The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1924-05-10
The Beacon Hill Mystery
BY FRED v. WILLIAMS

one and The same coin. date and
eNcEpthinEr
Clark walked away from the win.
dow puzsied and not little worried.
Marian hnd Joined him,
What n q. DEAR" she asked.
-Just memories Of my adventure
ana the ISLAND ! guess. nothing az
All, he said rcassurinEiy.
But ho did consider Il something
Was there any connection between
the woman IN black who iurod him
70 the eld house on beacon hiii. his
strardinE on the tale a. savage
women the Eoid he found on that
Island and the willow who made de,
poSitr AZ tho bsnkf
They began life IN che lap 81 lux
ury and IN tho heart % civilization.
Little more than a year had
passed since lhe advent % ths
woman In black In Clark's life.
lie bad left The city poor.
struggling artist. lie returned
In affluenca
Clark lonEed 20 visit his old
studio. q recover what remained Of
his ralntings. 10 look again on tho
old house q mystery on Beacon
Hill and undertake an investigation
Of L aud the mysterious woman in
black.
lilo did not want 20 report HIS dis.
appearance to the police or 20 bring
himself any no,orirty thru the
papers. lie was satisfied that the
adventure. painful. hazardous aa Il
had been. brought him Marian and
her love He Wished TO forget Toba.
tho island. tho women who inhabited
a. let he was curious how Il all
happened. overpowered with desire
TO know lts mystery.
Downtown. where the lights
bllnked slecplly between the
hollow OF high buildings was
little restaurant. seattlc's little
Bohemia, the rendezvous Of his
kind.
He had been a freauenter % this
place. IIo detessed rs long.hairrd
men and rs short.halrei women.
They wrote and painted short OF
their aspirations and they affected
iarEe knowledge Of literature from
crumbs % both shady ana great
works which. creased from many
spare and cheap meals. they packed
about under their arms as tosti.
moniaia of their studiousness.
Yet no knew them one and all.
and they had known him. az poor
as they. They were practically tho
only friends ho had ana no ionged 10
,fnhoaops himself to several OF them
on hts adventures and 10 show them.
an PROOF OF his story that he had re
turned with wealth.
lie visioned their surprise
when he would buy their dinners
and order tho wine. Yet he did
not care 10 take Marian Into
their feigncd sophistication Free
love reigned lhere-mostiy In
loose speech. The advocates Of
mariageiess unions lacked for
the most part the courage Of the
convictions they voiced
SO Clark left Marian on a night
when lie knew his friends Of the
art quarter would assemble. left
her with assurances that he would
be back AZ midnight.
Down second ave. with the throaty
rattle o. its street cars chortiinK a
vong OF is own. hs ewing. breathing
deep the invigoratlng air.
Past Ycsier. way. under the guard.
ianship OF office buildings. he turned
and on down the streets that. once
past narrow alleys horrfd with mem
cries or tong murders. merged into
tho district where his friends played
az being Bohemlans.
Into shabby cafe, with sand
on the floor. and jangling
piano that rocked with Jar;
shuffling. drunken figures
slouching on tho floor, scattered
tables with wine-soaIsed cloths
and half eaten meals. Like
man from tho dead he stroIlcd