The Washington times., 1913-03-29

morning to clean UP and then went
away. She hadn't any business there
in the afternoon, but still she could
have gene in. She had q key and she
might perfectly well have come back
when she thought I'd be out-oh! Tor
candies. or basket Of coal, or some
thing. They all do that. 80 it didn't
startle me at all or give me any queer
sensations to know that there was some
one In the place.
II took of my hat and overcoat
after I'd lighted the gas. and went into
there. But the same sense told me
that whoever 1t was had gone on into
the adjoining room. That seemed queer,
because ought to have heard her NOV
and went on. There was no one there.
either, but followed what / can only
call the scent-which was Just rs defin-
ite, real q thing as what hound fol-
lows the trail by-out into the corridor
and down to the turning and into the
loft and down across the studio to the
outside studio door. And i was just as
sure, when got to that door, that some
one had gone out Of II less than half
a minute before ~ l was when came
in that there was some one there"
you heard nothing all the while?"
asked
MOT a sound he said, except the
noise was making myself, AMI that
And YOU saw nothing?"
Mo-" said Jeffrey.
Well. suppose you will think he was
right about it-that 1t did sound shy
that IL was confession even ner-
yous. fldRety woman would have been
almost ashamed to make: and you may
think that II / had been the common
sense, level-hsaded friend professed to
be, should have told him that his ex-
pertence was nothing more tnan an ~.
al $ko a
fool to think twice about II. I'd nave
done that II could. But the TACT was
I couldn't.
To beRin with, 1 knew that what JEFF
frey said about his possession OF an ex-
ira sense was the sober. literal truth.
1 would trust that sense of his as far
as 1 would trust one Of the regular nys
senses in a normal man. When he SAID
he knew. in that inexplicable way, tnst
some one was in the salon wnen ne
to me as IL another had said: Il saw
some one standing there" Granting
that, and had to grant II, the tnihs
became a very curious mystery;
You didn't miss anything ASKED
Nothing had been stolen!
Jenrev shook his head THE trouble
ia. he went on, with the possession
of a sense like that you never can real
ly believe In II yourself You may Know
you have it, but your common sehss
won't accept an unsupported ieport VI
it. 1t insists on telling you that you
are q fool with a head full OF fancles'
and it not only prevents you from tel.
ing other people about lit won't iet
YOU take ordinary, .common-sehse Heahs
for solving the mystery.
Il thought about the thing Tor week
II didn't happen again that time ana l
had about persuaded myself there was
nothing to It but Imagination. Then one
evening when ] was coming home from
the restaurant where I'd dined. l saw
light In my studio.
I'D to the studio door by the iron stair.
Then / recollect that the SOUND OF any
one coming up that stair was periecu!
audible in the studio from the moment
a spirai stair, and you couldn't go up
very fast Whoever was in the studio
would have ample warning I was COM
ing and plenty of time TO get out
through the apartment
50 ! went up the he other the stairs; rs,dr as
fiunG the door open. and rushed down
the corridor to the loft. As turned the
corner, I heard the studio door shut.
The studio was dark when 1 got into II.
put out. could smell it. I scrambled up
on the back Of big Breton settee from
which could see out OF the studio right
into the court.
II am perfectly sure that was up
there looking out Of the window before
anyone who had just shut my studio
door could have had time to get down
the iron stairs and across the court.
There wasn't any other way out. The
court wasn't dark. for the two Railways
were well lighted. and there was another
bright light in the arched entrance to
the court from the street. Well, looked
and looked. but that court was deserted.
A CcDtinuatioa Of This story VIII
E..,.A T. ~ro,~nrro~sa