Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-03-13
THE STORIES
THREE BURGLARS.
BY FRANK R. STOCKTON.
tCOPYRIGHT, lSS0.l
CONTINUED.

Gas we were walking to the station,
as the business to be attended to was
out of town, this man, whose name is
James Barlow, talked to me in such a
way that began 10 suspect that he in
tended to commit n burglary, and open
ly charged him with this evil purpose.
You may call it burglary, or any thing
else you please said he; property is
very unequally divided in this world,
and it is my business in life to make
wrong things right as far as | can. l
am going to the house of a man who has
a great deal more than he needs, and
haven't any thing like as much as
need; and SO l intend to take some of
his overplus-not very much, for when
leave his house he will still be a rich
man, and I'll be a poor one. But for a
time my family will not starve.' Ar
que as you please, James Barlow |
said, what you are going to do is nothing
less than burglary OF course it is,
said he, but it's all right, all the same.
There a lot of people, Thomas, who are
not as particular about these things as
they used to be, and there is no use for
you to seem better than your friends
are not SO many bigots as there used
to be.
"'There's q young man going to meet
us at the station who is greatly inter
ested in the study of social problems.
He is going along with us just to look
into this sort of thing and study it. 1t
IS impossible for him to understand peo-
pie of our class or do any thing to make
their condition better if he does not
thoroughly investigate their methods of
life and action. He's going along just
as student, nothing more, and he may be
down on the whole thing for all know.
He pays me five dollars for the priv
ilege of accompanying me, and whether
he likes it or not Is his business. | want
you to go along as a mechanic, and if
your conscience won't let you take any
share in the profit I'll just pay you for
your time James Barlow said |, i
am going with you, but for purpose far
different from that you desire. l shall
keep by your side, and if l can dissuade
you from committing the crime you in
tend l shall do SO, but if | fail in this
and you deliberately break into house
for purposes of robbery I shall arouse
the inmates and Illustrate your crime
"Now, James Barlow said he, turning to
the stout man with Il severe expression
on his strongly-marked face, is not what
have said perfectly true? Did you not
say to mo every word which have just
repeated?"
The stout man looked at the other in
a very odd way. His face seemed to
broaden and redden, and he merely
closed his eyes as he promptly answered:
''That's just what said, every blasted
word of it. You've told it fair and
square, leavin' off nothin' and putin in
nothin'. You've told the true facts out
and out, up and down, without break"
"Now, ladies'" continued the tall
man, you see my story is corroborated.
and / will conclude it by saying that
when this house, in spite of my pro-
test, had been opened, l entered with
the others with the firm intention of
stepping into a hallway or some other
suitable place and announcing in
q loud voice that the house was
about to be robbed. AS soon as l
found the family aroused and my