Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-11-06
CHAPTER "
DESTINY Knocks af The Door

cool in an emergency, the olhcr is not to he
afraid of a corpse Therefore was rcorce'y
surprised TO find myself standing there In the
dark. calmly reviewing the cNtraor liuarN
situation In which now found niysnf That's
the curious thing about shc'l-shock: after IT
a motor back-hrng or tire lHrstnr WI
reduce man 20 tenrs. nut IN lace or
danger he will probably find himself In f"N
possession of his wits rs long as thcr" Is no
sudden and violent noise connected win It.
Brief ms the sounds without had l'cn,
was able on reflection to tdcntify, the Gasping
gurgle, that rapid patttr OF the hRndS Any
one who mas seen man die quickly hh""S
them. Accordingly ! surmisod tnaf some.
body had come to my door at the POM ot
death.
Then | thought of the man next door hS
painful BREATH, ssnpss. his blush lips, Wn'h
| found him wrestling with his Key anu
guessed who was my nocturnal visitor lying
rrone in the dark at my feet
Shielding the candle with my hand re-
| lighted II. Then Grappled with the Happhh
! curtains and got the windows shut iaeN
only did 7 raise my candle until Ne It1HS
| shonc down upon the silent figure lying ac'o's
| the threshold Of the room.
Ii was the man from NO. 81, lie vas
| ouit, dead His tace WAS livd and distorted,
| his eyes CLASSY between the half-ciosed lids,
| while his fingers, stiil stiilly cIuichinE, snow
| ed paint and varnish and dust beneath the
| nails whore he had paved door and caTpe; III
his death agony.
! n heart attack had swiftly and suddenly
struck HIM down.
| Now mat / knew the worst | acted with
| decision. dragged the body by the shon-
| ders into the room until 1t lay IL the cehIer
| of the carpet. Then locked the door
| The forebodug Of evil that had cast It's
! hlaci> shddn" over my thoughts from tue
! momcu, 1 crossed tie threshold OF this sinister
/ hotel came ov.r IN" strongly again. Indeed,
! my position was to say the least, scarcely
! Cnviablc. Here was J. British odrvr
/ with British papers Of identity. about to be
/ disCoN cred Du German hotel into witch |
! had introduced myself under false. prct'ns
nj dead OF nigh. alone with the corpse of "A
| German or Austrian tfor such the dead mar
! apparent! Wast
1t was unuouuledly most awkward 1.x.
listened
Everything IN the hotel was silent as the
| grave.
l turned from my gloomy forehodngs to
| look again a, the stranger. In his crisp black
| hair and slightly protuberant CheeSboncs
| traced aT1in the hint of Jewish ancestry /
| had remarked before Now that the man $
| eyes--hH big thoughtful eyes that had
| stared at me out OF tho darkness of the cor
! rdor-werc closed, he looked far less foreign
| than before; in fact he might almost have
passed as an Engshrnal..
lie was a young man--about my own age.
| I iudged-u shall be twenty-eight next
birthday aud about my own height, which
is Ave feet ten There was something about
his appearance and build that struck a chord
very family in my memory.
| Had seen the fellow before?
| | remembered now that | had noticed
something oddly familiar about him when 7
first saw him for thai brief moment In the
| corridor.
| looked down at him again as he lay on
his back on the faded carpet I brought
the candle down closer and scanned his
features.
He certainly looked less foreign than he
| .lgI L..y.
after all; more likely Hungarian or "a
Pole, perhaps even a Dutchman His Ger
man had been too flaWless for y French
man--fQr Hungarian either. for that
matter.
leaned back on my knees to ease my
cramped position. As | did 80 caught a
glimpse of the strangers three-quarter5 face.
why lie reminded me Of Francis a
| little.
There certainly was a suggestion of my
brother in the mans appearance Was it
the thick black hair, the small dark mus
tache Was it the we-chiseled mouth ?
1t rather n hint Of Francis than a re-
| sCmblance 70 him.
The stranger was fully dressed The Jacket
of his blue serge suit had fallen open and
! saw portfolio in the inner breast pocket
Here l thought, might be clue to the dead
mans identity, | fshed out the portfolio,
| then rapidly ran my fingers over the stranC =
eT's other pockets.
! left the portfolio to the last
The Jacket pockets contained nothing else
except white sill. handkerchief unmarked.
In the right hand top pocket of the waist
coat was neat silvr cigarette case, per-
fectly plain, containing half a dozen cigar
cites | took one ont and looked at It. 1t
was a Melania cigarette happen TO know
for they stock them at one of my clubs, the
Dionysus, and 1t chances to he the only
place in London where you can get the
|, brand
It looked as If my unknown friend had
come from London
There was also a plain silver watch of
Swiss make.
In the trousers pocket was some change
, | n little English silver and coppers some
Dutch silver and paper money. In the right
| hand trouser pocket was a bunch Of keys.
That was all
put the different articles on the floor
beside me. Then | got UP, put the candle
on the table. drew the chair mp to il and
opened the portfolio.
! In q little pocket Of the inner flap were
visiting cards, some were simply engraved
with the name in small ler,srs;
Others were more detailed;
e Or Semlm,
Brooklyn, ~ y.
S The IIalewright Mfg coy. Ltd
a There were also h0lf dozen private cards
p pr. SCmlin,
1888 E. 7srd St,
i Sew York.
RvngtCn Park House.
= In the packet of cards was "A solitary one
larger than the rest an expensive affair
, on thick, highly glazed millbodrd, bearini
= | in Gothic characters the name:
-. OTTO Won STEINHARDr
ON this card was written in pencil, abov
the name:
Hotel SXt, Vos int Tuntie," and il
. brackets, thus: "[Mme, Anna Schratt !"
| In another pocket of the portfolio was al
American passport surmoun,cd by a naminl
eagle and sealed with a vast red seal, send
ing greetings to all and sundry on behal
1 ACADEMY OF MUSIC