The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1905-10-20
The THOUGHTFUL GUEST.

S~~@~~NooSN~~~
Sometimes the best intentions are
but traps; sometimes the loftiest en-
deaVor ends in disaster, says a con-
u1Dutor to Pearson's Weekly, and H.
Illustrates his meaning by the case of
friend of his-a writer, already be-
coming famous. He did not live in
LONDON, but at the time was staying
With some friends in town. One night
they took him to the theater. At the
end OF the play he said he would run
. over to club, to keep an appointment
with friend. Would they let him
have q latch-key, so that he might let
himself In and not disturb anybody
when he got back OF course they did.
At 2 o'clock in the morning he found
that 1t was 2 O'clock, and he jumped
up IN a hurry. got into a cab, and
drove home. As he opened the door
with his latch-key his blood ran cold.
Some foolish servant had left the door
ON the chain! 1t opened about eight
inches, and no more.
There was not light In the house.
There was not a soul in the street
with whom he could confer, not even
policeman. Would he, after all,
have to disturb the whole household?
No. He suddenly remembered that
wherever a mans head could pene-
rate, his body could follow. Science
said that.
The door was open about eight inch
es He wore a seven and three-Quar-
tiers hat. He tried to see if the top
OF the hat would go in. 1t would.
So, carefully maneuvering it round
the brim. he gently deposited it on the
mat inside. Then, still planning to
avoid noise, he took his money, his
keys and his watch from his pockets,
and placed them beside the hat After
that he took off his boots. To maze
the thing thorough, he took off his
coat, and laid that also inside
Smiling at the humor Of the situa-
ton, ne lay down on the top step and
wormed his head in through the door.
He tried then to get an arm in. and
found that, lying flat on his face and
raising himself on his right arm, his
left arm would enter. Holding the
position of an overland swimmer, he
undertook to get his right arm In. It
would not go in, try as he might.
Besides, the strained position Of his
left arm was unbeara bic. He raised
on his right, and withdrew it. He
would get out altogether on the door
step, and get cool and think it over.
He was alarmed then to hear the hall
clock strike 4, and he tried to look up
at 1t, to see if he had heard Alright.
From this time-just as the clock
struck 4-he lost all faith In all the
scientific knowledge be had ever pos
sessed- His head would not come out
again-It had grown! Either that, or
the door had closed a link or two.
How time went after that he did
not know. He only knew that his
head and body were bathed in perspi-
ration, and that the wind had changed
and was blowing from the north. The
knowledge that his trousers had work
ed well above his knees, and his ex-
tremities were stone-cold. told him
the way the wind was blowing; and
he began to think that perhaps it
would have looked more heroic had he
died with his boots on.
At $50 O'clock the policeman on
the beat, passing that way on his
first round, saw the difficulty. and
knowing that the average burglar
does not wear silk stockings, made in
Quiries. Explanations came in a muf-
fed and exhausted voice. He sent the
milkman for a locksn.ith.
A big crowd had collected. and, as
the man was freed, it raised a cheer
ncidentally-wOke the house
hold.