The morning call., 1890-09-07
NEXT-DOOR NEIGHBORS.


criminals wife who was handsome, seifcou
tanned, proud, apparently rich, aud even scorn-
full of the honest gangi"
ZenaS thought OF Mrs. Maytham until he be.
came mOst fascinated byi her. His eye sought
her each day, he left homo and returned;
finally. when lie get his customary summer va
cation for fortnight lie spent hours OF each day
in hammock under The trees, l00king sly y for
Mrs. Maylham, aud following her with eyes when
ever She sauutered TIN ough her finely kept
grounds. He was sorry Tor her; he could under
stand why she did not caie TO make new ac-
face that indicated completely In her husbands
crime; he So pulled her IN her loneliness and
pro babie gloom that he prayed earnestly for her
but do what lie would he could not forget the
tone III which she had called his adorable family
a gang"
CHAPTER II.
As the dog-days dragged ON Zenas' hammock
under III trees became more aud more attract
I've as lounging place, until finally The little
man, who had often slept out of doors III the
woods when he was country boy. Ventuied 10
be young again and SPEND an occasion night III
his hammock. The first eftoIt was quite success
iul, but dHrlns The second night lie was reused
by awful dream OF an anaconda gliding
though The grass near him and causing a rustic
such as any meandeTing anacUuda could be de
pended upon to MAKE. Starting up III alright
beneath bis low hanging covert OF boughs he saw
what at first seemed really huge serpent about
TO cross the fence aud enter the Maytbam estate.
Through well-rubbed eyes, however, the monster
resolved itself into ladder, evidently brought
from house IN course Of building not lar away
or course the ladder was not moving OF Its own
vOliliOD, man WAS under it,
Zenas was al once as wide awake as II no Such
condition sleep had ever existed. lie also
WAS IN abltct terror, aud was conscious OF the
outbreak Of The cold wat OF which lie Often had
heard, but never before experienced What
should lie do? What could lie 90? Pshaw!
Perhaps The man was carpenter WHO had been
after Il biz OF his own property 10 have 1t ready
for use somew here else. But no, tile CLOCK OF
one of The village churches struck two just then
Ii WIS impossible that any honest mechanic
ustA IL = n
brightly though the moon shone. Maybe the fell
low WAS truit-tree plundeier. Zena, had been
warned To gather his own early peas II he did
not wish the Zee TO be denuded some moonlight
night by uHbidden gatheTers. Well. if tile man
was bent on stealing fruit from The Maytham
place. lei him steal; II WAS shame thai such
things should be, but Zenas was not one OF the
villages three Policemen, ana a. lie would fatheF
have his single rear Tree stripped than attack a
midnight GIOwlSr, he could NOT be expected 10
project his nelehbOFs prOpelty-tho property Of
Il ueiuhbor vino hdd called his family gang"
But BOrfoTS The man was no fruit hlei. Tor
lie lad taken the LADDER toward lie Mdytham
house, placed il in the shadow east by tie moon,
ana stood muuouleSs moment, as II 10 rest
Evidently lie was burglar ana knew bis hus-
ness, for II was Town talk ira the May ham
house was extensively furnished and contained
much solid sIlVeTware, besides a great deal OF
bllC-a- bl &C worth It's weight IN gold. PROBABLY
the windows, inside the blinds, were wide Oien-
all county windows were duilng the dog-days
Let that ladder once he raised ana lie tnlet al
lts ton and Zeuas wasieure that the frail blinds
would ptOye no obstacle 10 the wicked fellows
DESIGNS.
But what could the unsusI ected observer do?
Il g could not move toward his own house WITH
out being seen and heard. Even were he within
his doors he had no firearms, no telephone, no
burglar alai ~ He might sip oht through lHe
shadows 10 HE gate and thence 10 the local pollce
station nearly mite away. but before an ullcti
could come The robbery would be accomplished
" orse SIliI, tie fellow flushed by success, might
move The ladder across the fence ana enter the
Bortiey lone. True, Zenas owned no HalGapIes