The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-02

the things there, when hear. a sound over
in the bed; the man there movin'
Now YOU know, Id taken this mans
measure wit h my eye when came into This
room, hy he size Of the ,.,ihs he made 10 the
bedclothes and he wa, bigger ard stronger
and fifty pounds heavicr than | was. and Of
course I wasn't soip' 20 waste any time
foolin' with him He Vas already gettiu'
up, and to GET to he door I'd have to 60
past the head of the he'd and go past him.
which would be Just like runnin into his
arms. and 50 knew I'd have 10 go out thu
window; bu- by good luck that way vas
easy.
Hanging ON the side Of the W indow cas-
ing Of one of the windows in this room there
was rope fire escape. lust simply make.
break for that window and grabs that
| coil of rope and jumps out Of the window
| with II. leaving my lamp and bag behind
well. 7 got a grip on that rope. oil right.
| right by tho top. and begins 10 slide burning
! my hands a little on the start, but gettin
| a better grip in a second or Two, and then
| going down all right, with the man above
| by this time leaning ont over the window
sill looking a. me, but never sayin' boo: !
| suppose he was tina, much surprised. and I
| was getting along slick and nice a. could be
| when.-crack, wont the rope, plumb in two.
up lust under tho window sill. and down
| went. II the house had been built on level
| ground I probably shouldn't have hurt my
| self bit because ! was half way down the
| first story when the rope broke. and ought
| TO have been somewhere near the bottom
But this house was built on ground slop-
| ing down from the street, and this room
was coming out Of being rear room !
| had still quite q piecc IN drop. and brought
up good and hard. and broke my left arm.
| But six weeks in the house wit h broken
arm was better than six years in the Jug
Well should say so. But now oomes the
| curious part OF the story.
| About a month after this accident. When
was still waiting for my arm TO get 40
-ould get ont . and with nothing to do hut to
sit and read the newspapers, my eye lights
| on this advertisement:
WILL TIN. GENTLEMAN who made the quick
exit from the side window at the second or back.
is "sH ad ID to o% FIFE R fv29Se boz
| that town."
| That was for me. sure enough, and !
| felt sure il was all right, too; You can tell
| by instinct, you know, whether n man IL
on the level or not and this nan was and
| | sends him my address. And the neN
| day but one | rcts slick li,tle package
| by express, about the size of big to-
| velope, which | find when | comes 10 get
the wrapper on has a big envelope inside
Of i, with, inside OF that; hundred ten,
| dollar bills. a thousand clean dcllars; ard
along with en- this hitter
| My house was burned one night in
! quick fire that rhaue i nece Ssary for tha
people in the rooms on my sid" Of the house
! TO VS., he fire escapes
You know what would lave happened,
| or If you don't. can tell YOU, II had tried
TO use the fire escape that broke down
under your weight ] should have broker,
! il the minute | got my weight on II. and
pract ically have fallen from the window
You know the iar Of the ground there,
and how much cf a fall = ould lave had.
and you eau Gu,s- as well ~ | can what
might have happened 10 me. | certainly
would have fallen thus If you had net come
along a. Won din and tested That fire escape.
and 20 led mo 10 buy a nov one that would
surely bear my weight when the time 81
| need came.
And 30 ] consider that YOU saved my
| life lust AZ much a. If YOU had been there
and carried Inn down a ladder, and | en-
| close herewith. IN bills Of a size convenient
! TO handle one thousand dollars Not much
| for what YOU did for mo, bur certainly
more than YOU would have got for any
thing you could have carried away II
! had not interrupted you.
| II suppose J might send the lamp and
| the bag 70 the same address with this: but
! if you dent mind. would like 20 keep
them 10 hang on the wall in my new quar-
| tiers, as souvenirs.
"Wasnt that a singular experiencef ]
| tell you, truth is stranger than fiction.
You couldn't think up a story like that
could you, il you tried?'