The sun., 1908-10-18

over gorgeous night shirt which he hac
selected from stock few days before
with lofty dlsregard Of tho price tag. but
otherwise he had neglected TO dress.
"0osh,' he exclaimed. Il wish / was
dressed. and as if>his words had been q
missile the large mirror cracked from
top to bottom with loud snap.
Starting In surprise at this, Rufus
Daboll took second look at the glass and
as he saw himself again, he muttered
mo wonder 1t broke the glass"
He was. indeed. dressed. but in fashion
well calculated to drive an average dry
goods clerk to drink. From his oiled.
scented, ourled hair to the dainty ribbons
that fastened jewelled sandals TO his
hoseless feet his appearance was that OF
an Athenian exquisite OF some bygone
period unknown to Rufus Dsboll
A single glance revealed TO his trained
perception that his goddess was no mig
gard. The fabrics were far more costly
than he had ever handled In the depart
ment store. but the cut Of some Of his
garments and the absence Of others out
ragged his sense Of propriety cruelty.
For an instant he regretted the loss
of the second best trousers which had
seemed 30 inadequate only a moment
before but while he was still too stupefled
even to wish to have them back his
attention was distracted.
Had he not been extremely oonven-
tional in temperament as well as by edu-
cation, and had he not been congenitally
unable to perceive the humor Of situa-
tion in which he was himself the joke,
Rufus Daboll might perhaps have shared
in the amusement of the passersby who
were collecting in Q crowd and were all
gazing at him intently. Constituted as
he was, however, his immediate sensa-
tion was that of poignant agony. The
outspoken comments Of some OF the be-
holders soothed him as poison ivy soothes
sensitive skin.
sGee. Billy; pipe de fantastic shouted
small boy. and as the crowd, which was
rapidly increasing. yelled with delight,
Rufus Daboll shivered and writhed In
humiliation and wrath.
Il wish,' he said between olinched
teeth, "the police would drive EN- away .
Few things are moro inspiriting to q
citizen Of New York with civic pride and
red blood In his veins than the sight Of a
squad of the finest making it's way through
and over a crowd Of people. resistant or
non-resistant as may be. Tho rhythmic
and harmonious swing Of unhalting blue
trousered legs. and the steady. accurate
forceful oscillation Of heavy nightsticks
are certain to arouse emotion in.the most
stolid observer.
Rufus Daboll was not stolid. and he was
nightly thrilled as he saw a sergeant and
eight policemen marching toward him.
Still more was ne thrilled as he noted the
desperate attempts Of the panicstricken
rabble to disperse as best they could.
some OF the more fortunate aiding those
who were unable to walk without assis-
tanoe, while others who could no longer
stand rolled themselves feebly and pain
fully out OF the way.
His concern for his fellow creatures,
however. was quickly forgotten when the
grim, uniformed automata approached
him and seemed to recognize in him the
cause Of the assemblage. Even as he be-
gan stammering explanation OF his
uo pCICOiNCA tttO utOCh iuthty vi
it, and Iapsing into sullen silence he sub
mitted to the humiliation Of being arrested
and suffered himself TO be escorted to
the station without spoken protest.
His modification was intensified tenfold
by his keen sense Of the impropriety Of
his costume. and losing his self-control
almost entirely he was angry enough 10
shed tears. Not knowing whether he
had on a toga. q chlamys. a peplum or a
Chiffon, he pulled it around him as best
he might and trudged on with a strange
consciousness Of his own legs till he was
arraigned before the desk. and cringed
against him Of having melted riot.
When his name was demanded. however
and he faced the necessity Of speech. he
broke down utterly and exclaimed in
desperation:
Il wish 1 could flyl"
Then while he scared easily out OF the
station house window he noticed a pale
young fellow who had been watching him
nervously from beside the desk. and saw
with some surprise that he was rushing
toward telephone. And on that rush
though Rufus Daboll never knew II. de-
pended his sudden attainment OF such
fame as many men have sinned and suf-
fered for.
At the other end Of the wire sat the city
editor OF the Eren,ng Tattler with his ear
at the receiver. He listened with look
of near amezement as the nervous young
man sputtered with excitement, then
turning 70, his assistant. he said:
Jim. you'd better write this story
yourself. Make a front page spread for
an extra. and have II out IN ten minutes
Send out six men for particulars. Dis.
charge Smithers. He's drinking again
l thought he couldn't be trusted TO cover
the stations"
Within the quarter hour the Tdttls'
was on sale in the streets with a startling
tale OF madman who had been rescued
by the police from furious mob Of citi.
zens and who had flown like bird oui
through the window of the station house
whittier he had been taken for safety.
Subsequent editions OF the paper.
issued half hourly through the day. con
tained many particulars, with snapsho,
illustrations, of the flight Of the mys
terious fugitive over the sl.yscrapers ol
the city. seaward. until he was lost tc
sight
Meantime Rufus naboll's sudden re-
lief from his recent distress and II ortiz
cation. together with the exhilaration hs
found In the exercise OF his new gift