The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1888-12-06
A LUCKY BURGLAR.
Warm Reception He Was 40
corded and What Came of It.
HE TELLS IT.

COrQe0 ana What Came Of It.
He TELLS 1T.
Mother and the girls were quite in
OBSTACLES over the new house. The
masculine members of the family were
inclined to be dubious as to its advan-
tages. The chief objection which we
had to 1t was that it was one of a row
of eight, all exactly alike, and it was
extremely difficult to be sure of the
right door.
A weeks practice, however, made
that all right; ours was the fourth
house from the south end of the row;
rs walked from the Office along the
street Immediately south of us. 1 soon
became accustomed to taking the exact
number OF steps, after turning the cor
;ner, which would bring me to the door.
Besides the hour at which I came
home Il am q proof-reader on a morn
ing paper and my duties usually kept
me at the Office until after three a. m.
made 1t necessary for me to carry a
'latch-key. While I knew that of
course our neighbors had exactly the
same conveniences which we enjoyed,
and looked for light to windows in the
same portion of exactly similar rooms,
and experienced the annoyance of
smoky chimneys when the wind was in
the particular quarter which affected
ours. did not dream that the houses
were SO precisely the same that the
key of one would unlock the other.
T.: We had lived here about a week
when the street-car line near by began
running owl cars. This was a boon
for me, as it saved me walk of some
length. The car line ran within half
a square of the house, being on the
next street north of us.
The first night that rode home I
was so sleepy when got out of the
car that scarcely knew whatI was
doing. Hitherto the exercise of walk
ing had kept me wide awake until I
got into my own room. I managed to
unlock the front door, however, and
get upstairs, habit making my move
.ments noiseless, as I knew that nv
mother was easily awakened and did
not readily go to sleep again.
T! The room which I occupied was
sover the dining-room, the door being
nearly opposite to the head Of
the stairs. Somewhat to nv sur
prise the gas was not burning on the
landing; the girls had probably for
gotten to light it before going to bed.
u CROPPED my way carefully along, and
lat last reached the door ofmy room. I
entered; it was like the hall, pitch
dark. Itried to find the table, on which
there should be lamp, and my hand
came In contact with something else.
i drew a match from my pocket and
.,struck it. AS held it screened by nv
hand I saw that the room was strange
one. Suddenly, all was dark; it was
not that the match had gone out, but
the brain was shadowed; knew moth
ing more
SHE TELLS 1T.
I was always rated courageous: I
seemed to lack that instructive fear
which causes some to shrink from
darkness and loneliness. My brothers
and sisters often declared that 1 never
would be frightened; not even, added
May, with shudder, if a burglar were
to present himself before me and de-
mand my valuables. These would not
tempt any well-regulated burglar,
being small and of little intrinsic value;
but l should not like to lose them, and
i had always determined to defend nv
property stoutly if threatened, provid-
ing, of course that I had sufficient
warning of the robbers intentions to
enable me to act.
/ awoke one morning at that pro-
verbal darkest hour, just before the
dawn. had no idea what time it was.
as the whole house was wrapped in
silence and darkness; it is from after
events that I am able to say that it was
nearly morning. I had started Sud-
denly from sleep, but at first could
not tell what had aroused me. As
lay listening for some sound to follow
that which had recalled me from the
land of dreams, my thoughts turned
instinctively to our next door neigh
bors, who had been domiciled in the
row for about a week.
Nobody knew them, although several
of the older residents had spoken of
calling upon them-perhaps; for we
liked the looks of the ladies and they
seemed inclined to be friendly. The
men. however, seemed to be home all
day and away all night. They were
not neutrality-suspicious. could see; hat
by their hands, their clothing, their
bearing and we were afraid they were
not just what they should be. We re-
called certain grewsome stories of
counterfeiters, burglars, and other
criminals, who settle in respectable
neighborhoods, and only excited sus-
picion by the unreasonable hours
which they kept. .. r.
Was that step up the stairs? I
listened more intently, my wandering
thoughts recalled from all other sub
jects. Surely it was, and that was
another. There was burglar in the
house. I sprang out Of bed and envel-
oped myself in circular which
CHANGED to be hanging on chair, as I
had worn It out into the rain the pre-
ceding evening. If I was to receive 4
burglar Twas determined that the pro-
prieties should not suffer; I would
have something on besides my night
dress; while II he went to any other
room I could steal along the dark halls
20 alarm my brothers. and be less
noticeable in this dark wrap than n
~ nightgoWn.