Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-10-26
BLIFEIEla BUReLLR.


A gentleman residing ih ihe western
part VI the lORR lad q thrilling e4p6rlr
enee recently, Al least II thrilled up gni
iORR his spinal marrow, and caused hls
heart 10 feel sea SICK, lie was awaken
ei by q sound as pf some one stHmb'
ling against Q chair in tho kitchen,
ILeTe was the thumI,, lhe seTaping 0f
tho chair legs Gn the iiGGr all except
ing tbs swear iiHt the gentleman
thought that, under ile circumstances,
this omission was eHeHsahle, No deslfr
able burglar fWears at such times,
Nov, iiliikius, ior that isn't tho
genlleman's Hame, has declared, all
through the twenty years 0f his welded
life, that the burglar l,e caught IN bis
house would lie eterRally thankful for
the revision 0i tho New Testament II
was true that Mrs, iiliikins Was awaY
irOm home and eGHldn't possibly prTlye
in time foF tho funeral, aud that there
was 40 Gne 10 applaud his yal0rons
deed, The burglar lad gai 10 die, Just
tho same,
"N0w," thought iiliikins, "ihat was
certainly u kitchen eliair lle ian against,
aud he Is waiting " see \ he las dis
inr,ed any 0ne, lie will wait few
minutes and II I don't move he will, I
don't believe I locked ihe lack door
when | came h. he'd, and that's how le
got IN, Then he camo into tie kitchen,
cracked his shins against clair, His
nest move will be IN this direction, for
there IL nothing for him 10 steal out
there, III be oil ready for lila when he
arrives"
Then Rlfikins slowly slid 0ne foot
from under the c0yerlei, aud proiruded
tho member outward and downward
until II touched the hoor Then tle
other foot n0Isclessly followed tho first,
Inch hy inch he raised his head, his
shoulders, his body, until lao 2 erect
on tho side Ofthe led, All this he had
accomplished without sound, iint
bark There WAS q slight noise. ~ II
the burglar was beginning to move
BliikIns raised his hips ~ carefully a.
II he had the rheumatism, and stood
erect, A stoalthy, sideways step, and his
hand encountered tho bureau, glided
along tho polished top 10 one ot the
drawers, drew II ont with very slight
grating sound, seized 9i'callhrc Smith
\ Wesson, drew back the hammer, and
the burglar was practically u dead
man,
He did not come but lilidiina could
wait. Moreover, liliilins did wait,
Waited ten, fifteen, twenty minutes, q
half an hour, lio waited until his arm
ached with holding the revolver At point
blank. Io waited until ho coul Int
wait any longer aud then he struck q
match and lighted q lamp. With tlo
light held high above his head In his
left hand, aud the revolver ready cooked
in his right hand, he started on tohr
OF inspection. The first place was the
kitchen, No one was there not even a
chair lying upon It's back and thlnsting
its legs into the air. Parlor dining
rooms, bedrooms, summcr'litchen,
woodshed and all were visited, but not
burglar couldbc find.
The next morning Bliikins carried his
investigation to tho cellar and tho mys-
terry was explained. Upon tho floor lay
Mrs. Bliikins's hanging'shelt Tor fallen
hanging.shelf, while, grouped about it
in most pathetic tableau, was largo
and costly assortment OF uncanned to-
matoes, peaches, pears, plums, grapes
and berries, with here and there an un-
numbered mass of jelly, shaking its
sides. Blifkins laughed, too. He
hasn't got to twist away at tho cover OF
q single fruit jar all winter. He says
he is going to take the garden rake and
get the broken glass out of that mass,
stir in q barrel OF flour and pail OF
yeast, and bake fruit cake that will
last till Christmas.