St. Landry democrat., 1886-11-06
BURGLAR SCARE.
-~.gy Beulah Arranges to Receive
Night Visitors.

why, Beulah Larkin! l never! Tn
clean beat ont! Oh dear!' and with g
sigh of exhaustion that was almost 8
sob, Miss Mary Jane Beers fell into the
old rocker, and pulled off her slat bon.
net.
What's the matter with you?''
queried Miss Beulah, setting down her
tlatiron deliberately. and looking at her
friend over her spectacles with an air
of surprised severity.
'Oh, | never thought to live to see
sech works in Dorset! Mis- Morse's
folks hev he'd a burglar in their sullar. -
'Why, how you talk!"'
They hevr' said Miss Beers. with
recovered breath and great emphasis.
Mis- Morse went to bed airly las night,
but the deacon he was up an round
quite spell, and the hired girl she he'd
Il most an awful big wash on account of
comp'ny over the Sabbath, and she sot
up a-ironin' till after she heerd Mr..
Morse go up charmber, and there wasn't
a sound to be heerd then, and bein'
tired, she went to sleep direct.
80 they didn't know nothing ont
+, till morning, when they see the hatch
way into the sullar was half open, and
he went down and found more'n five
somater-cans smashed on the floor, and
the spigot to his cider-ba turned, an
cider runnin'. Luckily enough, the
cider was real low.
.'But tell you the way bolts went
onto them doors, and padloeks onto
both matches, was rapid! Mis- Morseis
a-skakin' vet, and Nancy don't know
nothing what to do with herself. She's
so scarf to think of bein' asleep the hull
time in that back charmber right over
the shed roof. and her winder open all
nightr' @2 t5sE sss Af* @
Dear met said Miss Beulah, whose
sallow face had grown still more rigid
during the awful tale. for though her
moral courage Gas beyond doubt, the
good woman had none of that physical
bravery that is rarely coupled with its
spiritual counterpart, and she had be-
aide degree of imagination in her
character much greater than she could
or would have acknowledged.
why, Mary Jane Beers, this is dread
full! I've been SO thankful every time
took mp the paper, and read about them
dread nj things that's always a-happen-
in elsewheres, to think that we have |
been spared here in Dorset There's so |
many lonesome folks here, specially |
women folks, that | don't know of a
likelier place for burglars to make
trouble in. I declare. / shan't sleep a
wink for thinkin' on't"'
N ,,a,%L,.ff Me-
Beers, '.though 1 haven't got no great
TO steal, save an except bunnets; but
they're other folks's. which would be
worse than eff owned EN-, " which I'M
worldly sentiment the good little woman
confirmed with another long sigh.
WELL said Miss Buelah, whats to
be didp''
Ehinently practical as the spinster
was, this idea always came to her after
the first shock of any sudden occur
renee. Ii she did not express it in good
grammar, she acted on it in good faith.
Il dono! | dono.n mournfully re-
sponded Mary Jane. Il haven't never
had but oneloek onto my house doors
sence / lived to Dorset, an that's on
the front one. !"
Locks amt a sight of good to real
burglarsr' shifted Miss Beulah, who
read the newspaper as diligently as
other people do the encyclopaedia, and
believed every word she read.
This was startling to Miss Beers, who |
mad q serene faith in her one lock,
thinking no burglar would ever essay
her poor little shed-kitched door. But
Miss Beulah knew better. Her house
was large, old-fashioned farm house, |
with four rooms ON each floor, kitchen
and loft at the back. and at least four
entrances from without She slept down.
stairs herself, and her small handmade