The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-16
ee said tee stout qenteDun. "ond hold your hopds.

of quests and spies and condottieri and
many a risky blade-drawing business.
And suddenly came a doubt, a strange
doubt springing out of some chance
thought of fortunes and destruct-
i've altogether of the position he
had assumed that evening. Was he
Mr.. Enthusiastically, after all, so
brave as he assumed? The laxative
man had spoken enviously of crime. THE
burglar he said, is the only true adVen-
turer left on earth. And Mr.. Ledbetter
had echoed his envy. They, do have
some fun out of life Mr.. Ledbetter had
said. And he had laughed wickedly. Now
in this franker intimacy of self commun-
ion he found himself instituting a COM
parison between his own brand OF courage
and that of the habitual criminal. He
tried to meet these insidious questioningS
with blank assertion. Il could do all
that, said Mr.. Ledbetter Il long TO 90
all that. Only 1 do not give way to my
criminal impulses. Ny moral courage re
strains me- But he doubted, even while
he told himself these things.
Mr.. Ledbetter passed large villa
standing by itself. Conveniently situated
above a quite practicable balcony was
ured himself climbing up that balcony,
crouching. plunging, into that dark;
mysterious interior. Bah! You would
not dare" said the spirit Of doubt. My
duty to my fellow-men forbids,' said Mr..
Ledbetter's self-respect.
1t was nearly II and the little seaside
town was already very still. He turned
and came back slowly toward the villa of
the open window. He stood for a time
outside the gate. a battlefield of motives.
Let US put things to the test said
Doubt For the satisfaction of these in
tolerable doubts. show that you dare go
into that house. Commit a burglary in
blank. that at any rate is no crime"
Very softly he opened and shut the gate
and slipped into the shadow of the shrub
berry This is foolish" said Mr.. Ledbet-
ter's caution. II expected that" said
Doubt. His heart was beating fast, but
he was certainly not afraid.
The ascent of the balcony it was evil
dent would have to be done with rush,
for 1t was all in clear moonlight, and Wis
ible from the gate into the avenue. a
trellis thinly set with young, ambitious
climbing roses made the ascent ridicu-
lousy easy. For a while Mr. Ledbetter
was as still as the night, and then that
insidious whisky tipped the balance. He
dashed forward. He went up the trellis
with quick, convulsive movements,
balcony and dropped painting in the shad-
oW, even as he had designed. His mood
was exultation. He could have shouted
to find he was so little afraid.
Wills 'Mephistopheles" came into his
mind as he crouched there, II feel like a
cat on the tiles" He whispered it to him
self. 1t was far better than he had eX-
pected-this adventurous exhilaratiOn.
And now for the window to make the
that? It's position above the front door
defined it as a landing or passage. For a
time he listened under the ledge, then he
raised his eyes above the sill and peered
in. Beyond was a broad landing family
cleaning a flimsy fabric of bead cur
tain very black and sharp against fur
Their window. a broad staircase plung-
ing into a gulf of darkness below and an
other ascending to the second floor. He
glanced behind him, but the stiffness OF