Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1888-07-18

gazed into the room intently, but.
could not see the children peering
fearfully at him through a hole in the
table-cloth which hung over them.
he muttered something to himself and
shook the blinds, but they were fast.
Then they heard him 60 around the
house, trying one window after another,
but they resisted all his efforts. Then
all was silent for few moments.
Il guess he's gone away whispered
Lizzy. But hardly had the words been
spoken when there came an awful
sound from the pantry-the sound of q
window being raised! And at that
moment it flashed over Lizzy's mind
that there was no fastening to the
pantry window-and, in fact, that she
had forgotten it altogether. The tramp
had found that one unattended point;
he was getting in through the window!
What should they do? Should they
unlock the front door and runp No,
those bolts were hard to move, and
the man would be in before they could
get out, and, besides, he could easily
catch them.
There was but one thing to do, and,
in spirit of genuine heroism, Lizzy
determined upon it in an instant.
"Carry," she cried, 1.-THE tramp is get
ting in the window! You take Bess
and open the front door and run, and
I'll keep him back till you get away"
and SO saying, she scrambled out from
under the table, caught up the nearest
available weapon, which happened to
be the best broom, and rushed into the
pantry.
Did Garry and Bess carry out her
directions? Not exactly! They did,
indeed, follow her out from under the
table, but got no further than the mid
die of the floor, where they stood hand
in hand, making the rafters ring with
their screams.
But their dauntless champion, when
she threw open the pantry door, found
her worst fears realized. The strange
man had, indeed, got the window
raised, and was on his way in. He
had pitched an old-fashioned carpet
sack and a large faded umbrella
through before him, and had then him.
self climbed laboriously and rhemat.
ically up through the window At
the moment when Lizzy arrived on
the scene he had, in fact,
got his knees and hands together, on
the sill, and, in that critical attitude
looked up at her with immense sur
prise and the dawning of a grin on his
face, as she burst in upon him with
weapon brandished. For the fraction
of second they faced one another
thus. But Lizzy did not stop for ques.
tior or parley. With one scream that
| would have done credit Ito a Co
manche Indian, she lifted her broom
brought it down on the top of tina
! ancient beaver with whack that SEN
| the hat not only down over its owners
eyes and ears but over his nose a!
| we'll, and even over his mouth! He
victim gave one protesting roar as hi
| extinguisher came down over him, bu
his subsequent outcries were muflet
| and buried in his hat. He lifted on,
hand to try to pull it off, but, in 81
dong, grew unsteady on the window
sill, and, aided by a second blow iron
the broom, fairly lost his balance ant
toppled over in a struggling heap, but
unfortunately, not on the ground out
side, but inside on the pantry floor.
At this unforeseen disaster, eve1
Lizzy's courage failed her. Sh
dropped her broom and fled to un
bolt the front door. The two children
in the kitchen set up louder scream
if possible, at the sound of the tum bl,
in the pantry. The unfortunate in
tr,lder grunted and groaned, and, with
ing in sitting position, tugged at tn,
hat, which stuck to him as if he ha,
been melted and run into it.
''Forg goodness gracious sake" criei
Mrs. Milham's voice, as she hurried III
tho front walk, ''what is going OF
hel:e?"
4 scream from all three children a.
they rushed to her for protection wa
her only answer, but, looking through
the open pantry door, she saw re
mark;able sight. There sat the strang
man on the floor. He had a
length succeeded, not in getting tn
hat & ack over his nose, bodily, but il
teari ng the stiff brim from the uppe
part, and freeing his mouth so as t
get a breath of air. Fiery red in tn
face with exertion and suffocation, hi
short gray hair standing up all owe
his head, his eyes dilated with am axe
ment and indignation, the rim of tn
hat hanging round his neck like a.
! old-fashioned ruff-he was sight t,
brighten any one.
And yet it was something differen
from fear. which made Mrs, Milhan
start back and then stand as if sh
were paralyzed, staring at the stranger
"Good landy combassion!'' sh
gasped. "Uncle Patterson!''