St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1869-12-17
IHe Burglars -iiarnt.
BY HENRY WARD BEECHER.

~ ''A@-'isi W AMI i'I-I-SIif-hs
have one in my house. The batter,
it snugly hidden in a closet upon til,
chamber floor. Wires run out from III,
sleeping-room, ,and connect with the scut.
tie i'll the attic, with the front and rear
windows, and doors in the basement anG
cellar stories, and with every window
that can be reached by prowling
climbing thief.
| SAID that the wircS run out from NV
sleeping ng-roOm->ay. rather, that they al
run III there. They are 80 many post
roads along which bad news Is to travel
For after the alarm" Is set, the opening
OF any window, door, or scuttle, start.
OFT Il bell, against which Il lever hammer
play, with an Incredible fury. One may
Ii ave heard fire bells, and ship-belI,, and
church bells, and engine bells, and break.
fast bells, and college bellS--tirst bell,
second bells, and last hclS-but he might
as well have heard nothin" at all. if Il,
has never h ard my Burglar Alarm :,
of in the night.
My experiences may anIuSe other,
more than they did me. Among I'll,
first icats which it performed, soon after
1t WAS erected, was To ring out an uncx-
| pcctcd erecting To Il caller. The machine
| had been sci Tor the night. 1t was, to
be sure, early, not yet ten o'clock, but
We were 10 he oil on an early trip III the
morning. y ncichbor rum the bella
moments errand. The girl opened til,
front door Away went the alarm. as
If it were shouting. Burglar . BURGLAR
| burglar, at the rate OF i've hundred times
/ in mlnntc The visitor stood aston
i>hed the girl more 50, and fright
alongside OF the outrageous clattcr, tor
get to "turn OFT the attachment" and st
stop the bcll-commcnccd shouting at
the head of the stars, "Shut that door ,
shut that door, Will you shut that
door Z" The neighbor astoni>hed at
such a reception, stepped hastily back, a.
very much ashamed OF having thrown
the family into such commotion, and the
door was shut, and the bell also at thai
time ",hut up"
"lBridgct,' says the Chief of Stall on,
evening to her servant, "it Is time /,
close everything below and 20 to bed
You know how hard it i>, Bridget, tcl
You TO get up mornings.
"IcS, ma'am; we are Just going W
stairs now
"WIll you see that everything is fast
Bridget the furnace arranged CoUf
has put her bread in sponge p
"IcS, ma'am we are Just ready.
Now, one OF the .lories of burglar
alarm are lis gifts of ward and discipline
After it is set, at night, no door or win
dow can open without being uproarrl
uuslv reported i'll tn mistress bedroom
The lit, lie box screwed against the wall
containing the apparatus and the bell
which is Il very virago's tongue, is Il per
, feet spinslcr i'll the matter OF cooling
and all tho little honcyed interview:
which transform the area and bascmen
door, in the imagination of Bridget, int,
bowers of honeysucklc and je>samins
All those fluent tongues from the greer
isle What eXquisit pleasure it must b,
to he courted by a genial, whole -souleC
Iri,hman Our phleguiatic Saxon tenn
permanent docs we'll ior married life. ]
lasts well. 1t takes several years 10
some people to get kindled, SO as TO ge
up Il wedding heat. The Saxon court
ship Is grave and serious. 1t is matte
OF consideration. have known pro
posal Of love to be stated like thei>
and calmly argucd for or against with Ia
less warmth than Luther would have tcl
in debating thcis. Indeed, manl
courtships are like attempts at kindlin:
tires with green wood. OF course Il tel
: low has to 20 down upon lis knees
a few starving Goals are heaped together
a mere spark dances in and out upon Iii
inhospitable charcoal, and disappear
; one side as fast as it appears on the 9th
er. But by all manner of shavings an,
t bits of paper-mere trinkets, as it were
and billet-doux-a slight flame is got vi
which strives with doubtful prospect t
convert the smoke into blaze. The bel
lows are called in. The fire is fairl,
driven up to its work. The green stick
begin 10 sizzle at either end and though
at last, when heat trIumphs the fire
r large and lasting, the poor fellow tina
kindled it had TO work for it.
! Not such is Irish fire. a spark o
finder, coal upon powder, tore
T. thrown down upon the dry grass of a
/ autumnal prairie. 1t is touch and g
E Heavens what IA blaze . l don't wOI
der. The Irish tongue was made for. ei'
qeunce, rolls as easily along as rolllci
, ing brook through a meadow Of flower
: 1t huns as sweetly as whole hive (
y bees, each one with his thighs laden wit
honey. But methinks l am getting
y little off from my story.
e After all Bridget's fair words to Il
!, Chief of Staff, there was her cousin