The herald., 1915-09-16
Romance of a
Back Yard
By DWIGHT NORWOOD

white handkerchief pinned 70 the win
/ dow sill. The same afternoon. going
! 70 my room. | was about 10 open the
. blinds when | saw through the Stats a
/ pretty girl kiss her hand 70 some ne
/ in tie house adjoining my domicile.
She At once disappeared. but it was
evident that a Irritation. 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 would
! probably not have recognized as such
/ had ! not seen the throwing Of the
/ kiss. Ny next door ueiGLJor. Of course.
[ could not see. but | had noticed a
/ good looking young man going and com.
/ ing. and | presumed that he was the
fortunate posSe>sor OF the young lady :
favor
was one afternoon sitting az my
window, with the blinds closed, when
! through a crack between the stats /
saw a pauJomime between the lovers.
The girl looked down into her back
yard and shook her head After she
had left her window | looked down
into his back yard myself Ii was IN
closed in Il high brick wall topped
with broken glass. was not long In
decipheriu- the pant0mime. The girl
had put veto Oh her Iover's under
taking 10 effect an entrance to her
premises over the wall
About week after this saw ne
gro bring a barrel into the back yard
through rear basement door He
set it down very carefully and turned
10 go away. He had taken but a few
steps when be turned. went back to
the barrel and busted himself examin-
ing the head, which | 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
| was reading u love story without
words, or. rather. was seeing one en-.
acted. not on the stage. but in real life
Ii struck me that something would oc-
cur in the premises on the other side
Of the wall. Should be mean enough
TO spy with a view 10 satisfying my
curiosity: Would II be mean TO enjoy
what could Of drama in real life?
The barrel was deposited shortly be-
fore my dinner hour. which was 8
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 1t was dimly Wis
ible from the lights OF the houses
shining upon II. could barely discern
the barrel standing where il had been
placed. Not caring to reveal myself by
lighting my room. | concluded TO while
away the time In the darkness By
smoking | had consumed half a dozen
cigarettes and was thinking that II
there was any one in the barrel he
must be pretty we'll cramped when
something rose out Of its top end
There was a pause: then something
larger followed Curiosity sharpened
my eyes. and | saw a bulk that looked
Ike mans figure get out OF the barrel.
take 1t up and proceed with it to a cor
ner in the wall. where he was hidden
from me- sancied he was using the
barrel for concealment from the oppo-
site direction.
That's the last OF him for me-" |
remarked. It'll the lights are put out"
Nevertheless | was too interested TO
leave my post. l smoked till fell
asleep. When | awoke 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 II was turned of
I 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
of | saw the space occupied by the
basement door Of the house I 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
| regretted that the elopement-for
such | believed IL to be-could not
have been effected over the rear wall.
where could have seen 1t. They would
go out the front basement door.
| went TO bed and had just fallen
asleep when | heard the crack Of a
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
er awhile the lights began TO be turned
of, and I'm time all was again dark.
The next morning I saw in my news
paper an account OF an attempted rob
berry OF premises % 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. II was 80.
A few days later. while scanning the
marriage notices In my morning paper,
| saw that Miss Emma A. Of 20 Elm
street had been married.
I never learned what had occurred
the night Of the robbery" but form
ed this theory: In trying to get out on 10
Elm street the couple. or, at least. the