River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-12-18
"Tom'S Wife" Has an Experience with
Burglars
Pioneer Press.

Tom was to be gone several days,
and / did not like to stay alone, and
got Susie to come and stay with me.
There had been several burglaries, at
tempted and successful, and [ felt lit
tie more nervous than usual. Besides,
q man who owed Tom quite large
sum of money had come to pay him,
and had taken the money, and had
not been able to get to the bank and de-
post it. had often heard that burglars
kept track of all these things, and
talked the matter over with Susie, az
way of fortifying ourselves.
We grew more and more nervous
every minute, AID when bed time came
we could hardly raise courage enough
to go aud lock the doors. We finally
did it, however, and then the consoling
thought came to us that we should
have done it several hours sooner
that if there were any burglars about,
they had glorious time to get in and
secrete themselves. 1t was not com
forting, but could not be helped; and
we tried to pluck up courage enough to
search the house. We finally did it,
and found no one, though Susie thought
she had when she put her hand on
Toms overcoat in the closet, and drew
back with scream that frightened us
both half out of our wits. We talked
little after we went to bed, but feel
asleep quite soon, in spite cf our ankle
ty.
In the middle of the night we were
awakened by terrible crash in our
bedroom. | think never experienced
a feeling of more perfect terror than |
did as lay there, breathless, with the
thoughts of our evenings conversation
rushing over me, and the confused
consciousness Of that crash, which had
awakened me from a sound sleep. |
was sure some one was in the room.
The blinds were closed; it was perfectly
dark, and utterly impossible to see any
one, if person were there. | imagined
be had knocked over something in his
attempts to 60 about in the complete
darkness. / reached over and touched
Susie, cautiously.
care you awake?" / whispered, as
near noiselessly as possible.
Eyes"
'Did you hear anything This
time with my head under the clothes,
TO smut OUT tuS sOdHu.
Yes"
"What do you suppose it is?"
81 don't know"
Then we lay perfectly motionless,
and fairly shivering with terror. After
what seemed an hour, but | suppose
was not half the time, whispered
again: "Do you suppose there is any
one here?"
"Yes. Don't whisper"
Then we lay still again; so perfectly
still that / felt as if petritied, and it
seemed as if we never should be able
to breathe free again. At the end of
another seemingly indefinite, Or in
finite, period of time, Susie whispered
to me: "What shall we dc? Do you
dare strike light?"
NO." very decidedly.
Another long time of perfect stiffness
and utter rigidity of muscle, in our
attempts to breathe quietly. Then
Susie whispered again: II don't see
how any one could keep still SO long. 1t
must be mistake"
Just then there came q report like
that offs pistol, but not as loud, though
we felt sure that was what ii was; and
it seemed in the kitchen or down cell
lar, we could not tell which. We be-
came breathless with terror then.
What could it be? Whom could they
be shooting? Then | remembered the
dog. | had not heard him Dark; but it
must be they had shot him. We did
not dare move after that, and lay there
perfectly still until it began to grow
daylight. Such q time as it seemed
judging by our feelings, we should have
been old and toothless when that faint
streak of dawn crept in through the
blinds. What do you think it disclosed
to our terrified eyes? 4 set Of hanging
shelves, loaded with books, in an ignom-
inious heap on the floor, with the
cord broken where it had been worn by
the picture-nail which supported it,
and so not leaving US the chance TO be
lieve that some one had knocked 1t
down. And when we went to the head
of the cellar-stairs and found . can of
tomatoes popped open, on The broad
shelf, we knew what had been shoot
ing.
Torn said: Just like couple of wo-
men, TO scare themselves to death.
Why didn't you load my revolver at
night, and have it ready?"
TOMS WIFE.