Evening journal., 1897-04-03
THE RETIRED BURGLAR.
he Tells of Some Very Unpleasant Expe-
riences with Mirrors.

He Tells of Some Very Unpleasant Expe-
riences with Mirrors.
"I have had, " said the retired bur-
glar, ''some very unpleasant experiences
with minors. / think Shave told you
how I once fired at my reflection in a
mirror, installing it for another man
a mistake that l thought l should never
make again. But within two years after
that / struck at man in a mirror, and
sIn ashed the glass and smashed my hand
and made myself uncomfortable gener-
ally. 1t may seem strange to you that a
man could make such mistakes, but in
a dim light, and where everything is
strange to him, and he IS all sort of keyed
up himself, don't know as it is after
all. Still, after that last experience /
did think it would be some time before
i had any more trouble with mirrors.
But within year 1 had an experience
that was great deal worse than either
of them.
"When / came out of room in a
house was in one night, on the second
floor, looking down the hall-this was
pretty near the front where 1 was-I
saw the figure Of myself in a mirror at
the other end. 1t was plain enough,
even in that light, but it startled me q
little at first, and I threw up my gun at
it. OF course the figures hand went up
and down, just the same as mine did,
and it made me kind Of laugh to think
Of it, and could imagine the shadow
laughing, too, at man who was afraid
of his own shadow.
"Then 1 went into the next room, and
when came out Of that into the hall
again my eyes sought the mirror again.
It wasn't very pleasant to see yourself
in the dark in that way, but it would
have been a mighty sight less pleasant
not to. But then 1 was all right, and I
stood and looked at it minute and
threw up my arm at it same as before,
Just up and down, a sort of unnecessary
test, but it made me feel Just a little
easier, and up went the arm in tho mir
TOR with mine, but this time, when
mine came down, the arm in the mirror
staid up.
Now, don t raise your hands, the
man said, covering me with gun in
his upraised hand, voice kind of drawl-
ing, but meaning business, you know.
You know when q man means business,
and this man did mean it, and l kept
my hands down.
"'Oh, Billp he says, not moving q
muscle and not shouting it out, but just
kind Of drawling it out like the other.
Then a man appeared beyond the
man that was holding me up, coming
toward him and me. He walked right
through the mirror, past the other man.
and kept coming 1t was all plaiI
/ enough then. In fact, I'd guessed at il
before, as may be you have. The mirroi
wasn't a mirror at all, but a doorway
an opening midway Of a long hall, arJ
! the frame was the frame OF the door
way. There were rooms beyond, jus
the same as those on tho side where
was, and it was the doors Of those tha
/ had seen in the mirror and not the re
Election Of those on my side And i
was out Of one Of those doors that Bill
came. The man with the gun had beei
! ready for me the first time I looked
but it must have been that Bill WASH
then. But Bill was ready now, and h'
came ON past the other man, careful 4
keep out of his range, of course. max
ing for me, and he came around behin'
me and took two or three turns of rop
around my body and arms. Then tn
man with the gun came up, and be
tween them they tied me up good AM
strong. And that was matter Of som
four years. New York Sun.
Legal Equality.
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