Palisadian., 1925-05-01

OOMMANDlNG uSuFe anu
soldierly bearing, with deep
~ set gray eyes, hollow, cadav-
erOus cheeks, and mustache
and hair an intense blue black, his sin
gular personality alone had anywhere
and at all times attracted special at
tention to the man; but coupled with
this distinguished personality, and sim
CLING him out as remarkable in the
highest degree, was the fact that he
lived in duplicate.
Thus-if on Monday he arose early,
breakfasted on coffee, toast, and eggs,
afterwards retired to his rooms to oc
cupy himself until noon at his desk !;
then, after partaking of lunch, quit
his rooms to ramble about the city, Civ
ing aims to the old blind organ woman,
going up and down particular streets
and through particular quarters,
thence back to his hotel, to his dinner,
to his desk after dinner, and finally to
hed-on Tuesday he would 60 through
precisely the same regime.
On Wednesday he perhaps would
spend the day quite differently, arising
late, going out on horseback for the
entire day, attending the theater at
night, and to bed at midnight or later; !;
but howsoever he spent Wednesday,
Thursday-or the day following-was
sure to be a repetition down to the
smallest detail
Friday would see commenced a new
series of action for Saturday to dupli-
cate
That this man should deliberately go
about living as if his soul were
stereoscope, and life, to be appreciat-
ed, must be like the stereoscopic pic
ture, double, was generally considered
an astonishing thing; and, besides, it
seemed such a reprehensible waste of
energy, time and money.
1t was this trait of duplicating all
his expenditures that had first at
tracted attention to the mans singu-
lar character. And, indeed, one who
coolly and voluntarily paid all his bills
twice over was certain, sooner or later,
to have minute notice taken of him
self and his comipgs and goings.
1t may have been that the mans
mind was divided, one half acting nor
mally and consistently, whilst the 9TH
er half drove him each alternate day
to initiate his conduct of the preceding
day, as little impish boy initiates
the actions of one going before him
in the street. Or perhaps he was
merely eccentric. But there seemed
something more than eccentricity in
his conduct when, upon a certain Sat
urday, he deliberately returned and al
lowed vicious dog to bite him in the
manner that it had bit him some twen-
ty-four hours before. Such conduct
could arise from nothing less than
methodical madness.
Living his own life in his own re-
served way, cultured and studious,
troubling no one, offending none !;
doubly liberal in his expenditures and
never pressed for means, steadfast in
his chosen eccentricity-if such it
were-and in his face and manner no
questioning doubt of himself, perhaps
in time Henry Hobart had been ac-
cepted like any other man, the curl
Gus had ceased to be curious. and his
mysterious character, without any fur
ther or deeper scrutiny, had become
one of the mysteries Of human life,
had not the man been suddenly struck
down as by an invisible hand and the
appalling mystery of his death height
ened tenfold the mystery of his life.
On a Tuesday morning, at fifteen
minutes of ten o'clock, an attendant
was summoned by the call-bell to room
63 of the Sumner house, and upon
obeying the call found Henry Hobart
struggling in the throes of a strange
and unnatural death.
The Man Who Did Things Twice.
half dressed, standing in the center of
his outer room, was battling with the
invisible air about him for breath, or
as the attendant put it later, Like he
was fghtin' with something that
weren't there"
The hotel was aroused, Doctor Thiel
was hastily summoned from his of
fee on the next floor, and everything
was done that science could suggest
or despair persuade, yet in less than
ten minutes Henry Hobart lay dead
on the floor, within his stilled brain
hidden the profound mystery of his
life,, and still echoing in the death
room his one stranged cry ere death
sealed his blue lips-TOmorrow!
1t was a strange case, a question
able case frightful case, but beyond
all it proved a battling case, for the
police came, removed the body to the
morgue, intiniating death by poison or
other foul play, and examined the
rooms and overhauled the possessions
of the dead man, but who the de-
ceased was, who his kindred or what
his former residence, or the cause of
his death, they could not discover.
The scholarly tones that filled his
shelves bore no signatures or book