The San Francisco call., 1908-08-16
CRYSTAL BALL.s=ee BY oELE71 BURGESS

ALL" He took her by the shoulder and
attempted to lift haFs but she resisted.
wonderingIy. turning up to him a tear
stained face.
See here, ma'am." he coaxed. this
won't do at all. I'll Ak him up all right
II you'll only go now. You leave him to
me. You must get away before he
comes to-"
She had turned to her husbands limp
body and was chafing his hands. Ring
for physician immediately she com
manded. do you ,thirk I've spent a
whole year looking for hip to leave
him now. while he's injured. too. Oh, I
know you've meant to be kind--I thank
you for it-but you don't know women.
Why. I'd forgive him everything. any
thing. So would any woman"
He left her to go to the telephone.
but. at her last word, paused. Amy
woman?" he said. slowly.
Her smile was beautiful as she re-
peated it, ANY woman
Il wonder" said Jake thoushtfuIly,
his eyes on the sp1endor Of her hair.
He had scarcely raised the telephone
when a coachman came in, stamping
the snow from his boots and shaking 1t
from his coat His face was red and
joviaI his eyes screwed up into mere
buttonholes by conflict with the storm
Somebody ring for a keb?" he
asked. Then. seeing the lady upon the
floor. he waddled over. holding his hat
in his hand.
Put this man in your carriage" she
ordered. The bartender will help youk
Then she called out to Jake. Tell de
doctor to come Immediately to the
Earlmount- Tell him to hurry. please
Jake obeyed. and then. with the driv-
er's help. the man was lifted and sear-r
ried out, and placed as comfortably
as possible in the carriage. The lady
got in afterward and knelt on the floor
with her arms round the injured man.
The cold air began to revive him; he
groaned and opened his eyes. The last
thing Jake saw as he slammed the
door was that the lady's lips had again
found her husbands. He noticed. too.
that strand OF yellow hair had
become loosened and fell behind her
little ear in a wave OF gold
He walked back into the empty sa-
loon. thinking.
He stood for moment with his eyes
, fixed on a garish lithograph. but he
did not seem to see IT. Once or twice
he nodded to himself slowly. then
passed. still distracted. behind the
counter and laid his hand on the tele-
phone. 1t was cold. He put both
hands on the nickel plated heater to
warm them Then he took up thu re-
ceiver quickly.
"Give me Main 1895"
He waited. his eyes fixed obIiqusly,
his face relaxing gradually from its
set expression to almost a smile.
lis that you. Kit? Yes, it's Jakei
Say. Kit, I'm coming up right awayl
Surel Oh. that's all right I'm going
to give you another chance. Yes. In
about 20 minutes So long,
He drew of his white bar jacket,
hung 1t up in the locker. put on his
coat. hat and overeoat. filed his pock-
cts with cigars from the case. turned
off the gas in the heater. Then he
snapped of all the electric lights but
the single cluster overhead. As he
came from behind the bar his foo-
struck something which rolled. glis-
tening, across the floor till it stopped
under the table where the man had
sat. He went over, stopped down and
picked it up. 1t was the crystal ball
He stood for a moment looking at IT.
Inside the sphere. he saw upside
down, the illumined ground glass pan
els of the DOORS the lights overhead.
the glistening bar rail. the shining
glasses. On it's surface there showed.
paler. the two doors behind him. He
looked steadily for some minutes-dim-
ly luminous, blur appeared. yellow.
shimmerins-it took form-a woman's
face and hair.
He looked up. as II suddenly awak-
ened. turned on the lights and went
out and locked the door. Lastly he
put the crystal ball into his pocket.
Il guess that guy was dead right"
he said to himself There might be
something in it. I'll keep # for luck
anyway