Bisbee daily review., 1914-11-18
BOOK /.
The Silent House.
CHATTER /.


0fNFff- 81 -
Number 1918.
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 a rueful curve and his brow
gathered In a scowl
Fifteen minutes yet until nine" he
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 luckl"
And having thus given audible ex-
preston Of his feelings. he dismissed
the temporary irritation with a re-
signed shrug and sauntered listlessly
into the luxurious but deserted loung
ing-room overlooking the street, where
be dropped heavily into a 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 klck-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,
if 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 been) we're by no means strange
TO their present rich and elegant sur
roundings In point of fact, no mem
Der Of the Powhatan more assiduously
awaited 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
10 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 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.
lance was to the astonished and dis.
comfited club attendant Gin season.,
IL was ssociated-reluctantly as the
fact must be admitted-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 Powhatan's
steward. He carefully indexed and
preserved all the checks which Van
iVechten so promptly forgot
Without spending too much time
or trying to interpret too many words
let us endeayor TO make the situation
clear; for It 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 a 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 tC
land some poor mortal plump In the
midst of a troublesome predicament
like Napoleon's star at Waterloo. Mer
curry blazed at midday on that mem
orable occasion. II you have not for
gotten this apocryphal footnote t
history.
Certain ID is. at any rate. If Var
Vechten had been anywhere else a
this particular hour on this particula
Sunday morning. he would hav'
missed witnessing an incident which
presently was TO Jar him from thu
lethargy Of his ennm as effectively a.
n the rotation OF the earth upon III
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 ioated the state
ly, melodious chime.
Nine o'clock
With the first dulcet note, Van Vech
tens regard fell idly upon man VIII
was passing along the farther sid
OF the street.-The first human being h
had seen since taking up bis position
at the window. He was not al all IA
terested in the man. who was entirel
unknown to him; but the stranger ha