The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-07-10
MAGGIE AND THE BURGLARS.

"You are not afraid, Maggie ?"
Me afraid ! " said Maggie, "Pd
no fear born with me. As for the
house, it's the strongest fastened ever l
was in. You say yourself there's ne
lock burglar could force, and I'm not
the one to let tramps or the like in of
my free will. God knows the place
will be safe enough when you come
back-as safe as thnngh there were a
regiment of soldiers IN it ; and I'll have
all bright for your new wife, Mr..
Archibald"
She called her master Mr.. Archibald
still, this old woman but she was the
only one who still used his Christian
name. He was an elderly man himself,
and had few intimate friends. hospital
ity not being one of his virtues. He
was rich, and there was much that was
valuable in the house more ready
money, too, than most men keep about
them ; but then it was as secure as a
bank vault-patent lock and regular
alarms that first sent a bullet into anv
one who sought to enter by stealth, and
then rang a bell to wake the household,
we're attached to every door, and a fu-
rious Watchdog, that lived on raw
meat, was in the back garden. The
Van Mott mansion could have withstood
a siege at a moments notice.
Mr.. Van Mott was a mpney-dealer.
He had ways of accumulating property
which we've mysteries to his neighhors,
and they were suspicious that the little
back parlor, sacred to business, had
even seen such lesser dealings as the
loan of money on good watches, cash
mere shawls, and diamonds of genteel
distress. Two or three mortgages that
he had bought up had been rather cru
ely foreclosed and he was a hard
landlord, and a bad person to owe
money to altogether. On the whole he
was ,disliked in the place, and, rich as he
was, would have found it hard to get a
wife to his liking among his neighbors
at Oakham. However, having resolved
Van Mott, who died years before-he
had sought out a wealthy widow of
saving disposition, who lived on a small
farm some miles out of town, and, hav-
ing already disinherired her daughter
for espousing an estimable man of small
means, and turned her only son out of
doors for equally prudent reasons, was
not likely to bring any troublesome gen.
erosity into her houshold, and had
offered himself to her, and had been
accepted. And now, though both their
economical souls revolted against it,
custom decreed wedding of some sort,
and honeymoon trip somewhere, and
they had decided to do it as cheaply as
possible. For this brief time Mr.. Van
Mott must leave his business and his
house, and it was upon the eve of his
departure that he held the above con-
with his old servant standing
with his portmanteau in his hand, and
her gravely.
Yes, yes," he said, 81 presume it
is all safe enough. And I'll speak to
the night-watchman, and give him dol
lar to take a particular look at this
house. Well, good-by, Maggie, make
things as neat as possible, for if they
look dirty my wife may think the fur
niture old, and want something new
for the parlor." And Mr.. Van Mott de-
parted.
"Yes, yes," said old Maggie, "no
doubt she'll have fine, extravagant ways.
Poor masterl What a pity he should
marry, after all-but old fools are the
worst fools. Ayoung thing of eight aud
forty, too, when he has sensible SER
want, sixty last January, that knows
what belongs to good housekeepings.
If he wanted to marry why didn't he
ask me? I'd not have gone gallivant-
ing and spending. Ah, well, he'll suf-
fer. not I" And Maggie trotted away
to begin her sweeping and dusting.
She had said truly that there was no
fear born with her, bat as The night
drew on she began to feel somewhat
lonely. Her masters presence was
Strangely missed out of the great house,
ana there wac something ghostly in the
iook OF his empty chair when she peeped
into the hHle back office.
II was G1perstitious, she said to
herself, shSuld think something
dreadful was golns to happen. 1 feel
chilly up and down lay back, and keep
thinking of funerals. TIL make mvseif
a cup of tea, and see il I can't get
over it.
And accordingly old Maggie shut her
self into the snug kitchen, and lighting
two candles, drew pot of the strongest
young hyson, and putting her feet close
to the cooking stove, began to feel much
more comfortable.
The old clock ticked away on the
mantel, the hands pointing to half-past
eight.
"Pm going to bed at nine," said
Maggie. "I'Ye worked well to-day.