Mower County transcript., 1890-07-16


49, :.-
perior electsoul ate-up to our bedroom
every night There was va, nothing like
proper preoautio,n. g nv wife aaRoly
remarked. After awhile we got to Let
the cook take Oh arre Of the silver. .
This she did sattgfnctorily enough until
the continued absence OF burglars lulled
her spirit into = state Of happy obliy-
iousness Of the predatory tribe. Ru.
mors Of house breaking at q distance oo.
casionally reached us. but they affected
us no more than do the obituary notices
of people We don't know All we did
was to talk vaguely 81 retting 3 dog.
This was the sleen: nresen tly came the
awakening. One fatal Monday morn.
ing our marital slun bers we're disturbed
at seven q. IN. by the cook rushing into
our bedroom, and with pallid cheeks,
distended eyes and, dishevelod looks,
crying: "Oh. MN, there's been robbers
in the house!" .*.1.. i IS
In less time than that brief Pc
riod popularity known as a '.iiffy" nv
wife and I reached the scene OF the
catastrophe. Never shall forget tho
spectacle that met our raze. The viii
lain had apparently confined his depre-
dations to the kitchen, but there he had
wrought fearful havoc, All the doors
OF the cupboards, all the drawers Of the
sideboards were wido open, and suoh. OF
their contents as had been left were
strewn upon the floor. On the rug were
fragments OF cold rabbit pie and cocoa.
nut cake, apparently cast there out OF
pure superfuity Of naughtiness On
the table were the pie dish and cake
plate, both empty. There also stood q
glass and jug from which the rut1lan
had evidently been drinking beer. Hard
BY were some half-burned lucifer
matches and few shreds of tobacco,
showing that he had finished up COM
tortably with smoke. Both the
Kitchen windows and that of the soul
lery were wide open-a fact which
thrust itself upon our outer conscious
| ness. for the morning was raw and
damp and we were thinly clad.
When we had recovered sufficiently
to take note OF our actual losses. then
indeed the iron entered our souls. Wed
ding presents are not always source
| OF unqualified pleasure to either donors
| or recipients. The former frequently
regard them as little better than q tax
levied by custom: the latter OCCASION.
ally feel that Aunt Jane and Cousin
Peter might have done the thinp rathe,
more b andsomely while stheywere about
| it. But it is astonishing what won.
| derful affection one feels Tor wedding
presents when they have been stolen.
As wo looked for this o;ft md that
and found them not tho most tardo,
chords wer, tonched romembor ho y,
ing thouoht Uncle Sniffkin,s nair ~
plated snufrers rather a moor oft for he
is someth;no consideroh1o in tho c;tv
Rut now thai tho accustomed nor kneu
them no more. I saw those snnffers in q
new ,ipht thonoht how rnclo b. i
nrobahlv walked miloa to oot tbam-he
was greatly addicted to q second-h,nd
shop in the Mile End road~and a soft.
ened sadness stole ovar mo- and ,
lonped to prasn his honest hand and
hint at his hnv;no na another ro;r NJ,
wife hore tho trv;no ordeal of soel;ro
and finding not hrava,v enouoh nnti1
she made one dreadful discovery Then
she broke down and. flinpinp haraeli
on nv breast. exclaimed throueh he,
tears: 20 dearest, the wretch has act.
ually helped himself to some Of ou,
we-e-dding cake!'
Eventually nv burglar was captured.
and had the pleasure of 2 personal in
terview with him. He was a thick.
set young fellow with not unpleasine
air of melancholy about him. Bv nro-
fession he was shoe-maker-that is to
say, he professed to follow that calling;
but the pair of boots he made for his
solicitor. (who represented him at the
triaD were a misflt, and were actually
being touched up at the moment ho was
arrested. In some RESPECTS he was q
man ~ carofu1 oud ,roviaor ~ = !, b,+,,