The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1883-01-12

~ MM**
deemed the property At former rates.
after ~deducting ten por cent. for use 81
ladder. II Icing nv ladder: and next
day we sent down for the expert once
more. ard had the third story attached
% the alarm for 500.
by this time the annunciator' had
grown 10 formidable dimensions. II
had forty-scyen tags on IL, marked with
the names Of various room and chin
neys. and Il occupied the space Of an
ordinary wardrobe. The gong was the
size Of a washbowl. and was placed
above the head Of our Led. There was
q wire from the house TO the coachman's
quarters IN the stable. and q noble gong
alongside his pillow.
I'VE should have been comfortable
now but for q defect. Every norm
ing ~ 1--WE the cook opened the kitchen
door. In the way Of business. and rip
went that gong! The first time this hap
pened ! thought the last day was come.
sure. ! didn't think II in bed-no. but
out Of bed-for the first elect Of that
frighttul gong is TO hurl you across the
house and slam you aga.. the wall,
and then curl you up. and squirm you
like q spider on q stove-lid, till m
body shuts that kitchen door. In solid
fact, there Il no clamor thai j. even re-
motcly comparable 10 the dire clamor
which that gong makes. Well. this cat
astrophe happened every morning reg
ularly at five o'clock. and lost as three
hours sleep; for. mind you, when that
thing wakes you, it doesn't merely
wake you in spots; il wakes you all
over. conscience and all. and you are
good for eighteen hours Of widc-awaked-
ness Observation-Disclosures hours Of
the very most inconcciyable wide
awakcdness that you ever experienced
in your life. A stranger died on our
hands one time. and We vacated and
that stranger wait for the general judg-
ment? No, sir; he got up At i've the
next morning IN the most prompt and
unostentatious way. ! knew he would;
! knew Il mighty we'll. He collected
his life insurance. and lived happy ever
after. for there was plenty Of proof as
10 the perlec! -squarencss Of his death.
well. we were gradually fading
away toward q better land. on account
Of our daily loss Of sleep; 80 we finally
had the expert up again. and he ran q
wire 10 the outside of our door, and
placed a switch there, whereby Thomas.
the butler. could take OF and put on the
a'arm; but Thomas always made one
lite mistake-he switched he alarm OF
at night when he went 70 bed. and
switched IL on again At daybreak in the
morning. Just ia time for the cook 20
open the kitchen door. and enable that
going 10 slam us across the house. some
times breaking a window with a or
the other of us. AT the end Of q week
We recognized hat this switch business
was a delusion and a snare. We also
Iii covered that 4 band Of burglars had
been lodging in the hou e the whole
iimc-nof exactly TO steal. for there
wasn't much left now. but 10 hide from
the police. FOR they were hot pressed.
and they shrcwd'y judged that the de-
lcctives would never think Of a tribe Of
burglars taking sanctuary in . house
VIGOROUSLY protected by the most inn
posing and 9 aborate burglar alarm in
America.
Sent dowr for the expert again. and
this time he struck q most dazzling idea
he fixed the thing SO that opening the
kitchen door would take OF the alarm.
II was a noble idea. and he charged ac-
cordipgly. Hut you already fore.ee tile
result. switched on the alarm every
night at bedtime. no longer trusting 10
Thomas frail memory; and as SOL as
the lights were out the burglars walked
in nj the kitchen door. thus taking the
alarm Of without waiting for the cook
TO do il IN the morning. You see how
aggrayatingly we were situated. For
months we couldn't have any company.
Not q spare bed in the house; all occu-
ped BY burglars.
FINALLY, I got mp q cure Of my own.
The expert answered the call. and ran
another underground wire to the stable.
and established q switch there. 80 that
the coachman could put on and take of
the alarm. That worked fi~rst-rate, and
. season Of peace ensued. during which
we got 70 inv ting company once .
and enjoying life.
"But by-and-by the irrcpressitle
alarm invented q new kink. One win
teri night we were flung out of bed BY
the sudden music Of that awful gong.
and when we hobblcd to the a~nnuncia-
tor. turned up the gas and saw the word
Nursery exposed, Mrs. McWilliams
tainted dead away, and | came precious
near doing the same thing myself. /
seized ms shotgun and stood timing
the coachman whilst that appalling buzz
King went on. knew that his gong
had flung him out, too. and that he
would be along with his gun ~ soon rs
he could Jump into his clothes. When
Judged that the time was ripe ] crcpt
into the room next the nursery. glanced
through the window. and saw the dim
outline 81 the coachman in the yard be-
low, standing az q present-arms and
waiting for q chance. Then l hoped
into the nursery and fred, and in the
same instant tho coachman fired at the