The Tomahawk., 1916-12-21
s'Now don't look lofty and assume {

ADDRESS, Cnefe was Il SuDlle SOluetullS
| in his eye that drew me magnetlike
| and held me. was silent.
"Want to know how became aware
Of that fact?" he went on, with
quick, sharp glance at my bewildered
face. 'There's nothing wonderful
about my knowing that; I've had my
| eye on you for two hours, and you
stare at every signboard you pass,
worse than a country jake; and once
or twice I saw you stop and study
| carefully some fresh design, or some
new style Of letter. You're a strang-
er here in the city, too. Want to know
| how I can tell? Because you walk
| like you were actually going some
place; but notice that you never get
there, for continually crossing and re-
| crossing streets, and back-tracking
| past show windows, and congratulate
! ing yourself, doubtless, upon the thor
ough business air of your reflection
in the plate glass. Come, we can get
| through now; let's walk
I followed him unhesitatingly. To
say that I was simply curious would
be too mild; was fascinated, and to
that degree I actually fastened on his
arm, and chung there till we had quite
escaped the crowd. II like you, some
way" he said, "but you're too impul-
sive; you let your fancy get away with
your better judgment. Now, you don't
know me, and I'm even bordering
whether to frankly unbOsOm to you, or
give you the slip; and I'll not leave
! the proposition to you to decide, for
know you'd say 'unbosom;' so I'll
think about it quietly for while
yet and give you an unbiased verdict"
We walked on in silence for the dis
lance, perhaps, of half dozen blocks,
turning and angling about till we came
upon an open stairway in an old un-
painted brick building, where my
strange companion seemed to pause
mechanically.
''Do you live here?' I asked.
81 stay here" he replied, "for I
don't call it living to be fastened up
| in this old sepulcher. I like it we'll
enough at night, for then feast and
fatten on the gloom and glover that in
| fest it: but in the normal atmosphere
of day my own room looks repellent,
and I only visit it, as now, out of sheer
| desperation"
If 1 had at first been mystified with
this curious being, I was by this time
thoroughly bewildered. The more 1
studied him the more at loss 1 was
to fathom him; and as stood staring
blankly in his face, he exclaimed al
most derisively: "You give it up, don't
you?"
nodded.
"Well," he continued, "that's good
sign, and I've concluded to 'unbosom =
Pm an adjustable lunatic."
"An Adjustable lunatic!" I repeat
ed, blankly. And after the remarkable
proposition that ushers in the story,
he continued smilingly:
'Don't be alarmed, now, for I'm glad
to assure you of the fact that I'm as
| harmless as baby butterfly. Nobody
knows I'm crazy, nobody ever dreams
of such thing-and why? Because
| the faculty is adjustable, don't you
see, and self-contrOlling. l never al
| low it to interfere with business mat
tiers, and only let it on at leisure in
| tervals for the amusement it affords
me in the pleasurable break it makes
| in the monOtOny of a matter-Ot-fact
existence. I'm off duty today-in fact,
I've been off duty for week; or, to
be franker still, lost my situation ten
| DAYS ago, and I've been humoring this
| propensity in the meanwhile; and now,
| if you're inclined to go up to my room
! with me-the windows are both raised,
| YOU see, and you can call for help
| should occasion require; people are
constantly passing-if you feel in
! clined, I say, to go up with me, I'll do
| my best to entertain you. like you.
| as said before, end you can trust me,
| assure you. Come
If were to attempt a description
of the feelings that possessed me as
1 followed my strange acquaintance up
the stairway, I should fail as utterly
as one who would attempt to portray
the experience of lying in nine-days'
trance, so I leave the readers fancy
to befriend me, and hasten on to more
! tangible matters.
! We paused at the first landing, my
companion unlocking a door on the
right, and handing me the key with the
remark: "You may feel safer with it.
And don't be frightened" he continued,
when I open the door, for it always
whines like somebody had stepped on
it's knob" and 1 laughed at the odd
figure as he threw the door open and
motioned me to enter.
1t was a queer apartment, filled with
a jumbled array of old chairs and
stands; oIu trunks, 4 lounge, and a
stack CT odd-shaped packages. A
frowzy carpet thrown over the floor
like blanket, and a candle-box spit
toon with a broken lamp chimney in
it, A little swinging shelf of dusty
books, with railroad map pasted just
above it. 4 narrow table with a tele-
| graph instrument attached, and wires