Huntsville gazette., 1886-08-28
ipated in the dangers Of life on the

plains. She put pistols in our hands,
and then we three, Mayberry, Blythe
and myself silently descended the
stairs in the dark. What my compan-
ions felt or thought as we descended
the stairs do not know. There were
five lovely women overhead, listening
with beating hearts for the sounds OF
what might prove desperate, pos
sibly fatal, struggle. The mo-
ment / placed my foot on the upper
step, the ludicrous side of the picture
struck me SO forcibly that l smiled.
Here was the man in the house that we
had heard so much of, that we had all
jested about only few hours since,
upon remembering the Colonel was
not at home. "A man in the house"
was the warning that caused three
frightened girls to huddle together
tremblingly, while Alice Trevino and
Mrs. Potter endeayored to allay their
| apprehensions. And there was abun-
dant cause. The Colonel was known
to have very large sums Of money in
his house at times sometimes he was
compelled to keep it three or four days
before he could conveniently deposit it
in the city.
| Then there was the Potter plate.
Some of it had served three genera
| tions. 1t was known over the length
and breadth of the land. 1t had been
! honored by the notice of three Presi-
dents and no end of Senators and Gov
ernors, to say nothing of the superb
solid gold and silver service presented
to the Colonel by his regiment, his
State and two or three orders he was
active in. The Potter plate alone would
have proven load for a horse.
My hand was placed on Dick May.
berry's mouth in the nick Of time. A
moment later he would have revealed
our presence. / caught Tom Blythe's
wrist, and held my companions at the
foot of the stairs, listening intently.
About twelve feet from where we stood,
door in the hall opened upon strip
of lawn between the main building and
conservatory. Just beyond the con-
servatory, and underneath the stairway
used by the servants. the safe was built
which contained the Potter plate and
other valuables. We could see light
Eglimmering under the Mountaineering
1t was safe to assume that the door
opening ueon the short hall leading
into the dining-room was open. The
light we saw would otherwise have
| been concealed. While we were
whispering to each other in the hall,
figure glided down the stairway
silently, and Mrs. Potter's hand was
laid on my arm lightly as she listened
to the sounds that were now loud
enough to be heard in any part of the
house. The audacity of the burglar or
burglars amused US.
Il think there must be more than
one," said Mayberry.
'.There may be three or four" I re-
piled II will 90 out of the hall door
on the right to the kitchen or dining
room. They got in from the rear; SO
much is plain. You and BY the will en-
ter this door when you hear me
whistle"
Here was interrupted by Mrs. Pot
ter, who in the meantime had been
joined by the dear girls, who, terrified
beyond measure, could not remain
longer in suspense in the upper hall.
Il fear something may happen. Mr..
Adair, if you go around to the kitchen.
A shot aimed at robber may hit one
of our defenders"
NV companions stood beside me as
/ placed my hand on the knob of the
door The door opened noiselessly.
We entered quietly. The wax taper /
| held disclosed the conserv atory empty
and silent. Dick, with rare presence
of mind, lit another match and held
his matchbox open in the hand that
carried the taper; his other grasped
one of the Colonels Colt revolvers.
Contrary to our conjecture. the door
giving upon the hall in front of the
safe was closed. However, the strong
light we perceived under the door ac-
counted for the glimmer we observed
on the opposite side of the room. Ger
tainly the burglar was cool one.
We could hear the grating sound our
ears are accustomed to in daily life.
The fellow, or fellows, were cutting
the door of the safe open.
Once more l signaled to my com.
panions, grasped the pistol in my right
hand, and seeing both were prepared
for the onset, suddenly opened the
door between us and the burglar.
| "Well?''
| A face I knew well-we had seen the
man score of times in the vicinity of
Potter's Point-the face of man up
ward of sixty, was turned up to US.
His torn straw hat was pushed back
from his forehead His struggling
gray locks fell upon his open wrinkled
shirt collar. The strong leather sus-
penders supporting his faded blue
overalls were polished by long wear.
He held in his right hand carpenters
chisel, while his left grasped a window
sash, from which three panes had been
removed. As he looked at us Che was
on his knees). merry twinkle lit up
his eyes. He moved his lower jaw
rapidly, squirting a stream of tobacco
juice into a spittoon beside him, and
again exclaimed:
"Well?"
| The Colonel's wife Immediately
| rushed into the breach.
''Jerry, these gentlemen did not
know you were here. They are re-
hearsing little play"
God bless the COlOne1s wife T will