The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-03-03

The burGal ar whrled round and diSap-
peared through an inner door leading
into the passageway.
Prindle hastily felt about the floor
Tor the revolver. but the weapon not
meeting his hand at once. he rushed
after the burglar. His blood was on
hre with anger. Listening an instant,
he heard feet flying up the stairs above
him. Apparently the robber had plan
nee - escape to the roof and slide
down Il rain pipe into the dark alley
at the rear
Frlndle sprang up through the roof
match as the man crossed the almost
Hat roof toward the rear and caught
him rs he reached the low parapet
wall at the roofs edge.
The robber was of larger and heav-
Ter mold than the lineman and was
desperate AS they grappled he tried
to draw knife from his pocket. but
Trindle clutched those awful fingers of
his into the mans throat and tripped
him backward. They came down to-
gether on the pitch and gravel of the
roof, but the rush and fall threw Prn-
die beyond his antagonist. tearing his
hold loose. In another breath they
were together again, fighting desper-
ately.
AS they came striking and struggling
into the angle of the parapet prindle
suddenly felt himself lifted bodily, and
the next instant he was being pressed
over the wall. Feeling himself going,
he set his fingers into the biceps Of the
burglars left arm and pinioned his
right hand. In that awful moment he
felt the cords of his arms and fingers
contract until they burned like hot
wires. With a Cry of agony the robber
jerked him back to the roof. then whirl-
ed and ran across the roof. drawing
the knife as he fled. Prindle saw the
moonlight CLINT of the knife blade. and.
though infuriate with the passion of
battle. he recoied. The burglar turned
in the angle of the wall. striving to re
gain breath before the next onset.
A power wire stretched across the
roof some eight or nine feet above the
floor. Prindle drew Il pair of rubber
faced gloves from his pocket. drew
them on and suddenly lcapcd up and
caught the wire. AS he descended the
Wire snapped and fell to the roof. In
stantly he caught up the two ends of
it and sprang at the robher. who met
him with uplifted knife.
The crackSman seemed to divine the
terrible nature of the tiny weapons in
the lineman's hands. fer his face
blanchod white. III the moonlight prin-
die looked equally pale If he could
touch the robbers flesh with the bare
ends Of the wires. he would win: if
not, he would probably die by The 9th
er's knife.
1t was a strange duel. They Tented
several times. then struck together.
The clothing was shcarpd away from
Prndle's arm, but the burglar fell in a
knotted. Quivering heap. The point of
one of the live wires had gone up his
sleeve; the other had punctured his
neck
When the burglar recovered his
senses. Prindle had him securely tied
with detached pieces of the wire and
was at the front parapet of the roof,
looking up and down the street for an
officer.
The bank people gave prndle hand
some reward. When metallic circuits
had been run by the telephone cOmpa-
ny on his suggestion and they found
the troublesome induction overcome,
Manager Towne declared the plucky
lineman worthy to be any mans SON
in-law and he was.