Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1890-12-10

dogs, I-ghtning, or fire. He even dared
to right now and then. On the whole
he was as plucky as the average man in
spite of his conviction that the time
would come when he would have trouble
with a burglar and suit at law with an
old maid.
Durston, as you know, lives in hand
some house on an uptown cross street
He has always held that the majority of
burglaries 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 a boarding
house for men and women who might be
in league with robbers. His aged house
keeper is not ambitious. He feels con-
fident she will never sue HIM for breach
of promise nor permita burglar to make
breach in the house.
Durston's library and bedroom are on
the second floor. The old woman sleeps
in a back room on the floor above. She
is very deaf, so when Durston wishes to
call her he touches 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 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 chen 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 1t. Ii fact, he
was not at all what the world calls a
praCClCal man.
No, Durston was inclined to look at
the romantic side of life, and as he
smoked perfecto and slipped his whisky
and setter in front of the blaze that
night he INDUCED in imaginings that
would have shocked the hard-headed
housekeeper upstairs worse than did her
private electric current tho day the bat
terry was overcharged.
Durston had for the moment forgot
ten all about old maids and burglars.
He was in q condition of bodily
and mental repose that drove into
outer darkness all the unpleasant
things of life. Finally the conviction
came upon him slowly that it was time
to go to bed. He fought hard against
the proposition, but there was no escape
for him. Looking at his watch he found
that it was long after one o'clock.
Turning out the lights in the library he
entered his bedroom. He was still in
state of sleepy contentment. just as he
was about to put out the gas he was
startled by slight noise that seemed
to come from the cellar. He listened
intently. Five minutes passed, but
there were no further sounds from be-
low. Durston surrounded himself by
perfect darkness and crawled into bed.
But he could not sleep. That unlucky
noise had rendered him feverish. The
thought of burglars had destroyed his
serenity of mind. His revolver lay on q
chair by the bedside, and he kept his
hand on it for some time. The weapon