Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-11-18
The Burglars Alarm.
ny HENRY wARD BEEcHER.

tie in the attic, with the front and rear.
windows, and doors in the basement and
cellar stories, and with every window that
can be reached by proving, climbing
thief. ~
said that the wires run out from my
sleeping -room-say, rather, that they all
run in there. They are SO many post
roads along which bad news is to travel,
For after the alarm MS set, the opening
of any window, door, or scuttle, starts oil
bell, against which a lever hamnerplays
with an Incredible fury. One may have
heard fire bells, and ships bells, and
church bells, and engine bells, and break
fast bells, and college bells--frst bells,
second bells, and last bells-but he might
as well have heard nothing at all, if he
has never heard my Burglar Alarm 60 off
in the night
Ny experiences may amuse others more
Than they did me. Among the first feats
which it performed, soon after it was
erected, was to ring out an unexpected
greeting to a caller. The machine had
been set for the night. 1t was, to be sure,
early, not yet ten o'clock, but we were to
be off on an early trip in the morning
A neighbor rung the bella moments
Grand The girl opened the front door
Away went the alarm, as if it were shout
ing. Burglar burglar burglar at the
rate of five hundred times in minute
The visitor stood astonished; the girl
more so, and fright alongside OF the
outrageous clatter, forgo. 20 "turn off the
attachment and so stop the bell-com
menced shouting at the head of the
stairs, Shut that door shut that door I
VIII you shut that door," The neighbor
astonished at such reception, stepped
hastily back, as if very much ashamed of
having thrown the family into such com
motion, and the door was shut, and the
bell also at that time +" shut up"
Bridget" says the Chief Of Staff one
evening to her servant, it is time to close
everything below and go to bed You
know how hard it is, Bridget, for you to
get up mornings" ST
" Yes, ma'am; weare just going up stairs
now
"Will you see that every thing is fast,
Bridget; the furnace arrangedy Cook has
put her bread in sponge"
les, maam; we are lust ready"
Now, one of the glories of burglar
alarm are its gifts Of ward and discipline.
After it is set, at night, no door or window
can open without being uproariously re-
ported in the mistress bedroom. The
little box screwed against the wall, con-
tanning the apparatus and the bell, which
is very virago's tongue, is a perfect spin
ster in the matter of counting and cooling
and all the little honeyed interviews which
transform the area and basement door, in
the imagination of Bridget, into bowers
of honeysuckle and jessamins. All. those
fluent tongues from the green islel What
exquisite pleasure it must be to be courted
by a genial, whole-souled Irishman! Our
phlegmatic SeXon temperament does well
for married life. 1t lasts well. 1t takes
several years for some people to get
kindled, so as to get up a wedding heat.
The Saxon courtship is grave and serious.
1t is matter of consideration | have
known proposal of love to be stated like
a thesis and calmly argued for or against
with far less warmth than Luther
would have felt in debating thesis.
Indeed, many courtships are like
attempts at kindling fires with green
wood. OF course fellow has to go down
upon his knees; a few starving Goals are
heaped together. mere spark dances in
and out upon the inhospitable charcoal,
and disappears one side as fast as it appears
on the other. But by all manner of Shay
ings and bits of paper-mere trinkets, as
it were, and billet-douX-a slight fame is
got up, which strives with doubtful pros.
pect to convert the smoke into blaze The
bellows are called in, The fire is fairly
driven up to its work. The green sticks
begin to sizzle at either end; and though,
at last, when heat triumphs the fire is large
and lasting, the poor fellow that kindled
it had to work for it.
Not such is Irish fire A spark on tin
der, coal upon powder, torch thrown
down upon the dry grass Of an autumnal
prairie. 1t is touch and go. Heavens
what a blaze! don't wonder The Irish
tongue was made for eloquence, 1t rolls
as easily along as a rollicking brook
through meadow of flowers. 1t huns
as sweetly as whole hive of bees, each
one with his thighs laden with honey
But methinks am getting little off from
my story.
AIltl WI ldlI NNluS w luc
Chief of staff, there was her cousin-that
is the usual name-at the very time sit
ting chirp in the kitchen but ready to slip
in or out, up or down, if the mistress of
the house should take it into her head to
see things right, down stairs, with her
own eyes. But no; Bridget was that one
truly honest Irish girl that everybody or
everybody's neighbor has, that will not lie
or steal
To bed we all went that is, the aristo-
Gratis of the family. Is there anything 80
luxurious as the moment that you are
sinking into slumbery have often wished
that | could keep awake to know how
happy was when just asleep, But so
il is.
Coarse enjoyment you are conscious of;
but joys the most spirjtuele are those
which vanish in the thrill which they
make Who has not, when asleep had
unrolcd before him the only opportunity
which yainly he had sought in waking
the hour, the person, the joyful certainty