Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1890-09-25

dogs, lightning, or fire: He even dared
to right now and then. On the whole
he was rs plucky as the average.man in
spite of his conviction that the time
would come when he would have trouble
with burglar and a suit at law with an
old maid. =, :
Durston, as you know, lives in a hand
some house on an uptown cross street
He has always held that the majority of
bprglaries are effected through the
treachery Of servants. He has, there.
fore, kept bachelors hall for many years
with the aid of only one assistant-an
old woman-a kind of heirloom in his
family. AS he generally dimes at his
club he has managed to live very com
fortably without keeping boarding
house for men and women who might be
in league with robbers. His aged house
keeper is not ambitious. He feels con-
fdent she will never sue him for breach
Of promise nor permit burglar to make
breach in the house. e
Durstou's library and bedroom are on
the second floor The old woman sleeps
in back room on the floor above She
is very deaf, so when Ours ton wishes to
call her he touches a button at the head
of his bed. This sends a mild electric
current through the reclining form of
the housekeeper upstairs. She approves
of this process in. the belief that it
tends to hold her rheumatism in check.
1t seems a very shocking way to treat
an old woman, however. And then
Durston must find it unpleasant to
discharge servant two or three times
day.
But let US return to our burglar One
night last winter Durston reached
home rather earlier than usual AS
was his custom, he examined the doors
and windows in the lower part of the
house and then went to the library. He
found his smoking Jacket and slippers
in their accustomed place. A wood
fire was cracking in the CRATE and de-
canter of whisky and box of cigars
tempted him from the center table.
Durston smiled contentedly as he drew
an easy chair toward the fire. Life
was very pleasant to him. He was one
of those happy bachelors who have no
regrets. Not. that Durston lacked
sentiment. Far from it. Ia fact. he
W 90 INV CIV az "AdO CuS WOElu CHllS d
practical man.
No, Durston was inclined to look at
the romantic side of life, and as he
smoked a perfecto and slipped hisswhisky
and settler in front Of the blaze that
night he INDUCED in innaginings that
would have shocked the hard headed
housekeeper upstairs worse than did her
private electric current the day the bat
terry was overcharged. -. Il. ]
Durston had for the moment forgot
ten all about old maids and burglars.
He was in a condition /, Of. bodily
and mental srepose that drove into
outer darkness @au the, unpleasant
things of life. Finally the conyicticn
came upon him slowly thatit was ii ma
to go to bed He fought hard againat
the proposition, but there was no oscar
for him. Looking at his watch he found
that itHwas long after one o'clockss
Turning out the lights in the library
entered his bedroom. He was still j lis
state of sleepy eontentment. Just ash
was about to put out the gas he va
startled by a slight. noise. that seem
to come from the 1-cellar. Qe. liste116
intently, Five minutes passed, B11
there were no further. sounds from 10
low. Durston surrounded, himself, bS