Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-03-13

hand whenever you ASe - Ii
wanted The cop he took the Boie
mouse out of my pocket, and says ne
y know this fellow, and If I'm not ms
took they'll be more charges 'nAn
vourn made agin him. There WASH
no chance to show fight, SO dian uo
II. but / says to old GroppeltacKer.
there's my expenses; you've got 10 pay
them any way 'All right says ne
'iist you send in your bill, marked cor,
rect by my daughter, and ~ settle ~
and he laughed again, and the cop ne
tool, me off. Well, ladies and gents
that little piece of business, together
with some other old scores, took me 70
Sing Sing for three years, and IL AIN :
six months since got out, so you can
see for yourselves what hard times
fellow in my lire of business some
times has"
0Well." said Aunt Martha, 81 don't
approve of the Grcppeltacker sort OF
people, but If there were more OF ina,
kind believe there would be fewer 81
vour kind. That story shows you IN
such a bad light that / believe ith
true" n
Livery word of it, said the man i
wish it wasn't."
And now | spoke. "Since yos claimed
TO be a truth-telling being" / said to the
stout burglar, suppose you tell me wn5
YOU never attempted before to pTeaN
into nv house. Every considerable
dwelling in this neighborhood has been
entered, and / have no doubt you ara
the men who committed all the burg
| laries."
"No, sir" said he, "not men. an
the man who did 'em all, but these twS
friends of mine was never with mo be-
fore in a bit Of business like thio
'Tain't in their line. have had pan
with me, but they was professionals
These amt cracksmen; they don't know
nothin' about it, but this one Is handJ
at tools and that's the reason bruns
him along, but you see he kicked and wss
goin' to give me away, and this young
gentleman ="
'Never mind about that young gen.
man" said; 81 have a certain curiosity
to know why my house was not entered
when the others WERE"
"Well," said he, 81 don't mind tellin'
yer how that was. 1t was on account OF
your baby. We don't like to crack q
house where there's pretty small baby
that's liable to wake up and howl any
minute, and rouse up the rest of the
family. There's no workin' in house.
with comfort when there's such a youne
one about. I'll tell you what it ~, all
YOUR burglar alarms and your dogs Amt
worth nuthin' alongside OF baby for
puardin' a house. If craftsman aint
careful the alarms will go of, and II ne
don't know how to manage dogs the
dogs will bark. But, by George, sir,
there amt no providin' agin baby,
He'll howl any time, and nobody can
tell when, so / waited till your baby was
little more settled in its ways and
slept soundly, and then we come along.
and here we are"
This statement very much surprised
me, and did not elato me. WitAou'
saying so TO any one, / had hattereu
myself that the burglars had heard Of
my precautions and Of my excel
lent stock Of firearms, and per
haps had got notion that / would be
an intrepid man to deal with, and il wAl
somewhat humiliating TO find that Il
was our baby the burglars were afraid
Of and not myself. My wife wa
amazed.
"Can it be possible" she said, "tha'
these people know so much about ouI
baby, and that George William has beer
protecting this house?"
at makes my flesh Creep" said Aunt
Martha. "Do you know every thing
about all of usP"
"Wish l did, ma'am," said the stou'
burglar; "wish I'd known about tina
beastly liquor"
"Well, we've had enough Of this, "sait
!, rising, land, my dear, you and Aun
Martha must be ready to 60 to bed, ant
David and / will keep guard over thes'
fellows until morning."
At this instant the youngest burglar
spoke. His face wore q very anxioul
expression.
MAY ask, sir" he said, "what yos
intend to do with me in the morning."
al have already said,"I answered
''that / shall then hand over all OF yo'
to the officers of justice of this coun
try"
''But, sir" said the young man, ''yo'
will surely except me. ! am not at al
concerned in this matter, and it woult
be of the greatest possible injury to mi
to be mixed up in it, or to be mentioned
in public reports as an associate OF |
criminal. I'm not acquainted with thu
gentleman at the other end of thu
bench, but 1 have every reason to be
lieve from what he said to me that hl
intended to notify you II this Jame
Barlow proceeded to any open act. Fo
myself, beg you will allow me to stat'
who and what am, and to tell you b,
what strange confederation Of circum
stances l happen to find myself in m.
present position-one which assure yo'
causes me the greatest embarrassment
and anxiety"
"We've had enough storytelling 70
one night" said 1, land you had bette
reserve your statement for the magis
trate."
Here Aunt Martha put in her voice.