The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1868-07-02

She waited.
Next came the sound Of Jones,
stumbling over the cradle.
at must be somebody" thought
Mrs lIoughton, ueryously "Shall
| wake Mr.. Houghton9 If | do aud
he goes down, aud If burglars, they
will very likely shoot him. I'll wait
moment"
She did wait a moment.
Then came the fearful crash of
crockery, a sound which Mrs Hough.
ton heard with degree of terror
which quite cured the toothaehe
She gave her husband a vigorous
shake.
"What's wantcd2" demanded the
drowsy man more than half asleep.
"Wake upp'
"Is it morning2
"No, but you must wake up at
oncer
"What for2 What's the mattor2"
There's matter enough exclaimed
Mrs. lIoughtou, in an energetic
whisper, There's burglar in the
house"
"a what I"
"a burglarl l heard him come
miles making a tremendous noise
below--I think there may be two or
three of them"
whats to be done ?" said Hough-
ton, now fairly awake.
They'll carry of my silver. /
forgot t1 bring it up to night"
i've got pistol, said IIoughton;
/ sand believe its loaded"
Then you'd better go down stairs
ani use it, said his wife, her anxiety
about the silver getting the better Of
heranxicty for her husbands safety.
There was another crash, and an
exclamation from Jones, as he stopped
on dish which had thus far lay uu.
injured, aud demolished it.
"Oh, do 20 down quick, before he
gets at the silver"
Mr.. Houghton didn't seem to be
in much of a hurry. La fact he was
rather cowardly by nature, aud didn't
seem to relish conflict with burg
lar. However, he put on his pants
in leisurely manner, greatly to Mrs
Houghtop's disturbance.
"Oh, do be quick" she said.
Il suppose you want him to shoot
me, he muttered. why don't you
90 down Yourself?
That's pretty question for ma n
to ask his wife. There's no danger,
He's in the dark, and you can open
the door at the foot o. the stairs aud
ore
But perhaps he's got lantern.
'Oh, do 90 down Mr.. Houghton, or
| shall gov
"Go if you wish to"
ri believe you are coward"
81 am going as quick as | can,
said MIR. Houghton, who did not rel -
ish this imputation, moro especially
as he had a decided conviction that it
was near the truth.
"IIere's your pistol.
Mr. Houghton took the pistol wi III
no great alacrity, aud opening the
door began to descend the stairs.
lie heard sounds as of some one crop
ing about, and that gave him courage.
1t seemed to indicate that the bur-
glar had no light.
IL hope he won't catch hold fine,
thought he, aud his blood ran cold
at the thought. "He is probably
scme desperate ruffian.
lie slipped quietly TO the foot of
the stairs a"d pulling the trigger
fred
There was a piercing scream, such
as it was hard to think could proceed
from any human lungs.
Mr.. Houghton, his soul stricken
with fear, bounded up the steps, four
at n bound.
Jones heard the report, and he too
was astonished.
"Who has got into the house p he
thought, "somebody had fred pis-
tol at me. Who screamed | wonder. -
just then he stumbled across a
card Of matches, and struck one
against the wall,
The light revealed to him the
startling information that he was in
the wrong house "Good gracious |"
he exclaimed, the light flashing upon
him. "I've been fred at as burglar.
| must get out of this"
lie lost no time in making his way
to the front door, and hurried down
the steps, fearing lest an alarm
might be raised. He soon reached
his own house, aud entered, saying
nothing of his adventure.
The Houghtons did not sleep
much, Mr.. lioughton was convinced
that he had shot burglar, and that
} he was probably stretched out in the
dining room. But he did not like to
/ so down and look at him.
Better wait till morning, he said
lie may still be alive aud might
J shoot me"
lie boltcd the chamber door, but
it is needless to say that neither he
nor his wife slept much that night.
J With the first glimmering of daw u
J everything below being quiet, hi:
+ courage returned, aud supported bJ
, Mrs. Houghtou, he descended to the
! dining room.
He opened the door neryously, but
instead Of seeing the burglar, on
saw an overturned table, demolished
, erockery, and on a chair, cold ia
J death, the body of Mrs. Houghton',
fayorite cat, who had received th,
, bullet intepded for the midnight
marauder.
"Could il be possible that Ton
. upset the tablet" CALCULATED Mrs
, iloughton.
IL Ill. Il .,..... L., % III L.. L..