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Show THE CITIZEN 15 PROVIDENCE on of those lowering Chicago IT was in late November when electric lights burned in the office all afternoon and down on the street one found oneself in dismal twilight where the clamor of the citys traffic seemed almost ponderable..- - 6y half ; past 4 it was nearly dark; but the street lamps had not been turned on. Naturally the alley between State and Wabash avenue, shadowed by the railheavy structure of the elevated road, would be especially murky and when an elevated trailn roared past most other noises would be drowned.. Two porters working at the alley door of an establishment that faced on Wabash avanue rather thought was they heard a shot; one of them woman quite sure he saw a man. and running down the alley. They had a more or less casual discussion about it. Finally one of them walked four rods down the alley and found the the body of a man. Within an hour man had been identified as George Tower, a special writer on the Evenknown ing Transcript, and rather well about town. Doors and windows had been shut ' p against the raw weather; the passing elevated trains made an infernal racket anyway, and the police found no one else had heard the shot. It seemed that the muzzle of the weapon had been thrust against the mans side, muffling the report. About midway of that block, facing on South State street, was a concern known as the Moon cafe. There was a barroom in front and a side door dinby which one could gain a small ing room back of the bar without entering the barroom . And there was a further room at the rear containing four curtained stalls at either side, each furnished with a small table and two or three chairs, with a push button in the wall for the purpose of summoning a waiter. About a quarter of 4, answering such a summons, a waiter had gone to one of those stalls. George Tower had been standing just back of the curtain when the waiter pushed it aside. The waiter was sure of it, for Mr. Tower came there frequently. He had ordered a bottle of wine and two glasses. A woman had been sitting at the little table with her hat and coat on, her back to the curtain. The waiter had caught only a glimpse of her and not being in the least in- terested retained only the vaguest recollection of her appearance; he thought her coat and hat were dark colored, but wasnt sure. When he brought the wine, Tower had taken it at the curtain and the waiter hadnt seen the woman again. The Moon cafe had nothing to boast of in the way of reputation. News- papers and other reformatory agencies $were urging that establishments of its stamp be abolished. The back door of this rear room was only ten steps from the alley. Approximately there had been a rendezvous at the Moon cafe; the woman had hot wished the waiter to see her face;., somebody By Will Payne after he replied- - He said he had an appointment to meet a woman at confines the the plot are knotted and unknotted within the Moon cafe at a quarter of 4 He of a newspaper office an hitherto unpublished Story said it in the hearing of Herbert Wells, and Ed Williams, and Frank Morgan, and myself. Of course, Mr. Cochran heard it too. After George went out, Mr." Cochran put a revolver in his His manpocket and went out too. ner of relating this was exasperating-l- y like someone singing a mournful hymn. Hinton .deWell, what else? manded. Wilkins squirmed again in his seat and looked at the rug, and replied mournfully, It was Mrs. Cochran that he was going to meet at the cafe. Hinton knew Mrs. Tom Cochran very well. So he gasped incredulously at the youg man an instant and then said, conclusively, Youre a fool! Wilkins took the reproach with proper humility, but he replied with that meek, invincible mulishness, Its true, Mr. Hinton. How do you know? the editor demanded. Very mournfully Wilkins answered, George told me so himself. We left the building together. He told me so himself. be as obliging as possible. One of A picture of George Tower shaped these stockholders by inheritance was itself swiftly in Hintons mind. His not an' edifying young man. His ercontributions to the paper had conon to light rant fancy had chanced sisted of a signed column on the edi-George Tower, and when he iirged ing prompt dicisions, so, now as the torial page signed not with his full that Tower be put on the papers shortest way out of the mess, he said, name, but Tower in capitals; he Tell Wilkins to 'come here. staff, Hinton had not thought it worth had insisted on that. It was a while to resist. Directly thereafter an undersized melange of about town gossip which In his tawdry way, Tower could young man entered the room with a Hinton had to admit was not unwrite acceptably enough, and it meekly propitiating air. Although he popular. Tower was vainer of it than seemed an easy way of obliging a was at the blossoming time of his life, Shakespear would have had a right somewhat troublesome part owner. he wore a little rusty, ready made to be of Hamlet. He was a handsome bow tie under an old fashioned turn- - man in an Giving Freddie Tyson his Tower was . oddly feminine sort of way, down becollar. His pale blue eyes something like giving an obstreperous although he was not undersized, and a sloping brow seemed to de- jq dressed so well that humbler mem' infant a tin pan to play with to keep neath it from roaring for a hammer and the precate himself and the meager sprout- - bers of the staff wondered as to what of neutral colored hair on his sort of family clock. But Hinton decidely ing graft he got the money from. disliked Tower; so now secretly and upper lip appeared to apologize for He thought himself irresistible to immorally he grinned a little because resembling a mustache.' He gave a women and, in effect, frankly said so. Freddies protege had got the paper little ducking motion of his head as Having that picture of Tower in his into something of a mess, which might he came in and dutifully slid into the mind, Hinton flung out wrathfully: be helpful in teaching Freddie to keep chair at the end of the desk. Well, if he told you 'that, he lied. down at him, Hinton ap- im not doubting that he did tell you Frowning his hands off. And Hinton disliked Tower so much that the shock which prehended the man. He had known that. Probably it would be like him he was bound to feel at the fearful him simply as a faithful, fairly dili- - a conceited ass and professional manner of his taking off was of a gent, hacklike reporter, tremendously masher wanting to make you believe strong on principles. Now he appre- he had oniy to crook his finger at rather perfunctory character. Im afraid he was a poor sort a hended him as the sort of person that any woman. Hed know that youd be made the most obnoxious conscieni- - the sort that would swallow it. Ho masher, he observed to the detecous objector very meek, but mul- - wanted to impress you show off. Of I hear that was his reputative. ishly sticking to his course he lied the dirty dog! Dont tion. principles through fire and water, re- you see what youd be doing if you Well, thats what we hear, the of the effect on anybody else. told that stuff to the police and corofficer replied. Naturally, were gardless Whats this about your testifying oner? His nasty lie would drag good looking for a husband, or father. at the inquest? Hinton demanded. old Tom Cochran into it and his wife. Naturally, Hinton repeated, dryIve been, subpoenaed, Mr Hinton, Besides Cockran why, I know her ly, and with much disgust. Profesthe young man replied, his deprecaas I know myself. We all know her sionally it was annoying, but personalat tory eyes looking appealingly pale ly he coudnt help an immoral little the formidable man behind the desk. here. Id bank on her for time to with horse grin. He was 42, tall, of large mold, Subpoenaed, eh? Hinton repeated, come. So would anybody with a smooth shaven, rough hewn not having supposed it had come to sense especially as to that conceited man a closed firmly whose face jaw But what are you going to masher, George Tower, and that Moon that. ot poise and power. He asked it brusquely, like hy, its cafe a place like that! So the affair stood in his mind when testify? to used man a being obeyed. he reached his office about half past preposterous! Wilkins stirred uneasily in his 8 the next morning having, ot course Ive been subpoenaed, Mr. Hinton, on his felt the and chair sproutings in murder of the accounts read the Of Wilkins replied, in depreciation. local came into the added George lip. upper which the morning newspapers, ... (Continued on Pago 49.) room yesterday afternoon, some time nothing in particular to what Sergt. An absorbing tale of mystery in which the threads of 3 - self-righteo- us . |