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


dow sill. The same afternoon, going
to my room, | was about to open the
blinds when | saw through the Stats Il
| pretty girl kiss her hand to some one
In the house adjoining my domicilc.
She at once disappeared, but it WAS
evident that n Irritation, perhaps one
that had developed into an affair Of
the heart, was in progress.
After this | saw many q signal in
the window opposite which | would
probably not have recognized as such
had l not seen the throwing OF the
kiss. My next door neighbor, Of course
l could not sec, but | had noticed u
| good looking young man going and COM
ing, and | presumed that he was the
fortunate pOssesSor OF the young ladyS
| favor.
L was one afternoon sitting at my
window, with the blinds closed, when
| through 4 crack between the Stats |
| saw a pantomime 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. 1t was in
| closed in 4 high brick wall topped
with broken glass. was not long in
| deciphering the pantomime. The girl
had put II veto OH her lovers under
taking to effect an entrance to her
| premises over the wall
About a week after this saw a ne
| gro bring barrel into the back yard
| through Il rear basement door He
full
| to so away. He had taken but a 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.
1 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
curiosity2 Would it be mean to enjoy
what could of drama in real llfe7
The barrel was deposited shortly be-
fore my dinner hour, which was
o'clock. After dinner d9r,ltSNx had
fallen. Without turning dn mss ,shts
took seat at the window The
space between my home and the
| houses in the rear Of 1t was dimly Wis
fhn scrlt ~
shining upon it. / could barely discern
the barrel standing where it had been
| placed. Not caring to reveal myself by
! lighting my room, l concluded to while
| away the time in the darkness by
smoking. had consumed half a dozen
cigarettes and was thinking that If
! there was any one in the barrel he
must be pretty well crampcd 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
! like n mans figure get ont of the barrel.
| rake it up and proceed with it 10 a cor
ner in the wall where he was hidden
from me. | fancied he was using the
barrel for conccalment from the oppo
site direction.
That's the last OF him for me-" l
remarked. till the lights are put out"
| Nevertheless ] was too interested to
leave my post. ! smoked till / fell
asleep. When ! awoke st was II
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 Off
/ was now thoroughly awake and be-
| lieycd 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 elopemcnt-fOr
such 1 believed it 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 Just 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 to 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 IS Elm street The
police were called in, but the robbeI
had cscaped-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. 1t was IS.
| A fnW dnNS lnlnr nChlln ccnnnincr th1