Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-01-31
THREE BURGLARS.
BY FRANK r. STOCKTON.
tCoPYE.GHT, lGSJ.l

ri don't sec how a man could help
maxim mis- tal1cs, with that school teach
er's umbrella whanging away at his
knowledge box. But l wasn't goin' to
lot on. She amt no jew nuther,' says
l, and she's your daughter, too; you
needn't try to play no tricks on me. Pay
mo my money and take her away as
quick rs you can, that's my advice, or
before you know it you'll be nabbed.'
Pay ye" he yelled: do you think I'd
pay you any thing for that little Jew?'
She's just as much n Christian as you
are says l. Amt you a Christian, lit
tie gal? and isn't this gentleman your
father? and amt you surprised that he
wants to give you back to be put in the
bag" l said this hopin' she'd have
sense enough to say he was her father
SOS to get rid of me.
1.-The wretched gal had been clean
dumfounded when she was took out of
the bag, and hadn't done nothin' so far
but blubber and cry, and try to get away,
which she couldn't, because l held her
frock, but now she ups and screams he
wasn't her father, and she'd never seen
him before, and then he storms and
swears, and tells mo to take her back
him hanged first, and what want is my
money; she screams, and he swears he'll
not pay me q cent, and squares off and
says that I'll thrash him out of his skin,
and then he calls in his coachman, and
they both make at me, and 1 backs
out the door to get my cabby to stand
by me, and l found that he'd cut out,
havin' most likely got frightened,
afraid of bein' mixed up in trou-
BILE. Then seed on the high road, some
half n mile away, some men comm gal
lopin', and the gent he looked out and
seed 'cm too, and then says he to me:
You'll jist take that little jew gal back
where you got her from; she's no use
to me; I'm goin',' and at that hollered
for my money, and made a grab at him,
but tho coachman he tripped me over
backward, and before l could git up agin
they was both off with the horses on a
run.
81 was so mad l coulGn't speak, but
there wasn't no time for foolin', and I
hadn't made up my mind which door I
should cut out of, when the fellows on
horseback went ridin' past as hard as
they could go. They must have seed the
carriage drivin' away, and thought for
sure it had tho gal in it, and they was
after it, licl1ety-split.
"Whcn they was clean gone 1 looked
round for the little gal, but couldn't SOC
her, but all of a sudden she came out of
the fireplace where she'd been hidin'.
She'd got over her cryin' and over her
scare, too, judgin' from her looks. I'm
glad he's gone says she. and I'm mighty
glad, too, that Mr.. IIaskins and them
other men didn' see me. Who's they?
says l. 'They'S neighbours says She;
If they knew was here they'd took mo
back We'll, you little MINK says I,
isn't that what you want" No says
she, 4 didn't want to go with that man,
for l don't know him and hate him,
but l don't want to go back to that
school. l hate it worse than any thing
In the whole world. You haven't no
idea what horrid place it is. They
Just work you to death and don't give
you half enough to cat. My constitution
won't stand it. I've told pop that and
he thinks so, too. but marin she don't be
licvc in it. and my stayin' here is all hel
dom. Two been wantin' to get away
for ever 50 long. but didn't want to be
took off in bag, but now that I'm out
Of that horrid hole l don't want to 60
back, and if you'll take mo home to pop
| know he won't let me go back, and
he'll pay you real handsome besides
Who's your pop?' says l. He's Mr.,
Groppeltacker, of Groppeltacker &
Mintz, corset findings, seven hundred
and something or other, l forget the
number now, Broadway. o, pop does
lot of business, l tell you, and he's got
lots of money. He sends corset find
ings to South America, and Paris, and
Chicago, and Madagascar and the utter
most parts of the earth. I've heard him
say that often. And you needn't be
afraid of his not bcin' able to pay you
A lot moro than that man would have
paid YOU for his little gal, if you'd
catched tho right one. So if you take
me to pop. and get me there safe and
sound it will be an awful good spec
for YOU
Now begins to think to myself that
perhaps there was somethin' in what
that little jew gal was sayin', and that
I might make something out of the gal
after all. 1 didn't count on gettin' big
pile out of old Groppletacker-it wasn't
likely he was that kind Of a man-but
whatever l did get would be clean
profit, and 1 might as we'll try it on. He
couldn't mako no charge agin me fun
bringin' him his daughter, if she asked
me TO do it; SO says to her: Now, if
take you homo to your pop will you
promise, on your word an honor, that
you won't say nothin' about my carryin
you off in bag, and say that you seed
me walkin' along the road and liked M
looks, and told me you were sufferin',
and asked me to take you home to your
kind parents, where you might be took
proper care of; and that said WASH t
goin' that way, but Id do it out of
pure Christian charity, and nothln'
moro nor less, and here you was? End
then, of course, you can tell him he
ought to do the handsome thing by me-
'pll do that, says she, and I'll tell how
you talked to me awful kind for more
than an hour tryin' to keep me to stay
at the school, and it wasn't till got
10, /