The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-10-17

retain that as a tritiing evidence OF
my generosity in this great emergen-
cy of my lite"
"YOu are a robber, a thief then ?''
I said, spitefully.
"Either, at your service, madame" "
rising and making bow for all the
world Ikea French dancing-master.
''Now, the money, if you please
He wasn't Joking now. There was
a determined look in his eyes and
about the mouth.
''He that giveth to the poor lend
eth TO the Lord" said he, speaking
just like preacher.
"And he that steals from from the
poor, what of him ?n
"My Bible does not dispose of his
case especially, madame"
"And you came here -tO-5Os'- "a e
me a PoOEssOEIidn y
-ffI came to borrow of you for an un-
certain length of time"
1 saw it was useless to waste words
with him, besides 1 didn't altogether
like the look in his eyes. I closed nay
lips tightly together, resolving that l
would not speak again.
"IfyOu've no objection, ma'am Ill
look around biJ," he said, taking
up the lamp as he spoke. elf l hear
hear any noise from you, my dear, or
if see that in any way you are be-
coming nervous, shall be obliged to
quiet you by the use Of"
He held up small vial.
"ChlOrOfOrm l'' / gasped.
"At your service madame"
4. r I
moaned.
'I should be sorry to bring such a
loss TO tue world, but believe me, all
that rests in your own hands. This
door leads into the closet where the
trunk is, believe" he said, making
straight for the closet where my forty
dollars was put away for safe keeping.
I didn't say a word. To tell the
truth, the chiOrOfOrm had scared me
nearly out of my wits. He turned the
key in the door had always kept it
locked and glanced into the closet. 1t
was large, and the trunk was at the
further end of it. Let me say here
that this closet or stOre-rOOm was in
the ''L'' part of the house, fully foot
lower than my room. Mr.. Burglar
W dD A4OU dCQuaAnLEA WIN LAAA0 AelOLs
CHANGING toward me with mis- sharp
eyes, to see ifI was quiet, he took a
step forward and went sprawling up
all fours. l don't know 10 this day
how he managed to save the lamp as
he did, but it was not broken in the
fall, and burned as brightly as ever.
My wits came to me here. l sprang
as lightly as a cat out of bed, and be-
fore he could get upon his feet, had
the door of the closet shut and locked
upon him. He grew lamb-like in a
moment.
"YOu've done it now, haven't you,
my charming creature? -? swear, I'm
in love with you from this hour to the
end Of time. You've got me tight and
fast. What's the use Of money now ?
I'll take the eighty cents, and you
may have the =ts--dnirars, It 5f0ti viii
IeJ me out"
mo, sir; I am going to call the
neighbOrs," I said resOlutely.
"Going with that night-cap on
You'll make your fortune. But don't
hurry, that's dear. Let's have a lit
tie friendly talk. Say, Il give you a
hundred dollars if you'll let me out. "
anu 4NeANC y Ou AAND ~ DNeAA I
some other woman nearly to death
no sir ~
Name your price then, dear girl.
1 suppose every woman has her price
they say every man has"
mo, it wouldn't be right" 1 said,
hesitatingly.
'tFirst step toward it; she begins to
talk of what is right"
1 thought Of my poor girl out to
work by the week, and so anxious to
get an education, and Pm sure it isn't
TO be wondered at if did begin think
of setting price. But I SAID not a
word.
"Look here I'll put five hundred
dollars in good sound gold under the
door, and you can count it as l push it
through piece by piece, if you'll only
let me out of this cursed hole. Pm
smOthering.
"Try some ehlOroform," L whisper
ed through the BeyhOle.
Course the chlOrofOrm viii you
let me out?
1 had light by this time, and had
slipped into a calico wrapper and my
slippers.
"Gf 1 got the money, how could
let him out of the clOset?n l wonder
ed. l shouldn't dare to meet him
he'd rob me again, and perhaps muir.
der me. But said, ''l'll take the
gold" resolving that I would try tC
get out of it some way, just for the
sake Of poor Rebecca, who so much
wanted to go to school.
"Your heart is in the right place.
he said, and the next moment a Big
round gold piece cSaae-fssE1HSh tHS
--;-su.-.sszEssz SsIiueT the uOOT.
l couldn't withhold an exclamation
of delight.
sits right enough now, isn't it%i
he sneered. There's nothing like
gliding over our sins a little. Bah
all the worlds allkei Here goes an.
other, and and another. Count fast
my pIous damsel. 1 dare say there 5
no confessional in your church."
sis there in yours ?"
"Well, if there was, gold gets into
that sometimes, they say. Hold fasi
there-you've got the last clinker
now set me free"
"Wait a minute"
"But 1 won't wait. 1 swear
won't"
"Can you help yOurself?" I sait
cOolly.
"WelI no-not much but I'n
smOthering in here. Can't you TAX
pity on a poor fellOw?'
"Sit down fiat on the floor" ! said
I heard him plump down as ODE
dent as a school boy.
HWhat next 2'l
I turned to kitchen-dOOr to see !
| the lock was all right. Then l turn
ed the key with a sharp click, whicl
sounded to me like the report Of a pis
tol.
'There ~ cried, and sprang int
the kitchen, locking the door benin,
me.
He came out of his prison swearing
like trooper.
"Sharp old Satan, she's locked heI
self up somewhere" trying the kitch
en- door as he spoke. "GOOd Madam
De'il-good night! You've got tn
best of this. You have robbed me
Good night-get down and say you
prayers"
And 1 did. What is more 1 erie
like baby over my money, thinkin
what it would bring to us.
I never saw the strange burgla
again, and in a few weeks Rebecc
was comfortably established at schoo
No one ever knew where the none
came from. An uncle died about thS
time, and some of my neighbol
shrewdly suspected that he had le
US something; butt had nothing I
say upon the subject.
About six months after my adveI
ture, brother Joe came to me one da,
and said that he had been stopped
the street by a strange man tn,
morning, and that he had begge
: him TO say to Madame Quimby thi
the frill Of her night-cap was just
little too wide! So saying, he passC
on. what did it mean ?' Joe aske
"Nothing, only that he was Graz
1 answered, quickly but my face vi
as red as a blaze.