The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1915-08-13
Romance Of a
Back Yard
BY DWIGHT NORWOOD

houses Oh anOtner street, l saw tiny
white handkerchief pinned to the win.
dow sill. The same afternoon, going
to my room. was about to open the
blinds when l saw through the stats q
pretty girl kiss her hand to some one
In the house adjoining my .domicilc.
She at once disappeared, but it WAS
evident that a filtration. perhaps one
that had developed into an affair of
the heart, was in progress.
After this l saw many q signal in
the window opposite which | would
probably not have recognized as such
had | not seen the throwing of the
kiss. My next door neighbor, Of course.
! could not see, but | had noticed Il
good looking young man going and com
ing. and / presumed that he was the
favor.
| was one afternoon sitting at my
window, with the blinds closed, when
through crack between the Stats |
saw n pantomime between the lovers
The girl looked down into her back
yard and shook her head. After she
had LETT her window I looked down
into his back yard myself. 1t was in
closed In Il high brick wall topped
with broken glass. / was not long in
deciphering the pantomime. The girl
had put veto OH her lovers under
taking to effect an entrance to her
premises over the wall.
About a week after this l saw ne
gro bring barrel into the back yard
through n rear basement door. He
set 1t down very carefully and turned
to so away. He had taken but few
steps when he turned, went back to
the barrel and busted himself examin-
ing the head, which l could see was
not fastened in the usual way. While
he was doing this his lips moved
Moreover, l saw something passed
from the barrel to his hand. Present
ly he went away again and this time
disappeared through the basement
door.
l was reading love story without
words, or. rather, was seeing one en-
acted, not on the stage, but In real life
1t struck me that something would oc-
cur in the premises on the other side
of the wall. Should ! be mean enough
to spy with view to satisfying my
curiosity? Would 1t be mean to enjoy
what l could of a drama in real life?
The barrel was deposited shortly be-
fore my dinner hour, whicknSaa, 6
o'clock. After dinner darkn8st had
fallen. Without turning on my lights
l took a seat at the window The
space between my home and the
houses in the rear Of it was dimly Wis
ible from the lights Of the houses
upon it | could barely discern
the barrel standing where it had been
placed. Not caring to reveal myself by
my room, concluded to while
away the time In the darkness by
cigarettes and was thinking that IL
there was any one in the barrel he
must be pretty well cramped when
rose out of its top end.
There was pause; then something
larger followed. Curiosity Sharpened
my eyes, and I saw bulk that looked
like mans figure get out OF the barrel,
take 1t up and proceed with it TO cor
ner in the wall, where he was hidden
barrel for concealment from the oppo-
site direction.
That's the last of him for me-" !
remarked. "till the lights are put out"
Nevertheless / was too interested to
leave my post. 7 smoked till 1 fell
asleep. When ! awoEe It was IL
o'clock, and there was but one light In
the house visible to me, and that was
in the room of the heroine Of my story.
AS looked it was turned of.
/ was now thoroughly awake and be-
lieved that had no great time to wait
to see something more. ! was right
Not long after the last light was turned
off ] saw the space occupied by the
basement door of the house | was
watching grow darker. Indicating that
the door was being opened Then
stood in the opening A dark
spot fitted from the wall to the door.
entered and the door closed
| regretted that the elopcmcnt--for
such / believed 1t to be-could not
have been effected over the rear wall,
where could have seen it They would
go out the front basement door
| went to bed ana had juSc fallen
asleep when heard the crack Of n
pistol. Rising. looked through the
window at the house of my story. The
basement and the two upper floors were
lighted. saw figures passing before
the windows. but heard nothing. Aft
cr awhile the lights began t. be turned
off. and in time all was again dark.
The next morning | saw in my news
paper an account of an attempted rob
berry OF premises 73 Elm street. The
police were called in, but the robber
had escaped-nobody hurt, nothing
lost. Elm was the street back Of my
home. After breakfast walked around
the block to note the number of the
house. IL was 73.