Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-04-17
THE RETIRED BURGLAR.

He Tells of Some Very Unpleasant Exws.
 riences With Mirrora.
 "I have had, ]" said the retired bur glar. "some very unpleasant experiences with mirrors I think have told yeH how I once fired at my reflection in a mirror, mistaking it for another man. a mistake that thought should never make again. But within two years altar that struck at man in a mirror, 2nA smashed the glass and smashed nay hand and made myself uncomfortable gener. ally It may seem strange to you that q man could make such mistakes, but iA a dim light, and where everything ia strange to him, and he's all sort of keyed up himself, I don't know as it ia sftsr all Still, after that last experience did think it would be some t;-ae before I had any more trouble with mirrors. But within a year I had an experience that was great deal worse than either of them.
 ''When I came out of room in a house 1 was i'll one night, on the second floor, looking down the hall--this was pretty near the front where I was--I saw the fiap of myself in a mirror at the otAer el.t. i. ys.z plain enoRgh, even in that light, but it startled ms little at first, and I threw up my gun at it. Of course the figures hand went az and dewn, just the same as mine did, and it made me kind of laugh to think of it, and I could imagine the shadow laughing too, at man who was afraid of his own shadow.
 tThen 1 went into the next room, az2 when I came out of that into the hail again my eyes sought the mirror again. It wasn' [ very pleasant to see yeuueH in the dark in that way, but it would have been mighty sight less pleasant not to. But then was all right, and stood and looked at it a minute aMd threw up my arm at it same as before, just up and down, a sort of unnecessary test, but it made me feel just littls easier, and up went the arm ill tho mir TOT with mine, but this time, wheA mine came down, the arm in the mirrsr staid up.
 Now. don raise your hsndR, tha man said, covering me with a gun ia his upraised hand, voice kind of drawt- ing, but meaning business, you kaeu. You know when man means buHinsEs, and this man did mean it, and kept my hands down.
 Oh, Billp he says, not mGyiRg a muscle and not shouting it out, bat 1Nst kind of drawling it out like the other.
 Then man appeared beyond ths man that was holding ne up, esmiag toward him and me. He walked rikkt through the mirror, past the other zaan, and kept coming. It wRs all FlaiA enough then. In fact, I'd guessed at it before, as may be you have. The nirrsr wasn mirror at all, but doorway, an opening midway of long hall, sAa the frame was the frame of the deer way. There were rooms beyond, jast the same as those on the sids where | was, and itwas the doors of tAasa thst l had seen ill the mirror and not the rs- feetion of those on my side. A&d it was out of one of those doors that Bill came. Tine man with the gun had keeA ready for me the first time I looked, but 1t must have been that Bill wasa't then. But Bill was ready now, and he came on past the other man. esrefal ts keep out of his range, of course, iaak- ing for me, and he came around behind me and took two or three turns of reps around my body and arms. Thea tlas man with the gun came up, and bs- tween them they tied me up good ana strong. And that was matter of aeIas four years. Now York Sun.