Semi=weekly graphic., 1897-05-01
THE RETIRED BURGLAR.
He Tells of Some Very Unpleasant Etp..
riences With Mirrors.

He Tells of Some Very Unpleasant Etn..
riences With Mirrors.
~ have had, said the retired bur.
glar, "some very unpleasant experiences
with mirrors. l think I have told Won
how 1 once fred at my reflection IN q
mirror, nlistaking it fer another raan-.
q mistake that 1 thought | should never
make again ButWithin two wears after
that [ struck at a man in mirrcr. and
smashed the glass and smashed my hand
and made myself uncomfortable eener-
ally. 1t May SEEM strange to yoa that a
man could make such mistakes, bat in
= dim light, and where everything is
strange to him, and he's all sort of keyed
up himself, l don't know as it is after
all. Still, after that last experience /
did think it would he some time before
/ had any more trouble with mirrors
But within year | had an experience
that was great deal worse than either
of them.
"Khen I came out Of room in
house 1 was in one night, en- the second
floor, looking down the hall-this was
pretty near the front where / was-T
saw the figu-e of myself in mirror at
the other end. 1t was plain enough,
even in that - il startled me a
little at first, and l threw up my gun at
it. OF course the figure g hand went up
and down, just the same as mine did
and it made me kind of laugh to think
eff it, and l could imagine the shadow
laughing, tee, at man who was afraid
of his own shadow
Then 1 went into the next room, and
when l came out of that into the hall
again my eyes sought the mirror again.
1t WASH very pleasant to see yourself
in the dark in that way, but it would
have been mighty sight less pleasant
not to. But then l was sill right, and 1
stood and locked at it minute and
threw up my arn at it same as before,
just up and down, sort of unnecessary
test, but it made me feel just a little
easier, and up went the arm in the 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 a gun in
his appraised hand, voice kind of drawi-
ing, but meaning business, you know.
You know when man means business,
aud this man did mean it, and kept
my hands down.
Oh, Billl' he says, not moving q
muscle and not shouting it out, but just
kind Of drawing it out like the other.
Then man appeared beyond the
man that was holding me up, coming
toward him and me He walked right
through the mirer, past the other man,
and kept coming. 1t was all plain
enough then. In fact. I'd guessed at it
before, as may be you have. The mirror
WASH a mirror at all, but u doorway,
an opening midway of long hall, and
the frame was the frame Of the door
way. There were rooms beyond, Just
the same as those on the side where
was, and it was the doors of those that
had seen i'll the mirror and not the re-
Election of those on my side. And it
was cut of one of those doors that Bill
came. The man with the gun had been
ready for me the first time looked,
but 1T must have been that Bill wasn't
then. But Bill was ready now, and he
came on past the other man, careful to
keep out OF his range, of course, max.
ing for me, and he came around behind
me and took two OF three turns of a rope
around my body and arms. Then the
man with the gun came up, and be-
tween them they tied me up good and
strong. And that was matter Of some
Jour years New York Sun.