The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1933-05-08
Chapter 81
EYES IN THE DARK

EYES IN The DARK
ut WAS as If some ghost had taken
q fancy to haunt my footsteps
disturbed possibly by my intrusion
Into his rightful domain. for If ever
q place looked haunted 1t was that
rambling old hotel.
And then felt q presence more
definitely. And I'd no sooner real
lied 1t than, out Of the tail Of my
eyes. caught a sort Of movement
on the lower gallery.
It was only a flicker. and it was
gone, though l leaned far out to
look.
Yet, Madame Grethe, Mrs. Byng,
and Sue were still in the parlor, and
/ took the pains to walk to the ele-
vator shaft whence l had view Of
q part OF the lobby and could see
Lovschiem still bending over his
desk. could not, however, see be-
yond the door to the bar, SO the
only alternative was the suspicion
that Father hobart was my ghostiy
companion.
! had become, by that time. very
circumspect in my actions, and 1
took greater caution about opening
doors into supposedly empty rooms
and was careful not to outline my.
self against any windows, thus pro-
yiding target.
8 Had I needed warning, which j
did not. the silent, dark little eleya.
tor hanging there at the ground
noor would have supplied 1t.
But. as l say, was little wiser.
and the one definite clue-which i
was not, as a matter Of fact, at all
certain was actually clue-was as
impalpable and ghostly as was the
feeling Of menacing presence
stalking the dim-stretching CORR.
doris with me, just out of my sight
and reach.
I found II when I visited the two
rooms. thirty.four and thirty-aye;
from the window Of one OF the two
had caught that wild glimpse or a
haggard and terrible face. The face
which I refused 10 believe was Sue,
which she herself unwittingly de.
MED, and which still was so like
50 terribly like her face. with the
square-cut hair framing 1t. page.
like.
Neither OF the rooms appeared to
have been occupied for some time.
They were both cold and unaired
end musty. 1t was only accident
that I took nay way across the
heavy carpet Of the latter, and 90.
ing to the window. pulled back its
curtain and squinted In an eifort To-
see through the Sits in the shutters
IN order to discover just how much
Of the second-fioor corridor. direct
" opposite and across the court,
the Watchers gaze could have en-.
eompassed.
! realized at once that couldn't
see through the shutters satisfac.
torily and was reaching out my
band to pull back the doors OF the
window and properly unlatch the
shutter when my hand arrested It.
self In the very act.
The shining glass was cold: the
shutters behind II dark. MY breath
against the glass had misted 4
small patch. and In that little patch
suddenly saw very clearly the
whcFled imprint OF fingertips. -Four
OF them and a thumb.
They were very clear, sharply
definite They were spread as II the
hand had pressed heavily against
the glass. And they were small and
slender. No mans hand had made
them.
1--WE small flngerprints. The cues.
: ton was. when had they been
madef And. more urgently, Who
had made them?
The possible significance Of the
little prints-prints that with q
breath and = touch Of my cuR l
could everlastingly destroy-drew
my attention from my surround.
ings.
Fortunately the door creaked.
I've often wondered what might
have happened Eft had not creaked.
Things might have been very differ.
ent But II was old and hadn't been
opened and closed much In rs last
years. and the hinge creaked.
I'm sure I saw the door move.
I'm surs caught the CLINT OF NOV.
ing high-llght In that darkish room.
Thea I fung toward II. pulled II
nPen. and was In the corridor.
There was. however. nothing but
asmness and mustiness and ineseas.
lngly shadow walls and dark car.