Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1879-11-21


BILE TO get out that way without being
seen by the burglars. | peeped out
: again; evidently the kitchen door was
too strongly fastened to give way read
lily, for the men seemed baffled in their
efforts TO open it. And as l listened I
heard one say, in gruff voice-exactly
the tones of an orthodox ruffian-
"'Taint no good, Jem; better wait half
an hour"
It'll the rest of your gang come up
and you have more tools to work with, ="
l thought TO myself. "Now if we could
only let the gamekeeper know -"
returned to my own room with q
projectin in my head. There was q stair
case window at the back of the house,
not very high from the ground, and |
thought if / could only get out there |
might manage TO give the alarm. Luck
lily the road to the gamekeeper's cot
tage lay behind the house. Nurse was
too stupefied with terror to be any use,
but Maria entered into the scheme at
once.
Maggie still slept, but trusted to re-
turn with help before she awoke.
don't know how 1 got out of that
window and alighted on bed of wet
garden mould. | have often heard
that one never knows what one can do
till one tries. | certainly had no idea
that | or any one else could run as fast
as | did as soon as | got on my feet.
In very short time l was drumming
at the gamekeeper's door.
| found both the men up and dressed; /;
they were just starting on one of those
nocturnal expeditions for the detection
of possible poachers in which conscien-
tious gamekeeper's delight. They were
rather startled at my appearance in a
toilet that was certainly peculiar, and
not improved by a quantity of mud it
had gathered during my run. But
they soon comprehended my breath
| less tale.
"A-tryin' your back door, miss"
said the father, n fine, stalwart man,
who looked fit to engage a couple of
burglars in single conflict; bless you,
We'll soon settle them gentry. Hand
along the guns, Bill, and look alive.
Pm mistaken if they don't sleep in Set
tlebourne Jail tonight"
The sight of two resolute champions,
armed with revolvers, was an encour-
aging spectacle, and as we hurried back
l began to feel myself indeed heroine.
The gamekeeper was outspoken in ad-
miration of my courage in coming for
him, and l thought, with some satisfac-
tion, that when Maggie awoke and
learned how | had preserved the house
hold she would understand what val
liable thing it was to have nerves and
courage in face of danger.
elf L had set down to cry as poor
Maggie would have done, we should
certainly have been robbed, and per-
haps murdered" reflected, as we sped
along the road
The gamekeeper checked our pace as
we neared the house.
YOU'D best keep this side, miss, out
O. harm's way, and Bill and 'ull slip
round by the hedge and tackle our men
afore they see us. Don'tyou be afeard;
they burglars is the biggest towards
when they've man to do with"
and leaving me under the very
window by which l had escaped,
our two protectors stole noiseless-
ly round to the front of the house.
In another moment there was cry,
and saw Bill dash across the garden
and over the hedge in hot pursuit of one
of the burglars, while scufile and loud
voices told that his father was engaged
in "tackling" the other. Curiosity
prevailed over fear; | ran round the
house and beheld the gamekeeper in
the act of bearing his antagonist 10 the
ground.
faint no use struggling, and you
may just as well come along quietly"
said the conqueror; "we've firearms
here, and there's two of us -
GIVE nought in my pocket but FIVE
pence in coppers," quivered the other,
in voice nearly inaudible with terror;
"you may take 'em without numbering
of me. o, dear! oh, dear! here I've
lived in Settlebourne, man and boy,
nigh fifty year, and to come to this at
lastP''
Sakes aliveP exclaimed the game
keeper, relaxing his hold, " you're nev-
er Tom Bates, the sweepP"
And who else should l be?" said
the injured Bates, slowly rising from
the ground. " And I'd like to know
who you are that comes a-rushing down
like this on an honest man as is wait
ing to sweep the kitchen chimney"
81 took you for a housebreaker," said
the game-keeper, and proceeded to ex-
plain matters.
Bates shook his head doggedly. "No
housebreaker has been here this last
hour or more, as I knows well, having
been awaiting under this blessed win
dow all the time.'
A horrible suspicion began to dawn
upon me-had l, the wise, the strong
minded, actually given false armP
The game-keeper was a civil man,
but he had sly twinkle in his eye as
he turned to me and said, 81 think |
there's little mistake here, MISS
" should rather think there was" |
grumbled Bates, who by no means for |
gave the assault upon him.
" II you came to sweep the CHM
ney," said |, endeavoring to assume an |
air of dignity, "why did you not ring |
the bell or try to wake the servants, in |
stead of endeavoring to open the door
for yourselfP"
" Cooks mostly leaves the door on the |
latch when the sweep is ordered early"
replied Bates-a fact, by the way, that |
perhaps explained the facility with
which some of our neighbor's houses
had been entered by thieves.
But when you found the door bolted |
why did yout not ring the bell, instead !
of lingering about in a most suspicious
mannerP"
Why" said Bates, scratching his
head. cooks is often short-very short
Mrs. Sinclair's cook is partickler so.
She orders me to come at seven o'clock
this morning, mot before seven nor yet
after was her words"
" And you came about five."
Well, ma'am, you see l had anoth-
er job at Squire Hardy's, along the road.
So, knowing as cook here mostly leaves
the door on the latch, thought as /
might slip in and do the chimbly on
my way. But when found the door
locked, daren't ring the bell at five in
the morning. might ha' tried it an