Whispers at Dawn; Or, The Eye — Edition Insights

Johnny looked closely. The hall beyond was lighted. There was no one to be seen.

As if this was quite the usual thing, the girl marched straight through the open door. At once it closed behind her.

If you have followed his career in our other books you will know that Johnny is no coward. He had been in tight places more than once. Persons much older than he had said he bore up under strain remarkably well. For all that, this place gave him the creeps. That it was not in the best part of the city he knew well enough. This brownstone house, as we have already said, was just across from the deserted Century of Progress grounds, and faced the lake. Back of it were shabby tenements and dingy shops where second-hand goods were sold and where auctioneers hung out their red flags.

"Rather senseless, the whole business," he mumbled to himself. "Fellow gets into all sorts of strange messes trying to fight other people's battles for them. And yet--"

His thoughts broke off. A small red light like an evil eye flashed above the outer door, then blinked out. A faint buzzing sound came from a clock-like affair on the wall. Then all was silent as before.

"The professor's house," he muttered. "Queer place! Why did I come? Couldn't help it really. It was the boxes--the three black boxes."

Ah yes, those three black boxes! First they had intrigued him, then they had aroused his interest and sympathy. After that there was just nothing to it. He had invested all but his last dollar in those three black boxes. Now he was trying to get his money back and do someone else a good turn as well.

"But it seems," he whispered to himself, "there are dragons in the way, gleaming eyes, skeletons. All--"

The red light flashed again, three times. The clock buzzed louder.

He rose to pace slowly back and forth across this room of many mysteries.

It was truly strange, he thought, the course of events leading up to this moment. After a considerable stay in the wilds of Michigan he had returned to the city of Chicago. On his arrival he had gone at once to the shack. The shack, on Grand Avenue, as you will know if you have read "Arrow of Fire," was occupied by Drew Lane, a keen young city detective, and such of his friends as happened to be about.

To his great disappointment, Johnny had found the shades down, the door locked. "Must be away," he told himself. At once he found himself all but overcome by a feeling of loneliness. Who can blame him? What is lonelier than a city where one has not a single friend?

Johnny had other friends in Chicago. Doubtless he would chance upon them in time. For the present he was completely alone.

"Be rather amusing," he told himself, "to try going it alone. Wonder how long it will be before someone will slap me on the back and shout, 'Hello, Johnny Thompson!'"

Having recalled the fact that at noon on every Tuesday of the year a rather unusual auction was held, he had decided to dispel his loneliness by mingling in the motley mob that attended that auction.

There for an hour he had watched without any great interest the auctioneer's hammer rise and fall as he sold a bicycle, a box of clocks, a damaged coffin, an artificial arm, three trunks with contents, if any, two white puppies in a crate and a bird in a cage--all lost or damaged while being carried by a great express company.

It was only when the Three Black Boxes were trundled out that his interest was aroused.

"This," he heard the auctioneer say in a low tone to a man seated near, "is a professor's library. He hasn't come to claim the shipment, so we are forced to sell his books."

"A professor's library! Poor fellow! What will he do without his books?" Johnny had said to the man next to him. "A professor without books is like a juggler without hands."

"A professor's library." The words had intrigued him. The very word professor had a glorious sound to him. They had been so good to him, the professors of his college.

Without more than half willing it, he had begun bidding on those three heavy black boxes filled with books. In the end they were his, and his pockets were all but empty.

After the affair was over he had hunted up the auctioneer and secured the name and address of the professor.

"I'll sell the books back to him," he said to the auctioneer. "Surely he _must_ have some money, or will have in a month or two."