Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1914-04-08
BOOK l..
The Silent House.
CHAPTER !.
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 bros
gathered In a scowl.
Fifteen minutes yet until nine." be
muttered In a 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-
precision OF his feelings. he dismissed
the temporary irritation wfth re
signed shrug and sauntereo Iistlessly
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. lie Immediately
discovered that the chair was ineuffer-
ably hot. and bounding 30 his feet,
glared round for an attendant
None was to be seen; so he showed
the stuffy chair await was too
heavy to k'eK-and jerked cooler
and more inviting willow one into it's
place. wherein he once more seated
himself
Somebody ought to kick me for
having come here" he feellngly re-
marked. Then he turned again TO his
incipient contemplation of the hot
empty street.
Van Vechten might have told you.
n he had paused to anaiyze his feel
fngs respecting the Powhatan, that his
attachment to his club was based upon
some sort OF sentiment. His slender,
modishly attired figure. and his finely
chiseied. high-bred features (which
were much paler than they should
have beenl were BY no means strange
10 their present rich and elegant sur
roundings. In point OF fact, no mem
her OF the Powhatan more assiduonsly
availed himself OF the clubs exclusive
privileges than did he. Among the
small eoterie OF his intiinates ard
friends, and the much longer list Of
acquaintance who would have liked
20 share the closer relationship, no.
body ever thought OF calling for him at
his 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 70 communicate with him so
invariably had been frustrated by his
diplomatic valet. Barnlcle. 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 10 the astonished and dis
comflted club attendant Tin season..
1t was associated.-reluctan as the
fact must be admltted--only with late
hours. the poker or bridge table. and
a 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 50 promptly forgot
Without spending too much time
or trying to interpret too many words
let us endeavor to make the situation
clear: for ii was all very strange. the
manner in which the commonplace sit
uatiou described interlaced with what
immediately followed
Here-and this is the point 10 b
brought to the front and barne in mine
was a concurrence OF time. place ana
individual which had never happened
before, and in all likelihood would
never happen again. but which wor,
every outward aspect Of one of thos,
rare and inexplicable tricks on tbs
part OF Fate, as rare and mysterious
as mushrooms. freakishly contriyed I,
land some poor mortal plump In tn
midst OF troublesome predicameni
like Napoleons star az Waterloo. Mel
curry blazed at midday on that men
orahie occasion. II you have not fol
gotten this apocryphal footuote I
history
Certain II is. at any rate. IL Va
Vechten had been anywhere else u
this particular hour on this particula
Sunday morning. he would hav
missed witnessing an incident whic
presently was to jar him from IA
lethargy OF his ennui as effectively a
81 the rotation OF the earth upon Il
axis were suddenly TO be reversed
And the incident, but one OF star
ling series. was not long in eominl