The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-16
BY H. G. Wells.
90 o o o o o o o o o @ 90 600 . 000 Z

At intervals he muttered to himself, and
once he laughed softly. And 4.1r. Ledbetter
muttered to himself but he did not laugh.
nof all the lT,f foolish thingsm said MI Le O.
What he should do he found it difficult
to imagine. To wait Until this person had
to be sleeping, to creep to the door, unlock
it and bolt headlong for that balcony,
seemed the only possible thing to do.
Would it be possible to jump from the
balcony? The danger of it! When he
thought OF the chances against MIN, MT.
Ledbetter despaired He was WITHIN an an
gentleman's legs, coughing If necessary to
attract his attention, and then smiling,
ap9logzng, and v e3r fs ms sen
fences. But he found these sentences
hard to choose mo doubt, sir, my ap-
pearance is peculiar or Il trust, sir, you
pearance from beneath YOU" was about
as much as he could get.
Ledbetter, when he told me of these
things, was in many respects an i'll
advised one. A transverse bar beneath
the bed depressed my head unduly. and
threw a disproportionate share of my
weight upon my hands But had to
stay there motionless nevertheless"
After an intermnable time there be-
gan chinking sound. This deepened into
a rhythm, chink, chink. chink twenty-five
chinks-a rap on the writing table and
q grunt from the owner of the stout legs.
1t dawned upon Mr.. Ledbetter that this
chinking was the chinking of gold. He
became incredulously curious as it went
was the case this extraordinary man
Of lf' pounds. At last Mr.. Ledbetter could
resist 1t no longer, and he began very
cautiously to fold his arms and lower
his head to the level of the floor in the
hope of peeping under the valance. he
moved his feet, and one made a slight
scraping on the floor. Suddenly the
chinking ceased. Mr.. Ledbetter became
rigid. After a while the chinlling was
resumed Then It tn, ceased again I ana ana
betters heart That organ seemed to him
to be beating like drum.
The stiffness continued. Mr.. Ledbet-
ter's head was now on the floor and he
could see the stout legs as far up as the
shins. They were quite still. The feet
were resting on the toes and drawn
back, as 1t seemed under the chair of
the owner wild hope came 20 MT
Ledbetter that the unknown was in tit
or suddenly dead, with his head upon the
writing table.
The stiffness continued. What had hap
pened? The desire to peep became ire
sistible Very cautiously Mr.. Ledbetter
shifted his hand forward, projected a pio-
neer finger and began to lift the valance
Immediately next his eye. Nothing broke
the stiffness. He saw NOW the stranger s
knees, saw the back of the writing table,
and then-he was staring at the barrel of
a heavy revolver pointed over the writing
table at his head.
aCome out of that you scoundrel!' said
the voice of the stout gentleman in tone
of quiet concentration. 49,
Mr. Ledbetter came right out, little
reluctantly perhaps, but without any
hanky- panky and at once, even as he was
told
Mr.. Eedbetter rose from all tours and
held up his hands. Dressed like par
SON" said the stout gentleman; A little
chap tool You scoundrel! What the
devil possessed you to come here to-
night?"
He did not appear to require an answer,
but proceeded at once to several very OBJ
jectionable remarks upon Mr.. Ledbetter' S
personal appearance. He was not very
big man, but he looked strong to Mr.. Led,
better; he was as stout as his legs mad
promised.
to get under my bed?
Mr.. Ledbetter by an effort smiled g! a
c %an p doIte sllt he said.
''Whyi What on earth?-
TITS soapl No-you scoundrel Don't
you move that hand"
"It's SOAP said Mr.. Ledbetter. From
your washstand No doubt if"
Don't talk said the stout man. II