The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-01-16
tense when no offense was intended
Shoes, then
i threw my shoes to him.
Trousers.

tuic" III Suoco W uiul,
Trousers
Come, come, | say said I.
! Bang! The lobe of the other ear
came Off With all his eccentricity
the old gedtleman was true to his
word. He had the trousers, and with
them my revolver which happened
to be in the right hand pocket.
Now the rest of your drapery.'
threw him the rest of my dra-
perry. He tied up my clothes in the
table cloth, and telling me that he
would not detain me any longer
made for the door with the bundle
under his arm, talking to himself.
Stop, said l. What is to become
of me?'
well, really, l hardly know said
he, slowly.
You promised me my liberty l
said, pleadingly.
Certainly, said he Don't let me
trespass any further on your time.
You will find the street door open !;
or, if by force of habit you pre- fer the
window, you viii have no difficulty
in clearing the area railing
But / can't go like thisl Won't
you give me something to put on?'
Can't | have my
No said he, nothing at all good
night
The quaint old man left the room
with my bundle. | went after him,
but | found that he had locked the
inner door that led up stairs. The
position was really difficult c'ne to
deal with. | couldn't possib ly go
into the street as | was, and if | re
mained I should certainly be given
into custody in the morning. For
some time | looked in vain for some
thing to cover myself with. The
hats and great coats were no do ubt
in the inner hail at all events they
were not accessible under the circu M
stances. There was carpet on the
floor, but it was fitted TO the recesses
of the room, and moreover, large,
heavy sideboard stood on it.
There were twelve chairs in the
room. and it was with no little pleas
ure that | found that on the back of
each WIS an antimacassar. Twelve
antimacassars of course would 90 a
good way toward covering a person,
and that was something soothing to
one placed in my circumstances.
| did my best with the antimacas
sars, but on rejecting came to the
conclusion that they would not help
me very much. They certainly COW
cred me, but a gentleman walking
through South Kersington at a.
m., dressed in nothing whatever but
antimacassars. with the snow two
feet deep on the ground, would be
sure to attract attention. | might
pretend ! was doing it on a large
wager, but who would believe me?
| grew very cold,
| looked out of the window, and
presently | saw the bulls eye of a
policeman who was YEARLY plodding
through the snow. | telt that my
only course was to surrender TO
him.
Policeman said /, through the
window, 'one word
Yes, sir. What is it? Anything
wrong?'
Il have been committing a bur-
glary in this house, and I shall feel
deeply obliged to you if you will
kindly take me into custody
Nonsense, sir, said he, you'd bet
ter go to bed
There's nothing should like bet
te-, but | live in Lincoln's Inn, and
| have nothing on me but antlmac-
assarS, | am almost frozen. Pray
take NE into custody
i see that your street door is
open, he remarked.
Yes said /. Please come e in, as /
want to speak to you.
He came in. explained the cir
cumstances to him, and with great
difficulty | convinced him that | was
in earnest. The good fellow put his
own great coat over me, and lent me
his own handouts. In ten minutes
| was thawing myself in Walton
street Police Station. In ten days
was convicted at the Old Bailey. In |
ten years | returned from penal ser
vitude.
found that poor old Mr.. Davis /
had gone to his long home in !
Brompton cemetery.
Fer many years | never passed |
his house without a shudder at the |
terrible hours | spent in it as his
guest. | have often tried to forget .
the incident | have just been relat-
ing, and. for long time, tried in
vain. Perseverance, however. met
with its reward | continued to try.
Gradually one detail after another
slipped from my recollection, and
one lovely evening last May found,
to my intense delight, that | had
absolutely forgotten all about 1t.