ridiculous
| ly trivial matter to be the occasion Of
| so much concern; but anybody &C.
| quainted with the circumstances
would not have thought so.
To begin with. there was something
positively repellent in the very appear
ance of the house across the way.
Even the number on the fanlight-by
| pure accident, 1913, for it was an old,
| old number and not the true one at
| all-was doubly and reiteratively I'M
| inviting to persons owning supersti-
| tious weaknesses. And who of US, to
! some extent, does not? Erected in the
! days when high, narrow brownstone
| fronts were accepted as the hallmark
of affluence, it still successfully re-
sisted the encroachments of improve
| ment which otherwise modernized and
beautifed the thoroughfare.
At the time the Powhatan Club
| moved into its new quarters Number
1913 was vacant, and had remained SO
up to something like three months
prior to the opening of this story: