Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-07-19

1T is quite sheltcr"-frigidly.
He still stood. struggling for some
thing to say. Evidently nothing came
to his mind, for he lifted the cap he
was wearing, and, turning away, be-
gan to work with the wiring of the
roof. He was clever with tools: one
could see that If he was a profess
sional gentleman burglar, no doubt he
needed to be. After a bit. finding II
necessary to climb to the parapet, he
| took off his coat, without even a glance
in my direction, and fell to work Wig
orously.
One does not need to like a man to
admire him physically, any more than
one needs to like race-horse or any
other splendid animal. No one could
deny that the man on the parapet
| was a splendid animal: he looked quite
big enough and strong enough to have
tossed his slender bridge across the
gulf to the next roof, without any diff
Guilty, and coordinate enough to have
crossed on it with flourish to safety.
Just then there was a rending, tear
ing sound from the corner and a NUT
tered ejaculation. | looked up in time
| to see Mr.. HARRISON throw up his arms,
make futile attempt To regain his
balance, and disappear over the edge
of the roof. One instant he was stand
ing there, splendid, superb; the next
l.,
all that stood there was a broken,
1 spintcred post and tangle OF wires.
| could not have moved at first: at
least. it seemed hours before the full
significance of the thing penetrated my
daZed brain When got up | seemed
to walk, to crawl, with leaden weigh, s
holding back my feet.
When | got Ia the corner | had to
| catch the post for support. | knew
somebody was saying, oh, how terri
ble." over and over. 1t was only af-
| tcrward that | knew it had been my
self And then some other voice was
saving, Don't he alarmed. Pleas"
don't be frightened. I'm all right"
| udItu " l'h'h 'NNi ltii ''l'''
finally. and instead of crushed and
unsprakablc body, there was Mr.. Har-
bison. sitting about eight feet below
me, with his fee swinging into space
and a long red scratch from the cor
nar of his eye across his cheek. Thee
was mansard there. with windows
and Just enough coping To keep him
| from rolling off.
Il thought YOU had fallrn-all the
way" ] gasped. trying to keep my lips
| from trembling. 18th, don't dangle
your feet like that"
He did not seem at all glad Of his
! escape. He sat there glonmily, per
, ing into the gulf beneath.
IF it wasn't s"-rr-messy and gen.
orally unpleasant" he replied without
| Looking up. Il would slide off and go
| the rest of the way"
You are childish" said severely.
dow behind YOU. If ynu can not, I'll
come down and unfastcn it," But tn"
window was open. and | had a chanc"
| To sit down and gather up the scat
tered ends nf my nerves. To my sur
prise. however, when he came back he
made no effort to renew our conversa-
| ton. He ignored m" completely, ana
went To work at once To repair the
damage to his wires, with his back t"
me.
Il think ynu are very rude" | said
| at last. You fell over there and |
| thought YOU were killed. The nervous
shock ! experienced is just as bad as
| if you had gnnr-all the way"
He put down the hammer and came
over t" mo without speaking. Then,
when he was quite close. he said:
, Il am very sorry if startled you.
did not nattcr myself that you would
he profoundly affected. in any event.
"Oh, as To that" | said lightly. 1T
| makes me i'll for days if my car runs
over a dog" He looked at me in ST.
lrncc. You are not going To get up
ON that paraprt again"
Mrs. Wilson," he said, without pay
| ing the slightest attention Ia my qu"s-
ton. will YOU tell me what | hav"
! done"