Metropolis weekly gazette., 1916-04-28
FOOL And angel
BY lzoLA FORESTER.

in the back parlor, perhaps it was
only curiosity. Eaton never analyzed
the motive that made him bite at Bill
lie Tanguay's April-fool bait. The
main point was that he swallowed it..
hook and line.
Eaton. have you seen it2" Billie
called at his door about nine.
Seen what? He raised his head
from the engineering plans on the
table under the leaky student lamp.
"Airship. Seems to be making for
the Long Island shore, crossing from
Jersey. II you hurry you can get a
look"
Eaton hurried. He was in the Sec
ond floor back room. 1t took about a
minute and half for him to reach the
roof, and then as he stood alone. gaz-
ing hopefully up at the star-dotted
heavens, he heard the sliding of the
roof door over its ladder, the locking
and Billie's cheerful challenge:
Happy dreams. April fool"
Even then there was nothing tragic
about the situation. 1t was merely RI
diculous, and no one cares to be made
ridiculous even in ones own eyes. Ea-
ton walked about the roof rather phil
osophically before the novelty of roofs
began to interest him. Their house
was one of long row of tall brown
stone dwellings In the West Fifties,
near Sixth avenue, New York city.
They were old-fashioned enough.
Hence the ladder and trapdoor en-
trance. They all appeared to be about
the same Eaton noticed he stood
on the third from the end of the row,
after which came a space, he could
not tell how wide. and a higher roof
on the corner building. And even as
he watched he saw man emerge
from the small cabinlike exit, run to
the edge of the roof and take the jump
to the next one.
Almost Immediately there followed a
shot. and Eaton stepped, with natural
caution, behind a group OF tall CHM
ney-pots. The man had hidden behind
neighboring group, and as a police
man came in sight on the first roof he
shot at him, turned and ran directly
toward Eaton's shelter. AS he dropped
behind it, he said huskily over his
shoulder:
Beat 1t kid, can hold him. Here. y
He handed over something wrapped
clumsily in a handkerchief, black
silk one. And even as he did so, there
came another shot, and he rolled over
on the graveled roof and lay quite
still. The policeman was calling out
something to him, Eaton knew. He
seemed to want him to come nearer.
Hatless, young, thoroughly confident,
he stepped over the brick dividing sec
tions and came to the space between.
II was too wide to leap unless one
were running for life like the man
who lay behind the red chimney-pots.
Il live in 160.' said Eaton. They've
locked me out for joke"
And then the most peculiar thing
happened. Out of the trapdoor from
No. 164 there exuded men, another po-
liceman and some plain clothes men,
and they seized Thomas w. Eaton
without any warning or apology. took
the untidy handkerchief bundle out of
his grasp and hustled him downstairs
past shrinking. shadowy forms and
down into the street. He heard one
of them say disgustedly that his pal
had been taking When they went af-
ter his body 1t had gone from behind
the red chimneypots. Vaguely sens
,ng a growing personal indignation,
Eaton was glad he had made get
sway He kept repeating firmly:
II am Thomas W. Eaton of 160. You
can ask anyone living there who |
sm-"
You're Slimsy Louis all right" the
man who held his arm retorted so
positively that Eaton felt that until he
had confederation, 1t was usless to
argue the point. Then he found him
self being pushed up the steps at the
corner house, up the elevator to the
| fourth floor and then into a splendidly
furnished apartment, facing the po-
liceman who had fired the two shots
and the loyeliest girl Eaton had ever
| laid eyes on All in pink negligee
she was. with her long, dark hair un-
bound, and her eyes wide with horror
at her experience. With her hands
pressed to her face she looked at
Eaton. but shook her head:
He wasn't here. 1t was a short,
dark man with mustache."
This one had the jewels in his
hand when we got him. they told her.
Eaton saw the handkerchief opened
and inside was a glittering handful OF
diamonds and other gems, set in rings
and trinkets. One necklace. he no
ticed. was of pearls. The girl glanced
at them and nodded her head.
They're all there, but this Is not
the other man."
Then there were three of them"
began a policeman
II am Thomas w. Eaton" began the
prisoner again, with certain quiet
dignity and firmness he always used
ws<.t<