The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1910-07-27
BY Mary Roberts Rinehart
Copyright, 1909, The Bobbs-Merriu Company

wiring of the roof. He was clever
with tools; one could see that. If
he was a professional gentleman
burglar, no doubt he needed to be.
After a bit, finding it necessary to
climb to the parapet, he took off
his coat, without even a glance in
my direction, and fell to work
vigorously.
| 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 nal
nal. 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 difficulty, and coordinate
enough to have crossed on it With
a flourish to safety.
Just then there was a rendihg,
tearing sound from the corner and
a muttered ejaculation. l LOOKED
up in time to see Mr.. HARRISON
throw up his arms, make a.futile
attempt to regain his balance, and
disappear over the edge OF the
roof. One instant he was standing
there, splendid, superb; the next,
the corner of the parapet was emp
ty, all that stood there was a brok-
en-, splintered post and a tangle
of wires.
| / could not have moved at first !;
at least, 1t seemed hours before the
full significance of the thing pence
trated my dazed brain. When /
got up seemed to walk, to crawl,
with leaden weights holding back
my feet.
When I got to the corner 1 had
to catch the post for support. j
knew somebody was saying, "Oh,
how terrible!" over and over. It
was only afterward that l knew it
had been myself. And then some
other voice was saying, Don't be
alarmed. Please don't be frigh-
tened. I'm all right"
dared to look over the parapct,
finally, and instead of a crushed
and unspeakable body, there was
Mr.. aHrbison, sitting about eight
feet below me, with his feet swing
ing into space and a long red
scratch from the corner of his eyes
across his cheek. There was sort
of mansard there, with windows,
and just enough coping to keep
him from rolling off.
II thought you had fallen-all
the way" l gasped, trying to keep
my lips from trembling. 'I-oh.
don't dangle your feet like that!"
He did not seem at all glad of
his escape. He sat there gloomily,
peering into the gulf beneath.
''If it wasn't so-er-messy and
generally unpleasant" he replied
without lookink up, 81 would slide
off and go the rest of the way"
you are childish" 1 said
severely. "See If you can get
through the window behind you. If
you can not, I'll come down and
unfasten it," But the window was
open, and I had chance to sit
down and gather up the scattered
ends of my nerves. To my sur
prise, however, when he came back
he made no effort to renew our
conversation. He ignored me conn,
plttely, and went Ito work at once
to repair the damage to his wires,
with his back to me. "A
II think you are very rude"
said at last. you fell over there
and 1 thought you were killed.
The nervous shock l experienced
is just as bad as If you had gone
all the way"
He put down the hammer and
came over to me without speaking.
Then, when he was quite close, he
said:
81 am very sorry If I startled
you. I did not flatter myself that
you would be profoundly affected,
in any event"
"Oh, as to that" / said lightly,
at makes me i'll for days If my
car runs over dog" He looked
at me In silence. "You are not
going to get up on the parapet
again?"
Mrs. Wilson," he said, without
paying the slightest attention to
my question, ''wilI you tell me
what l have done?"
"Done?"
Cor have not done? / have
raked my, brains stayed awake
all OF last night. AT first hoped
It was impersonal. that. woman
like. you were merely venting gem
eral disfavor on one particular in-l
dividusl. But-your hostility is to