Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-07

and II I'm not mistoOk, they'll be more charges
than yourn made agln him. There wasn't no
chance to show fight. so l didn't do it, but
says to old Groppeltacker, There's my ex-
penses; you've got to pay them any way. All
right, says he, .jist you send i'll your DILL,
marked correct. by my daughter. and I'll settle
II, and he laughed again, and the cop he took
me off. Well. ladies ana gents that little piece
OF business, together with some other old
scores, took me to Sing Sing for three years,
and 1t faint SIX months since | got out so YOU
can see for yourselves what hard times a fellow
In my line of business sometime has"
We'll" said Aunt Martha, Il don't approve
OF the Groppeltacker sort of people, but if
there were moro of that kind believe there
would be fewer of your kind. That story shows
you IN such bad hight that believe it's true"
Every word OF it" said the man. Il wish
it wasn't"
And now spoke. "Since you claimed to be
truth-telling bein'" said to the stout bur
g!ar. suppose you tell me why Won never at
tempted before to break into my house. Every
considerable dwelling in this 0eighborhood
has been entered, and have no doubt you are
the men who committed all the burglaries."
No, SIR" said he mot men. am the man
who did EN- all. but those two friends of NINE
was never with me before in bit of business
like this. 'Iaint III their line. l have had pals
with me, but they were professionals. These
amt cracksmen; they don't know nothin' about
IL, but this one Is handy at tools and that's the
reason L brunS him along, but you see he
kicked and YVES Soin to give me away, and this
young gentleman"
Never mind about that young gentleman" l
SAID, Il have certain curiosity to know why
my mouse was not entered when the others
WERE"
We'll" said he, II don't mind tellin' yer how
tilat was. Ii was on account Of your baby. We
| don't like to crack n house where there's a
| pretty small baby that's liable to wake up and
howl any minute and rouse up the rest of the
| n N ip' in I,,, -,.L
| comfort when there's such a young one about
| ii tell you what it is all your burglar alarms
| and your dogs amt worth nuthin' alongside oil
| baby for guardin' house. If cracksman
| amt careful the alarms will go off, and if he
| don't know how to manage dogs the dogs will
bark. But by George sir, there amt no pro.
vldln aSln baby. He'll howl any time, and
NOBODY can tell when, so | waited till your
| baby was a little more settled in its wars and
! slept sound!v, and then we come along, and
| here we are."
This statement very much surprised me, and
| did not eiate me. without saying so to any
one. had hattered myself that the burglars
had heard OF my precautions, and OF my excel.
| lent stock of firearms, and perhaps had got q
| notion that would be an intrepid man to deal
| with. and 1t was somewhat humiliatng to find
| that it was our baby the burglars were afraid
| OF and not myself. Ny wife was amazed
Can it be possible" she said that these
people know SO much about our baby and that
george william mas been protecting this house?i
1T makes my flesh creep" said Aunt Martha
do you know everything about all of us?"
Wish did, aam" said the stout burglar
! wish I'd known about that beastly liquor"
We'll, we've had enough of this, - said 1,
rising, land, my dear, you and Aunt Martha
must be ready to go TO bed, and David and I.
| will keep guard over these fellows until morn
| ing"
AT this instant the youngest burglar spoke.
His face wore a very anxious expression.
May ask, SIR" he said ''what you intend
to do with me in the morning."
Il have already said" / answered, '.that
shall then hand over all of you to the officers
of justice Of this country"
But, sir" said the young man, ''you will
surely except me. / am not at all concerned
in this matter, and it would be of the greatest
possible injury to me 10 be mixed up in it or to
be mentioned Ill public reports as an associate
of criminal. I'm not acquainted with the
gentleman at the other end of the bench. but l
have every reason to believe from what he
said to me that he intended to notify you if this
Jas. Barlow proceeded to any open act For
myself l beg you will allow me to state who
and what l am, and to tell you by what a
strange concentration of circumstances hap
pen to find myself in my present position-one
which l assure you causes me the greatest en-
barrassment and anxiety"
We've had enough story telling for one
night" said l, land You had better reserve
your statement for the magistrate"
Here Aunt Martha put in her voice.
That's not fair" she said, 1.-TWO of them
have been allowed to speak, and this one has
just as much right to be heard as the others
What do you say. Cornelia?"
(IO De cOntnued)