Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-02-13

the library when / went down IN tne
morning. And l was sure, and my wlie
agreed with me, that if l should tnd
burglar in that room or any other part
of the house it was highly desirable
that he should be an unconscious one.
Night after night / set my burglar
trap and morning after morning l
locked it up in the closet. | can not
saw that / was exactly disappointed
that no opportunity offered to test the
value of my plan, but it did seem pity |
that | should take so much trouble ior
nothing. 1t had been some weeks SINCE
anv burglaries had been committed In
the neighborhood, and 1t was the gen
eral opinion that the miscreants had
considered this field worked out ana
had transferred their labors to better
paying place. The insult OF having
been considered unworthy the attention
of the knights of the midnight jimmy
remained with us, but as all our goods
and chattels also remained with us we
could afford to brook the indignity.
AS the trap cost nothing my wife did
not object to my setting it every nignt
for the present. Something might
happen, she remarked, and it was just
as well to be prepared in more ways than
one, but there was a point upon which
she was very positive.
"When George William is old enough
to 90 about the house by himself, she
said. tsthose decanters must not be left
EXPOSED upon the table. OF course l do
not expect him to go about the house
drinking wine and every thing that he
finds, but there is no knowing what
child in the first moments OF his inVes-
tigative existence may do"
For myself / became somewhat tired
of acting my part in this little farce
every night and morning, but when l
have undertaken any thing OF this sort
am slow to drop it.
1t was about three weeks since l nod
begun to set my trap when l was
awakened in the night by sudden
noise. / sat up in bed, and as did 50
my wife said to me, sleepily;
ssWhat is that? Was it thunder?
There it is again. she exclaimed, start
ing ND. "What a crash. 1t must have
struck somewhere" / did not answer.
It was not thunder. 1t was something
in the house, and it flashed into my
mind that perhaps my trap had been
sprung. got out of bed and began rap
idly to dress.
: "What are you going to dop" anxious
ly asked my wife.
81 am going to see what mas nap
pened, !" said l. At that moment there
was another noise. This was like two
, or three heavy footsteps, followed by
| sudden thump, but it was not so loud as
the others.
t "John," cried my wife, don't stir ar
| inch. it's burglars" and she sprang out
of bed and seized me by the arm.
q 81 must go down." said; 'but there
Q is really no reason for your being fright
: ened. i shall call David, and shall
I carry my pistol, so there is really nj
Q danger; il there are thieves in the hous'
] they have probably decamped by thi
i time, that is If they are able to do SO
s for of course they must know that nois'
: would awaken the soundest sleepers.
d NV wife looked at me and then slow
n ly withdrew her hands from my arm.
Q "You promise me- she said, "if yo'
r find burglar downstairs in the posses
sion of his senses you will immediatel,
y come back to me and George William
L / promised her, and slipping on som
It clothes l went out into the second-stor
Z hall. l carried no light. Before ha
o reached the bottom of the back stairs
: heard David, my man, coming down. L
o be sure it was he and not burglar
y smoke to him in a low voice, my pisto
IL raised in case of an unsatisfactory reply
81 heard that noise, sir" he whis
1t pered, land was going down to sc
?, about it."
1t "Are you ready if it's thieves9"
whispered.
81 have got the biscuit-beater, he re
piled.
sCome on, them" said I, and we wen
, downstairs.
had left no light in the library, bu
there was one there now, and 1t shon
through the open door into the hal
way. We stopped and listened. Their
was no sound, and then slowly an
cautiously we approached the door o
the library The scene l beheld as
, founded me, and involuntarily spran
| BACK q SJcp OF bMO. 30 uAu OdNANf W
a in an instant we saw that there was n
need of retreat or defense. Street.-The
upon the floor, not far from the doc
way, lay tall man, his face upturne
to the light of bull's-eye lanter
which stood by the mantel-piece. Ill
eyes were shut, and it was evident tha
he was perfectly insensible. Near by
in the wreck of the small table, glasse
and decanters, lay another man, al
az parently Of heavier build. He also wa
to as still as a corpse. A little farthe
as back, half sitting on the floor, with tn
s. upper part of his body resting agains
he the lounge, was another man with
black mask over his face.
ne "Are they dead?" exclaimed Davit
on in an undertone of horror.
as "No," said /, ''they are not dead, the
ly have been caught in my trap.
in And must admit that the consciou
IN ness of this created a proud exaltatio