Evening journal., 1897-05-01
Divine their lot.
THE RETIRED BURGLAR.
ue Tells of Some Very Unpleasant Expe-
riences with Mirrors.

riences with Mirrors.
II have had, D." said the retired bur
glar, "some very unpleasant experiences
with mirrors. l think fslave told you
bow once fired at my reflection in a
mirror, installing it for another man
a mistake that thought l should never
make again. But within two years after
that struck at a man in mirror, and
smashed the glass and smashed my hand
and made myself uncomfortable gener-
ally. 1t may seem strange to you that "A
man could mako such mistakes, but in
a 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 1
did think it would be some time before
l had any more trouble with mirrors.
But within a year l had an experience
that was a great deal worse than either
Of them.
"When I camo out Of a room in
house 1 WIS in enc night, on the second
floor, looking down the hall-this was
pretty near the front where 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 a
little at first, and threw up my gun at
it. OF course the figure's hand went up
and down, just the same as mine did,
and it made me kind of laugh to think
of it, and 1 could imagine the shadow
laughing, toe, at q man who was afraid
of his own shadow.
"Thon 1 went into the next room, and
when 1 came cut Of that into the hall
again my eyes sought the mirror again.
1t 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 was all right, and 1
stood and looked at it a 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 the mir
ror with mine, bGt 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 upraised hand, voice kind of drawl-
You know when a man means business,
and this man did mean it, and 1 kept
my hands down.
"'Oh, Billl he says, rot moving a
muscle and rot shouting it out, but Just
kind CT drawing 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 plain
enough then. In fact, I'd guessed at it
before, as may be you have. The mirror
wasn't mirror at all, but doorway,
an opening midway Of a 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, ard it was the doors of those that
l had seen in the mirror and not the re-
Election Of thoso on my side. And il
was out Of one Of those doors that Bill
came. The man with the gun had been
ready for me the FIRST time l looked
but it must have Teen that Bill wasn't
then. But ELL was ready now, and he
cGmo ca past the other man, careful tC
keep out Of his range, of course, max
ing for me, and ho came around behinC
mo and took two or three turns Of a rop'
around my body and arms Then The
man with the gun came up, and be
tween them they tied me up coed anC
strong. Ard that was a matter Of som'
four years. New York Sun.