The Sunday Bee
1 MAGAZINE SECTION
VOL. :,2SO. 23. OMAHA, SUNDAY MOKNIN'G, NOVKMKKR 19, 1922. ' FIVK CUNTS
The Room on the Roof By Will Pajnic
W " Z ZZrrZ
few. -if sm
.4 brilliant funnel of light nlwt out from the magic lantern, ttrihing the urenn
HUHT JNHTAIXMKNT.
The Double Cross.
OKU day In July, 1918, a big, trampisti mini trudged
north across the Well street bridge. It was Chicago
weather ut ita worat, parboiled air mukitig xtstenco
anywhere In the hum a atlcky misery. The big man
waa iinruluibly dressed for It a cloth hat Insleud of straw;
coat mid trousers loo heavy. A abort, lll-lrimmed beard, tin
color of irioldy straw, covered hi fart-, t
Three blocks north of the bridge he turned off Wells gtiwt
and noon Mood before a doorway of Booty brick beyond which
a flight of dirty atalrs now arose. Ills destination wan the
fifth floor and there wan evidently mo elevator. Ifo cursed
a little, and toiled up the atalra.
The door up there waa labeled "Curlin Camera Company."
Panting, sweat trickling: into hi Ixiard, he moved the hal
tered hat to the hack of hi head and entered a tihowronm,
29 feet aiuare, where cameras, lenses, and the like were
displayed in glasa raes. Not a penny had been wanted
to make the room attractive, and thero wus nobody in It. A
door In the opposite partition, with the sign, "President"
above it, Mood ajar. The caller, stepped over there, pushed
the door open, and announced, "I'm looking for the boss."
A gangling, red faced man In ahlrfr ulecvea looked up
from the desk within and snapped, like a slap In the face,
"What you want?" '
"You advcrtlaed for lena winder." aald the raller atid
amiled as he added, "I'm the best lens grinder you ever had
In your shop."
Ilia appearance savored not only of the tramp, but ot
Impudence. There waa a cast In hia left eye, giving it a
dead look. Somewhere behind the beard a grin seemed to
lurk.
Klmon Curlin, president of the camera company, was
careless in drenp himaelf; but he hated dirty people, he hated
Impudent people, he hated tramps. Irascibility was stamped
all over him In hia long, red, leathery face, tmd Mmouldery
eyea thut seemed to peer angrily out at the world under eye
brows so faintly marked that the eyea looked bald. Sparse
reddiHh gray hair stood up over hia head. lie took nn palua
to conceal the disfavor With which he viewed that applicant.
Hut he did deaperately want lena grinders. War had
combed the country of men, and set up nn Inaatiable demand
for lenaea. This fellow might fill one of the gups In his
workaliop temporarily, drudgingly and grumpily, he Hiked
him a few qiieMltuna, and agreed to give htm a t ijnl. The
man sild his name waa Adolph Krom, and Ix-yoml that 'lu
ll n did not rare to Inquire lest he discover that It was his
dmy to turn tho fellow over to a recruiting tif fleer, Instwiol
of avtiiug him to work In the shop.
He prvju-iuly found, to his surprise, that Adolph Kroni
was nn fxi'eplii. unity skilled workman, capable of mukiug
the very fluent lenaes. Moreover, he did not belong to it
union. Curlin hated unions. Krmu staid on soon appear
ing (r decent clothes, beard and hair preeentahly trimmed,
t'urlln began to favor him with a good opinion. The men
waa not only skilled at his tnwte, but Intelligent, wlih many
valuable little suggestions.
The caiiift'4 factory luvupled the lop flocl, w hlrh - he
b i i4.l in luttroriii ami otlbea n fruni -was n dingy ami
twunliKe Uift diuded bv a ininlr of ptaln b,..i.1 puitliloti
tl ir hid oiilv two thild of ttte way to the celling.
VTiii thesn r t M I l"i r. one might rutrh a mnvll
of i i-i wriMal, t,r i,f louttiet. ot i.f p.tlnt and varnish. Krom
. I'. I he I, ia, ai of tbeiii. . i ui liU I. it He biilldtng.
. -ui a ,!,. ovi h kum t !. 1 1, v iut wi ' ih huuUl
i ! ' j .! tula fiiini.hid not if the lit tit a hghl
yl,.' tl.', M I, t fr'll' , ll
Thuhfl who believe that all the mystery "torles have
been (old, anil that there are w new kinds, have the sur
prise of their Uvea coming when they read the first in
stallment of tlx- new Itlue Kihhon serial, "The Koom on
the Roof," by Will I'ayne, which ia published in this is.
i;ue of our weekly inagaiiie. It is not otily a new hind
of mystery story but also a remarkable story of ('bicago
life, with all Its thrills, adventures, complications ami rli
muxes and Hie mot remiirliiililo setting ever chohcn for
a novel the roof of an IM-slnry skyscaper In the loop,
f,a Halle street, one of (he world's great money mar
kets; Wells street, the day anil night life of the loop, (he
lioiues and haunts of society folk all these figure in Mr.
I'ayne'a story of a crime committed on the roof of the sky
scraper. Casting aside the tliiieworn trappings of the
mystery novel, he lias made an extraordinary motion pit
tore Invention the treasure trove of hbt tale, for possessing
of which all character strive, and there la a wholesome
charming love motif to lighten up the grim barkgrouiid.
"Will 1'ii) nc's best story," Is the verdict of critics.
Mr. I'ayue knows his Chicago, as for many years In
was a Chicago newspaper man. He has more than a dozen
successful jiovelw to his credit, together with scores of
abort stui leu, many of which deal accurately with Chica
go life. He was born In Whiteside county, Illinois, Is 57
years old, and at present makes hi home. In 1'aw I'aw,
Mich. Now you're readyto begin reading first installment.
discs from which arose tho purr of diamond dust biting,
with gentle Insistence, Into glass.
A don, 16 fet miuure, was partitioned off from one cornel
of this room, tho newness of the boards allowing that this
partition had been recently erected. The door to It was oftctr
open for ventilation. From his workbench Krom could look
Into the den, which provoked u very lively curiosity in his
mind. .
it was occupied by a dry 'wisp of u man, oiriy five feet
tall nd weighing hardly 100 pounds. Ml meager face bore
a thin growth of prl.Ii d whiskers, which he clawed with
bony 111 tie bund. -i. )tut by a comical fisfit this weazen tm.o
was capM'd by u noblo blow thatched with curly gray hulr.
Kelow tho eyebrows the man was a mere monkey; above
the eyebrows he was a pblloaoplier. Sometimes for boms ho
bent over a desk, absently plucking his hcaid or ruffling his
hulr. Sometimes he reHtb'SNly paced bis cage.
Krolii's fallow workmen held different opinions about the
man In the cage. Home said he was a nut; others said he
waa an Inventor, Krom proposed t find out foil blmxclf.
The llttlu tuau'a name was Hleliiman.
Vartoua iiersona fellow workmen nud oiheis who form
ed Krom'a acquaintance in his hotirt of leisure observed that
he had one odd taste In lllrratiiru. 'l b it la, all nowmer
report of ewindlc seemed to have a peculiar f ix Instlon for
him. lie wouUl read them with the greatest tare, duelling
tism the detail with an appieeiaitv relish.
After h had been nine months at Cuilln's, and he fill
blui If well established in his employer' regard, he lx k
a week off, without notice, and went on a spree. In that
sluts he was bsiuacloiis, anil freely t iiiniled .i lynic.il
phllu x.pliy of llf, a follows:
"t!et 'em In ttilnl.lng there's money In i, and they'll t
ht till thing "
' Thu s nil suckpr b.u" ib 'ii as r !, "
i ll.e ilrsl lo in .'U niret lend (,,n lnU T. II
him !i ftimi lit aUe t to a p.r l'l. vi'h srven ai rwna
r :,,.. . in, I in 'l till 1.. 1,1 U, III l.i 'I I'll! - -1 1 hli.i i '
going to paslo anothor ciplior on the bill and (lrme II at
the bank for $1,000, and he'll fall for it."
"Hold brick and green good ar tho eunicst things In the
world to soil bocfluao the aucker thinks he' jicuiiig soni"
thing for nothing."
At the end of tho week, being aober again, ho returned io
the camera factory and gravely Informed Curlin that he'd
been III with tho flu.
"You've been drunk t" said Curlin, who had no amiill
clmngo of mere politeness. But Krom wag a very vaiuabV
workman and retained his Job with a aatlrlcal little grin
behind hi beard.
About that time the great Comlioy-Irrson Company,
world' largost maker of cumera an1 lensng, sent Curlin
a pollto noto caldng his attention to the fact that a shutter
which ho waa using on some of his camera Infringed u
patent held by them. They must ask hint to desist from
using the shutter or pay a moderate royally, Curlin r''
plied. In effect, that the shutter was hi own Invention :.!.d
tho Coinboy-I,ttrien Company might go to the devil.
There followed long, costly and bitterly-contested lltlgii
tlon, In which Curlin to his unspeakable wrath was il
naily worsted. In tills litigation the Coinboy-I.iirsen com
pany waa represented by tho eminent law firm of ICIli. Mar-tlndale.-It'irw'ooil
A KuiHh, with offices in tho top story oi
tho Itelknap building on I.a Hallo street. Krom was a wh
iles for Curlin and so became Interestedly aware of .Va
tliuniel HarwooiJ. third member of the law firm.
One April evening In ID2I, Nathaniel Karwood sioisl lit
the arched granite entrance, of the itelknap building, evi
dently waiting 'for some one. The canyon-deep money airee,
below Madison wns but scantily populated at that hour,
the clty'a evening attractions lying elsewhere. Vet tin.
would be, now and then, u woman to look at llnrwool
standing by the entrance. There were alw.iys women to
look at him.
Not only a very hnndsome man, but lmmlMom" In a dis
tinguished way. The perfection of his cloiln-ii was dinilii
gulshed also no mere creased and varnished newness, it
of a tailor' dummy. The loungltig'atlititile! of Ids slcntl")
figure, negligently supported by a siUer bundled walkln;:
stick, wa graceful without ioing. lie wns. In fact, 4.1.
but the thread of gray at hi temples, or Iipio and there in
hi aieek, dark manu, gave a notn of uche ement. Tin
contrast with tliem made his lightly tanned lace seem onl
more youthful, tlray blue Irish eyes surveyed Hie strn
with a pleasant, assured look.
A cab drew up to the curb. Krom It emerged big Km. i
and lltllo Hleliiman, the former cairylnK a bulky oaiuii
bag of the sort populaily called a "ii-leseop. ." Ilarwoud b-n
them buck to the mm elevntor that was mill running, an,i
they went up to the Isih flisir. There be l i them Into .,
big, dark room eoiiliilnlug a down dcs'.: then punt snmiii
rooms, also dark -nil psit of the legal ealabhshmetil ot
Kill. Martlndnle, lliirwood A Smith", to his own prlva'e ol
fb-e In tlie corner of h building wlieie be fiiovd on ti.
rlectrlu light.
Thla prhale ofiiee was, sirbups. imi n.iiclnus ami too
htvlshly furnlsbeil for mere professlnu.il n The liwngn t.
t the broad windows were of tawny, pluitctl stlu. Ti .
long and shiny desk of expensive '"! -- silver trunMilnu
I'pon II atuod two iimmn stiver liimbc-ni. ii. ,,il",i '
cbisttM of elertile luil'is Atsiv the lo I.'h.k "l ii'i-', o! i
aniie handsome wil ll dealt and il !. j' I' t i'Viil i.-.
Mulls re cowie.1 mill) laiwsliv, .tl mm ...;lit t . e
iHeuieil much mot suitable i t a lu.u i.- ,.i i'i h i
Mi4n l a lwi' oil-.-
t'ut M-trii4l 1 .1 I'linlrl II.?. 1) Itt.'l 4 U" i i
