Omaha daily bee., 1922-05-19

can't fail to see it when you once
get inside the door,"
"All right. I'll have it back here
in a jiffy." As he took the key and
hurried toward the barn l heard
low chuckle from Lillian.
"Poor ladl" she said with humor-
Gus yet tender commiseration. "He's
SO disappointed not to be able to
swing from tree to roof, risking life
and limb while fair ladies look
breathlessly on. But he's game
enough to accept the more prosiac
method cheerfully and without de-
lay, for which I'll give him a long
credit mark"
A light broke upon me and made
me secretely chagrined because OF
my own lack Of insight. She had
been testing Tom Chester for she
had known herself how Smith
reached the roof, bnt had wished to
observe the reaction OF the youth
to her annoyed inquiry.
''Why do you suppose Smith
didn't use the ladder in the barn?"
I asked idly, and bethought myself
of the idiocy of the question too late,
"Stand Clear"
"Because"-Lillian's voice-or did
my humiliation only fancy it? held
the patience with which one explains
things to a moron-"he wanted to be
able to get back to the roof, silently,
and without trace whenever he wish
ed. He must have left the room
when he heard us coming, and
drew his ladder after him. If he had
been using that heavy ladder he
would have had time to get to the
ground. perhaps to throw the ladder
down. but he would have had to risk
noise and he would never have haz-
arded putting the ladder up again to
watch US.
81 fancy" she went on, "it was
only by the sl,eerest accident that
you saw him at all. / believe that
he kept himself concealed by grasp
ing the side Of the window, hiding
his body that way and leaving him
self free to look in on us. But no.
body could stand that position long,
holding himself and the ladder
against the window Will, one hand,
so he was frequently obliged to shift
to the other side of the window and
use the other hand. 1t was on one of
those shifts when he was swinging
free, that you happened to look
toward the window and catch sight
l.:.. T. c1an~ ~
"Please don't rub it in" l said. Il
ought to have"
mo, 'you oughtn't," sne retorted
briskly. Don't be an idiot just be-
cause you know how. Remember,
you havn't been up against the in
eenuity OF Mr.. Smiths type as often
as / have. It's an old story to me.
have catalogue of the original fifty
seven varieties and then some. But
there comes our friend with the lad
der. Be ready to lend hand to
help balance it. We don't want it
to make any noise.
The next few minutes were busy
ones. With Lillian and me on either
side of the big ladder, Tom Chester
-aised it cautiously, set it firmly
against the house, ran up it lightly
md gracefully, reached the roof.
iropped to his knees. and began to
olay the flashlight upon the shingles
beneath him.
Stand clear to catch this" he
aid softly, then he laid the flash
light down near him, began TO tumble
At a point just above the outline OF
he rope ladder
The next moment the contrivance
:aine hurting toward US, to be
taught in our willing hands. We be-
gan to roll it up, while Tom Chcs-
er let his flashlight play over the
,ortion Of the roof around him, evil
!ently searching for some trace
smith mhght have left OF his pres
nee there. At last he gave sup
ressed little exclamation. and the
cxt minute he had descended the
wooden ladder again.
when get this ladder put away"
&c said, Il thint; have something
D show you which will interest jou.