Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-01-09
mamma IN linking Of what was expect

mamma IN inkling Of what was expect
ed, and she bore the news much more
calmly than we thought she would, and
had bravely begged to have the dinner
bell placed beside her pillow SO that if
need be she might give an alarm. Our
weapons, though somewhat formidable,
We're certainly of great variety. Ruth
had fished out of the garrett an ancient
horse-pisal; Aunt Betsy armed herself
with a stub Of applewood; Agnes had
the poker; jamie the carving-knife,
while l, Ike a feminine George Wash
lngton. b'andished a little hatchet.
We had made arrangements that
Agnes YVES to be sentinel for the first
half of the night and Ruth and l the
latter.
But it vas some time before we could
get to sleep. The rats made such
noises in the garrett, the wind howled
around the chimneys and ratified the
sh~utters-thcse and a dozen other noises
made us wide awake and eager to scent
danger.
The clock struck twelve-then one.
Agnes had just come into our room and
Ruth and l were preparing to take her
place, when suddenly all three of us
heard sfaint click Of the front gate
latch. followed by footsteps on the
frozen ground.
R%nthsprang to the window and drew
aside tie curtain. ''Look, girls! look!"
she whispered, excitedly.,
And there, stealing in and out among
the tall evergreens down by the gate,
we did see a dark figure! But at this
instant two loud noises resounded
throughout the house. One was a great
gathering Of tin-ware; the other q vio-
lent splashing. Our first thought was
that burglars had already entered the
house, but when, armed with our re-
spectlve weapons, we proceeded to the
places from whence the sounds came,
we found that Aunt Betsey and jamie,
n%ot.satisfied with sleeping ingloriously
while We mounted guard, hadrisen and
started or a private tour of inspection
through the house.
But alas! Both forgot the. various
traps that had been laced here and
there for the benefit of midnight ma
rauders, and the frst thing Aunt Bet
sey knew she found herself Sitting like
Mr.. What's-his-name among the ruins
of Carthage. Milk pans, cake-tins, a
horse-radish crater and a ~cookcy-cut-
ter were scattered about, while the
colander, like Achilles helmet, was
perched upon her disheveled locks.
jamie we fished out of the tub of
water looking like a veritable mer-
maid. Fortunately, nc serious dam
age was done to either, and, as soon as
possible, all FIVE of us were in the
parlor, watching the burglar down by
the gate.
He was still there, skulking in and
out among the trees in a most mysteri-
Gus way. At last, when our patience
gave out entirely, Ruth said, boldly:
81 mean to see what that villain is
doing. Come, Aggie, will you go with
me?"
"Goadness pe! Surely, girls, you
don't mean to go out OF the housed"
said Aunt Betsey.
eyes, that's just what we do mean,"
Ruth replied, as she proceeded to wrap
a shawl about her. ''Thcre seems to
be ouly one of the r~ascals, and l guess
we can manage him. Anyhow, if you
hear us scream, run down to our res
eye. Come, Aggie," and a minute
AdtCl GlAG ONO SlI1S ldS SlIDpCo OuG VI
the front door, and were quietly
making their way around the shady
side of the house down to the gate.
Now near the fence, and just a few
yards from the gate, there stood a small
building, formerly used as a Toulouse.
We had made it a kind of a catch-all-
storing here tools, grader seeds, orn
for the chickens, and various other
things. AS the building never con-
tanned anything of value, we had
only a slight fastening to ia wooden
button and a rusty hook. When the
girls reached the building, they knew
by certain muttied sounds that the
burglar was prowling about within.
Quick-wit+ed Ruth seized the oppor-
tunity which presented itself, and,
without a minutes hesitation, slammed
the door shut and confined it by but
ton and hook.
A violent exclamation, a mutter of
! chagrin, Were heard from within. but
the girls did not wait to hear more, for
with swift feet they rushed back tG
the house and told us what they had
done.
OF course we were all wild with ex-
element. The whole house was in
commotion, and poor mamma added to
the general confusion by ringing the
dinner-bell with the most frantic
energy.
"Now that you've caught the thieves,
Ruth, what do you mean to do?"
"Do?" Ruth repeated, in consider
able p%erplexity. ave certainly ought
to have help to secure the thief, for it
would be too bad to have him escape
now that we have actually captured
him. But I'm really afraid that he'll
be able to work his way out of the tool
house-the fastening isn't much to
boast of, you know! Some of us must
hurry over to Farmer Jackson's, and
get him and his hired man to come
over.
"That's so," said Agnes, and she
added, decidedly: "But, seriously, you
mustn't think of going, Ruth, because
your throat isn't well yet, and a miles
walk in this cold, windy air would be
the very worst thing you could do !
Edith can't go, Of course, and | don't
think it at all prudent for jamie to ven