Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-07

"T never could understan why people III
pay quarter fur a patent cast iron WIN
dow fastener when five-cent girnlet beats
'em q mile" said Red Ike softly to him
self as he slipped the end CT his jimmy be-
tween the upper and the iower sash and
with a quick movement broke the fimsy
lock.
y bet I've smashed a thousan' of them
window locks in my time he continued.
AL of en- different. an I never found one
yet as much use as q bent hair pin; but
when l butt into gimlet 1 know I'm up
agin & hard proposition. Now, here's a
house fun of money an the people amt
got sense enough
Great snakes
That wasn't what Red Ike said but for
purposes Of publication something less ex-
pressive has to be substituted
He had just raised the sash when his
solloquoy was interrupted and at the same
time he staggered back as If struck by a
club. For a moment he was speechleSs
and then
''Gasr' he whispered. Gas! Internal
house full of 1t. Who ever heard of such
rum luck. Here I've been spytn' this house
fur a week to git the lay. and Just as I've
got things fixed nice an pleasant, with no
body at home but the woman and the paoy,
tn gas factory cuts me out It's sure death
Z.
Another thought had struck him.
THE woman-an the baby-are in there.
All alone Dead!
He stood staring at the house through the
blackness Of the night. In all his expe-
rience he had never been so disconnected.
'.Mebby they're not he muttered. as the
possibility entered his mind. "Metby
they're still alive. But-but If they ain
they will be mighty soon. an there's no
body but me to help EN-. If raise rum
pus the cops II get me; besides. they
make mess of it. If sneak there'll be a
funeral here, sure. It's not our funeral
though key" he went on, assuming the
dual role habitual with him when he be-
came quite confidential with himself; an
IT amt none of our business. If IL was
man in there-but it a woman-an oaoy
It's up to us, key, We've jus got TO make
a try
Filling his lungs with pure air he plunged
through the open window, hastily rised the
others in the same apartment. which ne
knew to be the dining room, and then made
his way rapidly as possible to the hall
He had in his mind the floor plan of the
residence, obtained by a careful profess
sional inspection of the exterior, He know
that the dining room opened into the recep-
ton hall and that the door to the upper
rooms he sought mist be near the head OF
the stairs. 'S'pose 1t IS locked he
thought TN be up against it fur sure II
# Is. But no use to worry about that now.
I'll find out when 1 git there-if ever do.
He had almost reached the hall before he
lungs found action and the deadly vapor
began to affect him He was growing light
headed and his legs seemed to be disappear
ing beneath him, as he staggered to the
stairway and fell at it's foot But up he
crept step by step. painting. gasplng- Would
he never reach the top? Was ever a stair
way go long? His chest felt as though IT
carried a load of a hundred tons and
whimsical thought of the strong man $
trick at the vaudeville passed through his
mind-his mind, which seemed to belong to
some one else and to be floating in sone-
where ahead just out of his reach.
He was at the landing. How pleasant 1t
would be to stop right here and let every
thing go. Why not give up the struggle?
There was nothing in it for him. He had
come 10 rob them. Why should lie make
greater effort to save their lives than he
would to get their silver. They would find
him there in the morning. Perhaps they
blame him Ali Come back here, you old
mutton head. Quit chasin' aroun' on your
own hook. Settle down on my neck and get
busy. I need you" He didn't give the
command with his lips. He was past that.
He could not rise. but he could yet crawl.
He found the door by instinct. 1t was
ajar He entered and noticed that the ar