The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-06-29
FRIGHTENED BY A BURG
LAR.

| ~.-. -BeE9Tdrj0.
FRIGHTENED BY A BURG
LAR.
"a GREAT many years ago. said
my aunt, "your Uncle George and my
self together learned the deaf and
| dumb alphabet. 1t came hard at first,
/ and we had to study a long time before
we could talk as easily with our fingers
as with our tongues After while
we became used to it, and, for practice,
we used to converse in that manner
when we were alone.
Zone day he was called away to
New York. There was no railroad
then, and people all had to travel in
a stage-coach. He was to start in the
morning, but it so happened that he
was prevented from doing so, and had
to delay his trip several hours OF until
after midnight. q
"It was in the winter time, and the
fire was burning very brightly in the
room, and, although it was long past
ten O'Clock, | had no wish to go to
bed.
- sat looking into the cheerful coal
fire, and was thinking Of the long jour
ney your uncle would have to take that
night, and how lonesome the days
would seem until he returned.
''1t was after eleven when l goti
bed, but | wasn't the least sleepy.
knew that your uncle would soon come
in to bid me good-by, and, besides, /
seemed to hear noises all about the
room, which caused me fright.
Somehow or other, fell asleep, OF
rather into a dose, but was suddenly
awakened by hearing tremendous
sneeze within a., ,Sqrd} f'e IF me, ne, Just be-
"The only thing, as l believe, which
saved my reason from departing alto
gether, when | first heard that sound,
was that my mind clmg to the hope
that it might be, after all. only the
~sneeze of Il cat, In reality, however,
nrus 'eseoo eauI1n't have made such Il
disturbance. ..-, -
"Pretty soon heard another sneeze,
and then somebody seemed to be stand
ing beside my pillow looking at me. If
the wretch had only given one sneeze,
he might, perhaps, have believed me,
as | lay quite still, breathing as regll-
larly us | could, and pretending to be
asleep. I.Hf.
"'You're awake, ma'am,' said the
unseen intruder. Don't he sham
ming! If you don't want tap with
this life-preserver,, Just look alive!'
GLOW terribly frightened / was to-
hear these words. a man stood be-
fore me, an entire stranger, with his
face covered with black Grape, Il low
cap drawn down over his forehead, and
a small loaded billy graspcd firmly i'll
his right hand. He gave me one fierce,
menacing glance. and then turned his
eyes toward a small iron safe that
stood in the further corner of the
room. -
If you've any plate, ma am, or
money, OF anything else of valy-
'''It's all in therer / said, pointing
to the safe, all except few dollars in
my purse on the bureau yonder, and
pair of goblets in the closet, and
care they silver or plated,
m'am?' ~
80, sir, wouldn't deceive you.on
any account as-=z .-arg .E.s
"' You'd better notp
$50 saying, the burglar pulled out
key from his pocket, and advanced
toward the safe. With hurried
glance, l saw that the shape and size
Of the key were exactly that of the
key used by your uncle, and l began to
wonder whether OF not foul murder
had been committed.
"As the villain put the key into the
safe, his guilty ear caught the sound of
an approaching footstep on the stair.
He turned suddenly, round, and said:
Whats that?'
" My husband r..~
"' Has he not gomez
"'No; and, l beg of you, don't mru-
| der him, sir.' 70 rr.- ,.r- r.
"'If you tell him, said the burglar,
in hoarse voice, 8 if you breathe word,
both of you shall die 9 ASS
my heart sank within me; and be-
fore l could find words for reply, the
man withdrew from the safe, slipped
noiselessly behind the bed, and Sc
creted himself in the small, narrow al
| cove. 4. ars f al s.s.r sr-..a
"a second later your uncle came
| into the room, and once more seemed
to hear the burglar say f you breathe
a word, both of you shall der Asmy
husband approached the bed he noticed
how pale | was, and said: Frightened
by robbers, suppose, yousilly child.
81 tried to laugh and to muster a
great deal of courage, | knew well
enough that the success Of my lEtzard-
Gus game depended wholly upon my
own presence of mind. I tried, there
fore, to evade his answer.
al have headache" l said. loud
enough for the burglar to hear. AT
the same time I held up both my
hands, 50 that they could receive the
full light of the fire. and said with my
fingers: There's man behind the
bedp
Without displaying the smalles!