The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-07-13
! smiled incredulorslv.

Now, don't look lofty and assume
professional air, for you're only me-
ehanic, and sign painter at that"
Although he spoke with little courte-
sly of address, there was a subtle sOne-
thing in his eye that drew me magnet
like and held me- l was silent.
Want 10 know hos- I became aware
OF that fact?" he went on, with a quick,
sharp glance at my bewildered face.
There's nothing wonderful about my
knowing that; I've had my eye on you
for two hours, and you stare at every
sign board you pass, worse than
country pake; and once or twice 1 saw
you stop and study carefully some
fresh design, or some new style of let
ter. You're a stranger here in the city,
too. Want to know how L can tell?
Because you walk like you were ac-
tually going some place; but notice
that you never get there, for contin-
ually crossing and recrossing streets,
and back-tracking past show windows,
and congratulating yourself, doubtless,
upon the thorough business air of your
reflection in the plate glass. Come, we
can get through now; let's walk"
1 followed him unhesitatingly. To say
that was simply curious would be too
mild; L was fascinated, and to that de-
gree I actually fastened on his arm,
and clung there TIL we had quite es-
capped the crowd. II like you, some
way" he said, but you're too impul-
sive; you let your fancy get away with
your better Augment. Now, you don't
know me, and I'm even bordering
whether to frankly unbosom to you, or
give you the slip; and I'll not leave the
proposition to you to decide, for L
know you'd say 'unbosom'; so I'll think
about it quietly for while yet and
| give you an unbiased verdict"
We walked on in silence for the dis
lance, perhaps, of half a dozen blocks,
| turning and angling about till we came
upon an open stairway in an old. un-
painted brick building, where my
! strange companion seemed to pause
mechanically.
do you live here?" I asked.
ST stay here" he replied, for don't
call it living to be fastened up in this
old sepulchr l like it we'll enough at
night, for len 1 feast and fatten on
| the gloom and glover that infest it;
but in the normal atmosphere of day
nv own room looks repellent, and L
only visit it, as now, out of sheer des-
peration."
/ If 1 had at first been mystified with
| this curious being, / was by this time
! thoroughly bewildered. The more
studied him the more at a loss 1 was
to fathom him; and as 1 stood staring
|
most derisively: You give it up, don't
you?"
1 nodded.
4'weh,'' he continued, that's a good
sign, and I've concluded to 'unbosom'
I'm an adjustable lunatic-"
IAN adjustable lunatic'I' I repeated
blankly. And after the remarkable
proposition that ushers in the story, he
continued, snilingly
/ t,r oil oil n
to assure you of the fact that I'm as
harmless as baby butterfly. Nobody
knows I'm crazy, nobody ever dreams
of such thing-and why?-because the
J faculty is adjustable, don't you see,
! and self-controIling. I never allow it
/ to interfere with business matters. and
only let it on at leisure intervals for
the amusement it affords me in the
pleasurab1e breaks 1t makes in the
monotony of a matter-of-fact exist
| ence. I'm off duty today-in fact. I've
i been off duty for q week; or. to be
| franker still, 1 lost my situation ten
| davs ago, and I've been humoring this
propensity in the meanwhile; and now,
| if you're inclined TO go up to my room
with me-the windows are both raised,
you see, and you can call for help
should occasion require-people are
constantly passing-if you feel in
clined, 1 say, to so up with me, I'll do
my best to entertain you like you,
as 1 said before, and you can trust
me, assure you. Come"
| If 1 were to attempt a description of
the feelings that possessed me as fol-
lowed my strange acquaintance up the
stairway, / should fail as utterly as one
who would attempt to portray the ex-
| perience of lying in a nine days trance,
so leave the readers fancy to befriend
me- and hasten on to more tangible
matters.
We paused at the first landing, my
companion unlocking a door on the
right, and handing me the key with
the remark: You may feel safer with
it. And don't be frightened" he con-
tinued, when / open the door, for il
always whines like somebody had
stepped on it's knob" and l laughed al
the odd figure as he threw the door
open and mctioned me to enter.
1t was a queer apartment, filed with
jumbled array of old chairs and
stands; old trunks, a lounge. and 9
stack of odd-shaped packages. A
frowzy carpet thrown over the floor like
blanket. and a candle box spittoor
with a broken lamp chimney in it, A
little swinging shelf of dusty books
with a railroad map pasted just above
it. A narrow table with a telegraph
instrument attached, and wires like ivy
vines running all about the walls; anC
scattered around the instrument was
an endless array of zinc and copper