The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-09-17
GETTING IN AT NIGHT.
BY JIM JONES.

The door was locked when 1 got
home, and how to get in without waking
up "the governor" was the difficulty.
1 knew he'd give me particular fits"
if he knew l was ont after ten, and the
clock had Just struck one. The back
yard was an impossibility, and but one
chance remained. There was porch
over the front door, the roof of which
was but few feet below two windows.
One of them knew was fastened down,
and the other opened from bedroom,
which might or might not be occupied.
An old maiden sister of Toms wife
had arrived on the second day, and 1t
was very probable that she was IN that
room; but L knew the bed was in the
farthest corner from the window, and
hoped / should be able to get in with
out waking her, and then l had COM
paratively an easy thing of it. So,
getting plank from a neighboring
board-pile, / rested it against the cave
of the shed, pulled off my shoes,
put them in my pocket, and then
"cooned up
All right so far, but / thought it nee
essary, in order not to arouse any sus-
PIGEONS in the morning, to remove the
plank; so, dragging 1T up, L threw off
the end and down it went with an aw-
full clatter on stray dog who had fol-
lowed me for two or three squares, who
Immediately set up the most awful
howl awhipped hound ever gave tongue
to. That started half dozen other
dogs in the neighborhood barking. A
hooking bird i'll the window above COM
menced singing as if he intended
to split his throat at it, and an
old woman, in her night clothes,
with a candle in her hand, appeared ut
her window across the street. knew
was safe as far as she was concerned,
but If any one came 10 our windows the
candle gave enough light to very prob
ably discover me. Nobody did come,
however, and the old lady, after peer
ing up and down the street for a min
ute or more, popped her head in and re-
tired. The mocking-bird kept up its
eternal whistle, and 1t was fully half an
hour before it and the dogs settled
down and gave me n chance to move.
Creeping slowly along the wall till /
reached the window, put my hands
on the sill, spring in, and, with my
head and shoulders within, and my legs
hanging out l stopped to listen.
Yes, she was in that room, for could
hear her breathing After waiting for
minute l cautiously drew up one leg,
then the other, slowed them around,
and putting them down to the floor,
was just conscious that / had stepped
ON something soft and yielding, and
was about Withdrawing them when an
other yell broke out at my feet; the old
maid jumped up crying Murder" and
the dog and the mocking-bird started
again.
l saw through it all /; had "put my
foot in it." more ways than one. A lit
tie darky was lying on her back I'M
der the window, and had stepped on
her face, and of course, woke her up.
7 decided in flash what to do. The
house would be aroused, and caught,
10 certainty, unless l could get to my
room before the governor was up. But,
/ had not moment to lose, for the lit
tie niger was yelling, and the woman
screaming, so / started for the door,
made three steps, and struck a chair,
tumbled oven AID, of course, made the
awfulest racket you ever heard of in
the dead hour of night" in peaceable
house,; the niger and the old maid
screamed louder than ever; the mock
ing-bird whistled like steam engine
and the dogs fairly made q noise as
loud as the Anvil Chorus"
reached the door, however, swiftly
and quietly opened it, and just got out
in time to SEQ the old gentleman open
his door, with candle in his hand, and
come hurryiDg up the stairs. Not a
moment was to be lost. There was a
wardrobe near where ] stood, and /
sprang behind it. Up came the gov
ernor, reached the door, went in, and
in the meantime there were all sorts OF
confusion and inquiry down stairs as to
what was the matter. Nobody else
came up, though, and from where |
stood / heard every word of inquiry in
the rooms. OF course they could not
make much of it. The little niger was
too much frightened and too sound
asleep at the time TO understand the
truth, and the upshot of the business
was that they concluded she had been
dreaming, and the governor, after Civ
ing her sound spanking. and explain
ing the matter to the aroused neigh
bors, from the window, went down to
his room again.
SO far. so good. / now had to GO
down stairs, reach the back door, un.
bar it, get into the back yard, and make
for my room, which was in the second
story of back building that stood I'M
connected with, and about a dozer
yards from, the main one. After Civ
ing everybody another half-hour to
settle down again. I started.