River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-07-19

Wouldn't he think you was nice, lady
like little grill"
Il don't care, screamed Bess, resist
ing all Lizzy's efforts to pacify her. II
wish an old tramp would come and
carry you Off. do
At this moment the front gate
clicked. ''There!' said Lizzy, there's
mamma coming back. and I'm glad of
it." She ran to the window and peeped
through the blinds. but ran back in a
moment with white face and cried in
trembling whisper, ''Oh, no, it isn't
its the tramp! it's the tramp"
And at that moment there came a
laundering knock at the door.
The children stared at one another
in silent terror for a moment, and then
Carry began TO cry. II don't care,
Bess, she whimpered. Its your
fault! you went and wished he'd come. -"
And for once in her life Bess was too
frightened to resent the charge.
But Lizzy's courage rose to the occa-
sion. Hush, hush, ehildren!" she
said, in a whisper. Don't say a word.
and he won't know we're here. He
can't get in, and mamma viii soon be
home. Let him knock, The blinds
and windows are all locked, and per-
haps he'll go away when he finds he
can't get in. Come, let's get under the
table here and pull the cover down,
and then he can't see us even if he
does look in
They hurriedly crawled into their
hiding-place, and sat in silent, trem-
bling heap, while the knock at the door
was repeated once or twice. and then a
deep, gruff voice called: Hi. hallol
is any body home?n mo" piped
Bess from under the table, in a very
shaky tone. Hush, Bess Milhamr'
said Lizzy. She was evidently not
heard, for the strange man knocked
again as if he would beat in the door,
and they heard him say: Il must get
in somehow; this sun is too hot for me
out here.
Then one OF the window blinds
turned, and they saw tie horrible
monster looking in. He was rather an
elderly man, with a brown, hard-feat-
ured face, irOn-gray hair, and very
grim and decided-lOO1ing mouth. He
wore an old, faded coat and vest,
and had on his head a high beaver
hat of the style of forty years ago,
1t was set well down over his ears as
if it were a little too large for him. He
gazed into the room intently, but
could not see the children peering
fearfully at him through 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 go 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 a
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 undefended point;
he was getting in through the window
What should they do? Should they
unlock the front door and run? 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.
Garry" she cried, ''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 Carry 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 large faded umbrella
through before him. and had then him
self climbed labOriously and rheumat-
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 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-
ton or parley. With one scream that
would have done credit to a Co
manche Indian. she lifted her broom,
brought il down on the top of that
ancient beaver with whack that sent
the hat not only down over its owners
eyes and ears but over his nose as
well. and even over his mouth Her
victim gave one protesting roar as his
extinguisher came down over him, but
his subsequent outcries were muffled
and buried in his hat. He lifted one
hand to try to pull it off, but, in so
doing, grew unsteady on the window
sill, and, aided by second blow from
the broom, fairly lost his balance and
tOppled over in a struggling heap, but,
unfortunately, not on the ground out
side. but inside on the pantry floor.
At this Unforeseen disaster, even
Lizzy's courage failed her She
dropped her broom and fed to I'M
bolt the front door. The two children
in the kitchen set up louder scream,
il possible, at the sound of he tumble
in the pantry. The unfortInate in
truder grunted and grOaned, and, writh-
ing in a sitting position, tugged at the
hat. which stuck to him as if he had
been melted and run into it.
"For goodness gracious sake" cried
Mrs. Milham's voice, as she hurried up
the front walk. what Is going ON
here.