Part 20 (1/2)

But--short of further dabbling in crih one of those houses would he not only to invite apprehension: it would be downright burglary

To continue his headlong career of the fugitive backyards tom-cat was out of the question, entirely too ain--witness scratched and abraded palth must fail, some one would surely espy him and cry on the chase, he must be surrounded and overwhelnoble but downright fatuous: faith the most sublime in his _Kismet_ couldn't excuse any hope that, eventually, he wouldn't be discovered and ignominiously routed out

Very well, then! So be it! Calmly P Sybarite elected to venture another and deeper dive into aravely he studied the inoffensive building whose back pre

It seeative invitation of desuetude It showed no lights; had not an open --so far as could be deterht aided only by a faint reflection fro the pre surht hope soon to be counting his spoils in the privacy of his top-floor-hall-bedroonorant of the pri an entrance was of formidable proportions

To break a basehly inadvisable for a number of obvious reasons

To force a -latch required (ifflat-bladed knife--a kitchen knife; and P Sybarite happened to have no such implement about him

Similarly, to pry open the back door would require the services of a jiht be)

Moreover, there were such things as burglar alarms--inventions of the devil!

On the other hand, unless his senses deceived him, there were police officers in plenty only a fence or tay; and the back of this house boasted a fire-escape By inverting a convenient ash-can and standing on it, an active e to ju of the fire-escape, and draw hialvanised iron cylinder bottoe the exact distance of the requisite leap But now the grating seemed to have receded at least three feet froed--to be hopelessly reers

Yet thatwhen a broken neck would serve as well?

Gathering his slight person together, P Sybarite crouched, quivered, julory and the Saints--and all but brained hi it and kicking footloose, he was stunned by the wonder ofround his poor head to the thunderous music of the spheres, as rendered by the ash-can which, displaced by the vigour of his acrobatics, had toppled over and was rolling and clattering hideously on the flagging

In his terrified bosom P Sybarite felt the heart of him turn to cold and clammy stone

No claiven similar circumstances and facilities as rude It see ed and bellowed beneath hi a din to disturb all Christendom While, the moment it was still, the cries of the police pack belled clear and near at hand:

”This way, b'ys!”

”There he is, the--”

”Got 'im now--”

”Halt or--!”

Another pistol shot!

Glancing over shoulder, the hunteda fence ridge several rods away No hty heave and wriggle he breasted the lower platfor, heaved himself up to a foothold, and swarht have envied

But as he e thunder alvanised iron cylinder had, in fact, served hi from wall to ithin the hollow of the block, its dozen echoes diverted pursuit to asthe liht one

nobody, it appeared, was alert enough to espy that fugacious shadow on the fire-ladder And in less than a brace of erly over the lip of a stone coping

Surained not the roof of the house but that of a two-story rear extension, he found hiarden, s and Venetian blinds Between his soles and the stone flooring he could feel the yielding texture of a grass mat, and he could not only dis in pots here and there And his first step forward brought him into soft collision with a wicker basket-chair