Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1914-03-21

Certain It is, at any rate, II 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 we're suddenly to be reversed
And the incident but one of a start
ling series, was not long in coming.
Again from the hall foated the state
ly, melodlous chime.
Nine o'clock
With the first dulcet note, Van Vech-
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
! tCrested 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 1t 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 IN
| derwent a decided change.
! Only a few seconds later, in truth.
he regretted that he had not given the
/ man more of his 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.
The man was walking with a certain
hating, 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.
Tbs 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 is this a pipe dream?
Or did somebody really go into that
house?' And after a reflective pause;
No l wasn't asleep" he deliberate
~ 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?"
Theirs was nothing or nobody to an
swer these puzzled inquiries. He was
convinced that he had remained
awake. although drifting along the Dor
derland of slumber. because he dis
tincty 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
$50 much concern; but anybody ac-
quainted with the circumstances
would roJ have tho sht go.
To begin with. IN re was something
positively repellent the very appear
ance of the house across the way.
Even the number C the faElight-by
pure accident. 1913 or it was an old,
old number and n. the true one Mt
aU-was doubly az reiterauyely un-
inviting TO person. owning supersti-
tious Weaknesses 4 who Of us, to
some extent. does n Erected in the
days when nigh. 4 rrcw brownstone
fronts were accepte as the hallmark
Of atiuence, 1t str successfully re-
sisted the encroacl sents Of improve
ment which otherw modernized and
beautited the thoroJ shfare.
AT the time the Powhatan Club
moved into its new quarters Number
1913 was vacant. and had remained so
up 10 scratching like three months
prior 20 the opening OF this story:
that IS TO say. not quite two years.
How long previously 20 that it had
stood empty no club member coGld
say During az the period within their
knowledge It's beErjued IacSae had
been an eyesore and an object Of exc
Grafton; somber and broodins il vas a
sort of memepto mari 80 the .jdlers
behind The big pla@ glass windows OF
the loungins-room, a silent but per
petual rebuke 10 the folly OF their