www.freeclassicebooks.com

Annoyed at the inopportune intrusion, Rob's first thought was to go back

to the street and try another building; but, upon reflecting that the

young man was not likely to remain long and he would soon be alone, he

decided to wait. So he walked to the edge of the roof and appeared to be

interested in the scenery spread out below him.

Fine view from here, ain't it?" said the young man, coming up to him

and placing his hand carelessly upon the boy's shoulder.

It is, indeed," replied Rob, leaning over the edge to look into the street.

As he spoke he felt himself gently but firmly pushed from behind and,

losing his balance, he plunged headforemost from the roof and whirled

through the intervening space toward the sidewalk far below.

Terrified though he was by the sudden disaster, the boy had still wit

enough remaining to reach out his right hand and move the indicator of

the machine upon his left wrist to the zero mark. Immediately he paused

in his fearful flight and presently came to a stop at a distance of less

than fifteen feet from the flagstones which had threatened to crush out

his life.

As he stared downward, trying to recover his self-possession, he saw the

old gentleman he had met on the Lake Front standing just below and

looking at him with a half frightened, half curious expression in his eyes.

At once Rob saw through the whole plot to kill him and thus secure

possession of his electrical devices. The young man upon the roof who

had attempted to push him to his death was a confederate of the

innocent appearing old gentleman, it seemed, and the latter had calmly

awaited his fall to the pavement to seize the coveted treasures from his

dead body. It was an awful idea, and Rob was more frightened than he

had ever been before in his life--or ever has been since.

But now the shouts of a vast concourse of amazed spectators reached

the boy's ears. He remembered that he was suspended in mid-air over

the crowded street of a great city, while thousands of wondering eyes

were fixed upon him.

So he quickly set the indicator to the word "up," and mounted sky-ward

until the watchers below could scarcely see him. Then he fled away into

the east, even yet shuddering with the horror of his recent escape from

death and filled with disgust at the knowledge that there were people

The Master Key