Mexico weekly ledger., 1890-08-28


Ireally think adventures, like misfor-
tunes, never come singly. Would you
believe it? Our house was broken into
that very night. Nothing serious came
of it, wonderful to relate, owing to
James extraordinary presence of mind.
She had been unable to sleep after my
thrilling account of the cab accident,
and had consoled herself by reading
Bakers Saints Rest by her night
light, for the canary became restless and
liable to sudden bursts of song if acandle
were lighted. While SO engaged she be-
came aware of a subdued grating sound,
which had continued for some time be-
fore she began to speculate upon it.
While she was specializing it ceased, and
after a short interval she distinctly
heard a stealthy step upon the stair, and
the handle of the passage door before
mentioned vas gently, very gently,
turned.
Jane has some of that ~quickness of
perception which has been of such use
to myself through life. In a moment
she had grasped the situation. Some
one was in the house. In another mo-
ment she was hanging out of her bed
room window, spr1nging the policeman's
rattle which she had had by her for
years with a view to an emergency of
this kind, and at the same time-for she
was a capable wonan-blowing q pierre
ing strain ON q cab1nan's whistle.
To make a long story short, her extra
ordinary presence of mind was the saw
-. -, TYt&h Inr VIZ nxync phn oaxr
two dark figures fly up our area steps
and disappear round the corner, and
when a policeman appeared on the scene
half an hour later he confirmed the fact
that the house had been broken into by
showing us how an entrance had been
effected through the kitchen window.
There was of course nc more sleep for
us that night, and the remainder of it
was passed by Jane in examining the
house from top to bottom every half
hour or SO, owing to a rooted conviction
on her part that q burglar might still be
lurking on the premises, concealed in
the cellarette, or the jam cupboard, or
behind the drawing room curtains.
By that mornings post 1 heard. as I
expected / should do, from Sir George
Danvers, but the contents of the letter
surprised me. He wrote most cordially,
thanking me for my kindness in under
taking such a heavy responsibility Il arn
sure / never felt it to be sol for an entire
stranger, and ended by sending me a
pressing invitation to come down to
Stoke Moreton that very day, that he and
his son, whose future wife was also stay
ing with them, might have the pleasure
of making the acquaintance Of n to
whom they were so much indebted. He
added that his eldest son Charles was also
going down from London by a certain
train that day, and that he had told him
TO be on the lookout for me at the sta
ton in case I was able to come at such
short notice. made up my mind to go,
sent Sir George telegram to that effect
and proceeded to fish up the jewels ont
of the tea eaddy.
Jane, who had never ceased for one
instant to comment on the event of the
night, positively shrieked when she saw
me shaking the bag free from tea leaves.
"Good graciousi the burglarsw she ex
claimed. why, they might have taken
them If they had only known"
OF course they had not known, as
had been particularly secret about them;
but | wished all the same that / had no,
left them there all night, IS Jane would
j insist, and continue insisting, that they
. had been exposed to great danger. ]
argued the matter with her at first, bui
! women, I find. are tmpervtous. as a rule,
10 mAsculine argument and it u . mis,
take to reasun With than. II Il. IN tact,
Ettink naae1AlRtAe Momant N 9