7
The Room on the Roof
By Will Payne
(Ceatlaeed Wmm Pag Three.)
THE SUNDAY BEE: OMAHA, NOVEMBER 26, 1922.
oft, he smiled and spoke to her
y politely:
I'm aura we'ra very much obliged
ou. We made a mistake. I'm
y."
o mad her a funny, bobbing
la bow and turned away. The nu
nc was near then. Tba youiiK
in tucked a hand under tba old
b'a arm and they walked away,
using the curloua audience with
t speaking.
Actually, Peter Green waa de
li ted; but ha could go down with
lira .flying. Ha bawled after tha
treating figures. "Kuhbemecksl
k a ten I Pon't coma back here if
bu know what's good for you!"
mt restored hla self respect.
Elizabeth waa awara ' of an oh-
t at her feet the pistol which
o outraged old man hud drop-
id and which .evidently, everybody
d forgotten In tho turmoil. Peter
Ireen, with a fine swagger,, moved
ward the office door and waited
nr the audience. Elizabeth stooped,
ileked up the weapon, and hid it
ihlnd her handbag. When she
cached the office door the audience
vae already assembling , and tshe
new that Peter wua about to enjoy
very pleasant quarter of an hour
explaining the epidaode to them. In
the empty office ahe looked more
particularly at the weapon which
he had recovered from the weeda.
It waa an old-fashioned revolver,
ahort, fut, nickel-plated, with a
white horn handle; the nickel
plated barrel waa fluted. For a mo
ment ahe wondered what to do with
It; then atepped over to one of the
two office desks and dropped it into
empty drawer.
Already Peter waa launched on'
hla explanation to the audience:
"The professor give me a aqueak
and I come runnin' up to see what
the matter was."
She waited a moment for her
nerves to quiet down and then went
on into tho shop. There waa an
unfurnished basement containing a
furnace, a coal bin and much lit-.
ter. A plain pine partition inclosed
the stairway. The stair door was
open half way. Little Stelnman
Mtnnjl InniftA It. him hnnil nn fhA
ilnteh, listening, furtive, like a
house ready to doge into its hole.
V
"AD right! They've gone;" Eliza
beth sang out the moment ahe saw
him. She wanted to laugh, yet
there waa a caressing lilt In her
voice; this queer, unaccountable
little man was so much like a child.
He at once came out of the stair
way. "My goodness, I think mebbe I'm
a goner this time, sure pop!" he
informed her with that whimsical
gravity which he often assumed.
"Gurlin gome up here to kill me.
That tss the way It goes. Tou hire
a watchman and he watches all
'time e.xcvl when he lsa needed.
Then ho'a down cellar getting a
drink." "
He told her that Krom kept some
whisky down cellar; Peter Green
knew that, and periodically tr'eatd
himself to a sample of it; Peter had
been down cellar, the office door
probably wide open.
The Magnificent Philanthropist
Then, expanding In the warmth of
his companion's evident Interest, he
added: "She's a little French girl;
come over Just to marry me. Can't
speak hardy any English. If this
blamed train don't hurry up I'm
afraid I'll be late, and the Lord only
knows what she'll do if I'm not at
the station to meet her." Jerry took
from his pocket and anxiously scan
ned for the 10th time that morning
one of those intelligence tests com
monly known as timetables.
"I'm all right." he mused, "if we
can make up the time we've lost;
hut if we don't make It up I won't
have much margin Just 30 minutes
to go from the Grand Central to
the Pennsylvania."
As Jerry lurned to put away hi
timetable he caught the stranger's
eye again; there was a strange
glen in in It. He was diving into his
trousers pocket. His hand came
forth grasping a crumpled mass f
bills.
"W csn'l let a momentous oo
canton like a wedding go uncele
brated." he smiled, "litres a little
sift fur uur Krench brkR with A.
farneigie rniiipltineni." Into the
hand if the bukmiihImI hrtdi "ruom
he put two I I'm bills! Jerry's simple
f- ltrutrnl hah? a itosen dif
fvrent eiiurittma at once. Then, com
ln tu hunwlf, he hiilv thrut
the money ! a Into Uw turn
btHkm hand
tl than xi sataU, he ti
tr4. "U,t riMiUlii t .waihl
a-epl U "
T .! that wH
r the itum t- 4ni ..!'
-. ierrtrfias II Hth4 tha
!,-! aonr, hit hr Wm
e. t (, e Di.h.t.
it- (linnet tudiu' (teem tn Me
tie. -Ven Ml tte MV h"el
" I 'I I e tolu-!,
"I hear somebody and trior's Gur
lin and the young man Whldcsido.
I cult refer. The young man
Whldeslde come over to me at the
bench. I aln'd afraid of him," he
infornv.'d her, "but Qurlln kill me,
sura pop. Peter he came up and
chucks Gurlin oud and the young
man run after them, I bear some
shooting, yess?"
'The pistol went off accidentally,"
she told him for reassurance. "No
body wua hurt. They've gone
a way. They'll not coma buck."
He plucked bis beard and re
plied: "Ourlln come back, I guess,
lis laa obstinate. He nefer be sat
isfied till ha knock my head off
now." In spite of his timidity he
seemed to contemplate that with
a sort of fatalistic realgnution.
"Hut who la thia man 7 Why
should he want to hurt you?" abo
asked.
He gave her a sidelong look and
replied. "I worg for thjs man Gurl
in some years. He lsa mad at me
because I tage my Invention to Mr.
I In r wood. He kill me some day."
She laughed that aside, and told
him she waa going to Chicago In
the morning to be Mr. Harwodd's
secretary. They visited a few min
utes, and he promised to come ant
see her in Chicago "unless olt
Gurlin knocks my head off. Some
day, he do that, I guess." She
laughed it away again and went
out. ,
But, turning homeword, she found
that something was sticking in her
mind namely, a big, unhandsome
young man In a cap and loose
flannel Jacket. She had formed a
professional opinion that this young
man was strong and fast; that, for
example, he could handily knock
Peter into kingdom come; that he'd
never had any doubht on the sub
ject himself. She liked spirited
people young men, especially with
chin up! This young man could
hardly be said to have shown spirit.
He had patiently swallowed from
Peter Green an epithet which
some young men of spirit consider
a homicidal matter. All through
he'd been mild, conciliatory, pacific.
But cool.
It stuck around In her mind. Al
though she was all alone, some bub
bles of laughter escaped her lips
as she recalled how perplexed he'd
looked when after having quieted
down that outrageous old man he
found idiotic Peter Green dancing
at him,' begging him to fight. It
might have been like trying to drive
two stubborn pigs Into a pen one
no sooner In than the other was
out. And he'd looked so perplexed
about it! She bubbled with indif
ferently bottled laughter as she re
called it.
But what had these men been do
ing at the factory? Trespassing,
without doubt. Presently she dis
covered, with a touch of indigna
tion, that ahe didn't propose to
have a young man sticking around
in her mind trespassing, as one
might call it. .Probably he was a
good young man, a nice, lubberly
young man; but that was no reason
Then he jumped from the seat,
reached for his straw hat, and be
fore his cowering victim had como
to bis senses, had jumped off the
train, which waa just then stopping
at a station.
Almost every one at some time
in his life generally quite early
likes to imagine what it would be
like if some one should give him,
just so, a "whole lot of money."
He lets his fancy play around the
delightful possibilities which Its
spending suggests. The one thing
which he never Imagines la refus
ing it. And yet that is exactly
what the average grownup would
do. Immediately and emphatically.
He has lost the child's naive con
fidence In the world's good will.
Mortals are a wary and auspicious
kit. and no one more so, than Jerry
when sober. Instantly he made
up his mind that the bills had been
stolen, that they were marked
money, or perhaps counterfeit. Any
ntrtmte he might bm caught with
them In his ptewmuiii, and no one
wvuld hellete hla explanation of how
he got them. He would be arrested,
and then 1 SuMenly a new aml
even nwre terrifylns; thought tame
skippln Into his beduddled bre.li.
A year i he had Juit em fed
making Intimate aenuamume with
the N.'W Tul pulk-e. Kimple and
unupirtin. and aleo at the tune
ntewltat uixler the "inflae.e." be
h-t bee erlerj upas) ly twa I'lrtef
ruea end mad Ike cat's paw In
an ttnttertaaihtf ftl eery aueaiiusj
aide lrl.i. The thought ef Imw
Mive M4 hi ex epe el ill
M4 fcia wit4 with feints, Im
fatl, It 4 itlueae4 him la !
I MNkiM (Nil eiaewfcere, as a
it..! ih1 tkat ike r 0i.i:e
Buna ef the city were eull tfc
Kweuut I eat. a k..M- It Mt Mte
why hi should be trespassing in
her mind. She threw him out.
She had more important things to
think about Chicago!
That was never far from her mind
now, ami steudily looming like a
mountain range that one ap
proaches across a plain. lxtomlng
nearer and nearer until she was
stepping from, the train under an
enormous smoky shed and fulling
Into rank with other passengers.
Harwood had told her to go to
the Deermore hotel, on Superior
street, l' rid said he would have a
room reserved for her there. From
tho tab she looked up at Its tall,
narrow front of yellow pressed
brick. A flight of stone steps led
from the sldcwulk to the entrance;
ond when she wrote her numo on
the register the clerk's manner at
once chunired from the Impersonal
to a friendly littla glow.
"Oh, yes, Mies Madden!" he said.
"We've heen expecting you. Mr.
Harwood had a room reserved."
Obviously Mr. Harwood'a name was
open acsame to the best. This waa
the first wave of the wand.
Hurwood hud said this was a new
hotel of the "family" type; being
new, It would be clean. She sur
veyed, with little shivers of delight,
the pleasant bedroom with a broad
front window in the fifth story;
bright chintz, fresh, clean and the
, wonderfully compact white bath.
.She was no longer a co-ed, or a
' "girl ar merely Judge Liscombe'a
stenographer, living at home. She
was a regular person now, on her
own, settled In Chicago! So much
the wand had waved to her.
It waa noon when she arrived at
tho Deermoore, having taken the
early train. She went down to
luncheon; thought the dining room
charming and the food excellent.
Then her heart beat high as she set
forth on the greater adventure
going downtown to the office which
was to be her foothold In this big,
smoky seethe of a town.
She had studied It all out on the
map of the city, and she proposed
to walk; the names of the streets
at which she turned were fifed in
her memory. Tet she experienced
a distinct elation when .she found
herself on the big new bridge over
the river and saw Michigan boule
vard stretching interminably from
the other side. She hadn't been
lost for a minute! Then that was
the Art Institute over there; she
got a little thrill out of recognizing ,
it. She turned and read off the
streets from the signs an the lamp
posts Wabash, State, Dearborn,
Clark . . .
This was La Salle this canon
with beetling sides! She was watch
ing the street numbers now with
a little flutter in her heart as she
saw the sign "Balknap Building"
carved In the granite arch over a
broad doorway. There she was,
without having gone a bit out of
her way! She was proud of herself.
A long, dazzlingly white tile tunnel,
flooded with electric light, lay be
fore her people streaming in and
streaming out; a bank of elevators
on the right.
enough while he was lost in the
crowd, but if he wre to be ar
rested for any reason and taken to
police headquarters his past mid
deeds would be recalled, with heaven
knew what fearful penalties. And
what would become of Amalie
when he was in prison? This"
thought beaded his forehead with
perspiration. He gazed with fear and
loathing at the crisp, crumpled bills
in his hand. How to get rid of
them? He tried to rise the window,
but it was immovable. Then he
thought ot slutting the bills be
tween the cushions of the seat, and
made an elaborately careless move
In that direction. But, looking
around to see If he was observed, he
met the coldly questioning gaxe ot
a man acroea the aisle. As this
stranger's curious rase never left
him for the rest of the trip, further
attempts to get rid of the money
were, for the time beinr. ImposKftile.
When they re-hl the station
houne, the prisoner waa man-hrd
down a tone corridor, at the end
of which waa a tall Iron grating,
and behind this a tiny rell. Jerry
was lorked. Ills raptor had gH,e to
tha filee to rlHrt.
t brought In that Un'Kry they
.hned us about kil ril.ht. Cam in
on the Nrw Haven. Ko hia name's
Carnrrte, He t ve lee 1W bills tu
thia boy."
"Ar Jon ua he's the n?"
ekt the lira a ert'nl. as he en
tered Ik lime tn l vle i.f airret
- Ik ftka Hi.tirr.
'VuuMal W imim h suite,"
STul"4, the Llh-r 'H Ik 0
e,t,:l.. all jiM' 'Well tltreei.t,
gff suit, mi k. kl e
kevwe, kir, s I: I Iki
ai l.-M ke sMt waa I rnaie;
k Hi V l fivMt vt t)i tli4
Stepping out of the elevator on
the eighteenth floor, she saw before
her double glass doors, each panel
beiH-Ing the sign "Law Offices:
Kills, Murtlmlule, Hurwood &
Smith." With a vuue surprise
she looked through the glass panels,
and entered a very lurge and very
busy room, with a dozen or more
desks In it and a (Litter of type
writers. It was not like any law
office she had ever seen or thought
of; It appeund more like a factory.
A stout, dark young woman at a
desk near the door was looking at
her inquiringly.
Then a slim boy was leading her
through this big, busy room and
down a short inner hall, post doors
to private rooms. Tho boy halted
at the end of the hull and with a
motion of his hand indicated the
door she was to enter. She stepped
Into a rich, snug cabinet, 12 feet
square, ceiled with polished wood,
but before she had time to take
It In Harwood wus entering from
the opposite side, holding out his
hand. Bho squeezed his hand tight
as though she hud been on the
point, after all, of getting 'lost. He
seemed nicer and handsomer than
ever.
He showed her his spacious office,
back of tho little cabinet which was
to be her room. It took her breath
its size, the silk and silver; not
at all like any law office which she
had ever Imagined. She bubbled
and twinkled over It, prowling
around it delightedly. And the
view from the broad windows took
her breath again.
She and Harwood stood beside
one of them looking out at the
great vjew roofs, roofs, roofs, of
all sorts and ot all heights, under
a haze of smoke which seemed an
emanation of enormous energy,
millions of people toiling. He point
ed out various recognizable objects.
She stared her eyes full.
Her eyes were full of the view as
she presently turned to the hand
some man beside her. Of course,
he hadn't mado that smoky im
mensity beyond the window. But
he was one of those who had made
it and tf whose will it answered
one of the masters of these clut
tered, piled up ' kingdoms of the
earth!
She was not likely to withhold
admiration. Her shining eyes, full
of the great view, did not withhold
admiration now. With a sudden,
heady leap of the blood Harwood
felt that he could take her into his
arms now almost almost! She
was turning to look again at the
view. That surge in his veins sub
sided and left his nerves In a tur
moil as though he had received an
electric shock.
She laughed: "You'll have to keep
the shades down. If you don't I'll
be spending all my time looking out
of the window. Tou must tell me
what I'm to do, you know." So
they were back on a business foot
ing. They walked to the cabinet and
as they stood in its doorway Krom
(Continued From Page Two.)
Central station. He told me some
kind of sob story about being on his
way to meet a girl, but you can't
believe what a lunatic says."
"Well, I guess it's him all right.
I'll call up the asylum and tell
them to come down and get him as
quick as they can."
Meanwhile the "lunatic." sitting
on the vedge of his cot, gazed
through the barred door with dull
eyes. . . . After a long while he
heard the prison clock at the end
of the corridor strike "2." He re
laxed and buried his face In his
hands.
But in the police office there had
been unexpected developments.' A
little after 1.S0 the telephone had
rung, and when the desk sergeant
picked up the receiver. h recog
nized the voice of Christopher, one
of the force. "Send down to the
Tenn station, won't you?" he said
"I have that lunatic we were told
to look out for the one who thinks
he's Andrew Cargenie. and gives
away hunks of muney?"
"The hell you have! We've got
him here, Yutt'v got th wrong
man."
' "Well, that's mishty funny; he
fas the dta rtption I" a T.' I vwr
hranl him trying to thrust a M t
money on sum ine who was evi
dently a stranger la hm. And when
I ak4 hi iani he I--hi m It was
An lr, earnest. Art.-d ik a wild
hull wh'H 1 ul a p 14 hi b.U
lliri.ne intention"
What k ki'k like?"
"VU ktan; ) ledi V
sal; draw hat, Mim , krvwa
.le
Tkat V il-tl.M aeenia I M
mi J t.ii.r Wng km !
tu Miiii( a tup ft-au the
nlum u, M-t k tea ni4e
entered at the opposite side front
the Inner hall of the offices. Il
wus carelessly dressed, as Bess re.
membcred him at Snow Klver, and
she thought he wus surprised at see
ing her there as ahe was seeing
him walk In as though he were at
home.
.. Hurwood said pleasantly, "Good
morning, Krom. This is my new sei
relary, Miss Maiden." And to KHz
abeth: "Mr. Krom."
"But I met Mr. Krom at Snow
Klver," said Kllzabeth, always will
ing to be friendly,
Krom muttered something, evident
ly meant to be polite, and stepped
diagonally across the cabinet, disap
pearing through the door In Its west
wall. He was vaguely wondering,
as he went upstairs, why sho dis
concerted him; made him act like a
fool. So she was to be Harwood'
secretary!
Elizabeth had noticed that her
secrcturlul cabinet had three doors
one to the Inner hall, an opposite)
one on to Harwood'a room, and one
In the west wall. As Krom opened
the latter door she caught a glimpse
of the cell-like stairway, with it
bare cement floor and looked in
quiringly at Harwood.
"Bluebeard's chamber," he told
her, "only you may explore it any
time you like without losing your
head." More soberly he explained,
"I've pot a room up on thq roof
This man Krom is using It now
sometime? Stelnman, too." There
was a tit Illation, In his nerves
from -having her there on his own
ground, close to him, so he went
on, his voice taking a confidential
Inflection- "Those two men are on
the track of a big Invention mo
tion pictures. As many millions in
It as you care to think about. But
it's a secret until they finish It,
Krom w'H be going and coming.
That confidence set up a little
excitement In her mind a big se
cret! And more millions on the
way! Then he began telling her
about her duties as secretary.
She'd had a predecessor, it ap
peared a Miss Babcock, who had
been promoted to the post of man
ager of the office force In the big
workroom In front. In case of
doubt, when Harwood was not at
hand, she could call on Miss Bab
cock. It also appeared that Har
wood had many activities out wide
of law civic and political activities
which kept his name pretty con
stantly in the newspapers. She re
called that the Globe, which ob
jected to some of these activities,
had snoeringly referred to him as a
"professional leading citizen and
reformer;" but the Globe's tone was
low. From what she gathered In
this brief first day talk her duties
as secretary would be connected
rather mere with those outside ac
tivities than with the law. He men
tioned to her that a man who was
trying to1 accomplish large civic
aims must keep on as good terms as
possible with the press.
(Continued next Sunday.)
(Copyright, 1)11.) .
By Mary Day Winn
which looney is his. I'll send th
bus down for you P. D. Q."
Thirty minutes later the patrol
man entered tho office, leading, with
considerable difficulty, the second
"Mr. Carnegie." Kerrigan scruti
nized the prisoner. "He certainly
points up," he said, muKingly. "Hut
so does the other. However, the
man from Uillcrest asylum or sani
tarium, I believe they call it will
probably be here In a few moments
and can take his pick. He needn't
complain that we haven't done this
thing pretty thoroughly."
Just as he was sneaking the door
opened and the keeper In quest ion
stepixd in. His eye fell Immediately
on the latest prisoner, and lit with
a knowing" gleam. He leaned over
Kerrigan's desk and spoke itinfl
dentially: "That's him." with a ba.-kward
Jery of his thumb. "Where did you
find him?"
"One of the men picked htm up a
short while ago In th 1'enn station.
Sur yon didn't I two? We've
got two that answer your b--iip
lk.n perfec tly. . You know we be
lieve In being thorough."
"N, thank yu; on i sufficient.
Put I muM hurry along with him.
In order tu rauh the next tiala
lark." Then he ai-ppel up lu ".Mr.
fameBl', and shook hi hd
war m I "I ram to lake )ou
with ni. old man." h said, "on a
ltl pleaeur Irtp. II..W ik-e. Dal
appeal Id u?"
"Andrew" beamed. Tine." he r
pile hot to sauet M Sna al ai
iuh with jou Teat bw I 'a
very well ffri R m nt ffU v
; l. dart wua
"With th grJ vf t-Wnur,"
UI Ih ket, takrUis; lh k.H,
h4 lhr was a hM kihi. t 4
hi rM M in Ih 1
M miaH a r) M I
