It was remarked by faithful readers of the Balloon that the next
day's cartoon was one of the least successful in the history of
that brilliant newspaper.





CHAPTER II

THE HOUSE ON CARAWAY STREET


After telephoning to his wife that he would not be home for
supper, Bleak set out for Caraway Street. He was in that exuberant
mood discernible in commuters unexpectedly spending an evening in
town. Instead of hurrying out to the suburbs on the 6:17 train, to
mow the lawn and admire the fireflies, here he was watching the
more dazzling fireflies of the city--the electric signs which were
already bulbed wanly against the rich orange of the falling sun.
He puffed his pipe lustily and with a jaunty condescension watched
the crowds thronging the drugstores for their dram of ice-cream
soda. In his bosom the secret julep tingled radiantly. At that
hour of the evening the shining bustle of the central streets was
drawing the life of the city to itself. In the residential by-ways
through which his route took him the pavements were nearly
deserted. A delicious sense of extravagant adventure possessed
him. As a newspaper man, he did not feel at all sure that he was
on the threshold of a printable "story"; but as a connoisseur of
juleps he felt that very possibly he was on the threshold of