The daily Alaskan., 1915-11-01
Romance Ot a Back Yard
By DWIGHT No2WOOD

houses on another street, l saw a tiny white handkerchief pinned to the win dow sill The same afternoon, going to my room, I was about to open the blinds when saw through the slRts a pretty girl kiss her hand to some one in the house adjoining my domicile, She at once disappeared, but 1t was evident that a filtration, perhaps one that had developed into an affair of the heart, was in progress.
 After this saw many a signal in the window opposite which I would probably not have recognized as such had not seen the throwing of the kiss. My next door neighbor, of course I could not see, but 1 had noticed a good looking young man going and con- ing, and I presumed that he was the fortunate pOssessOr Of the young lady's favor.
 I was one afternoon sitting at my window, with the blinds closed, when through q crack between the slats saw a pantOmime between the lovers. The girl looked down into her back yard and shook her head. After she had left her window l looked down into his back yard myself. It was in- closed in a high brick wall topped with broken glass. ! was not long in declpherlng the pantomime. The girl had put q veto on her lovers under taking to effect an entrance to her premises over the wall
 About q week after this I saw a ne- gro bring a barrel Into the back yard through a rear basement door. He set it down very carefully and turned to go away. He had taken but a few steps when he turned, went back to the barrel and busted himself eZamin- ing the head, which I could see was not fastened in the usual way. While he was doing this his lips moved Moreover, saw something passed from the barrel to his hand. Present ly he went away again and this time disappeared through the basement door.
 I was reading n love story without words, or, rather, was seeing one en- acted, not on the stage, but in real life. It struck me that something would oc- cur in the premises on the other side of the wall. Should I be mean enough to spy with q view to satisfying my curiosity? Would it be mean to enjoy what I could of a drama in real life2
 The barrel was deposited shortly be- fore my dinner hour which was 6 o'clock. After dinner darkness had fallen. Without turning on my lights 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 shining upon it. I could barely discern the barrel standing where 1t had been placed. Not caring to reveal myself by lighting my room, I concluded to while away the time in the darkness by smoking. I had consumed half dozen clgarettes and was thinking that if there was any one in the barrel he must be pretty well cramped when something rose out of It's top end. There was a pause; then something larger followed Curiosity sharpened my eyes, and I saw a bulk that looked like a mans figure get out of the barrel take 1t up and proceed with 1t to a cor ner in the wall, where he was hidden from me. l fancied he was using the barrel for concealment from the oppo- site direction.
 "Thats the last of him for me-" l remarked, "till the lights are put out" Nevertheless I was too interested to leave my post I smoked till I fell asleep When I awoke 1t 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 I looked 1t was turned of.
 was now thoroughly awake and be- lieved that I had no great time to wait to see something more. was right Not long after the last light was turned off I saw the space occupied by the basement door of the house l was watching grow darker, indicating that the door was being opened. Then something stood In the opening. A dark spot fitted from the wall to the door, entered and the door closed.
 I regretted that the elopement-for such I believed 1t to be-could not have been effected over the rear wall, where I could have seen it. They would go out the front basement door.
 I went to bed and had just fallen asleep when heard the crack of a pistol. Rising, I looked through the window at the house of my story. The basement and the two upper floors were lighted. I saw figures passing before the windows, but heard nothing. Aft CT awhile the lights began to be turned of, ana In time all was again dark.
 The next morning I saw in my news paper an account of an attempted rob bery of premises 73 Elm, street, The police were called ins but the roober had escaped-nobody hurt, nothing lost. Elm was the street back of my home. After breakfast I walked around the block to note the number of the house. It was 73.
 ! AH.