, 1891-01-09

pant, shaking him at the same time by
the shoulder, there are men in the
house,
IT. lie murmured dreamily, the
board refuse to put posts and chains
around the pond its members are I'M
worthy Of the name Of
"Burglarsl burglarsr' screeched his
wife.
Il beg to deny that | applied such a
term to any community Of gentlemen"
he went on. What Dare you at
tempt TO eject me from the meetingl
Hullol What's thisr'
There are men in the house, 1 tell
youi" Elizabeth whispered, hoarse with
terror. I'VE shall all be murdered in
our beds!"
Nonsense, my deari You have been
dreaming.
Il was never so wide awake in my
life. heard the miscreants force the
drawing room window, and they are
proving about the house"
Did the dog barkln Henry asked.
You know that he never banks only
in the day time, his wife replied. "Oh,
do something to scare the wretcheo
away, or 1 shall die Of fright"
Mr.. Bileton slipped out Of bed and
huddled on some clothes, He kept a
policeman's lantern in tho bedroom,
but the lighting of it proved to be IL
rather lengthy performance. Not that
his hand acknowledgement the thought
but the wick was low and the oil
had thickened.
The lantern was in order at last. and
then Mr. Bileton b%ethought himself of
his revolver. Bitterly in his mind he
dwelt on the loss of the key; but he
forced open the case with n knife. seized
the weapon and started on his perilous
Journey.
"Tll-Tll have tho first shot" he
said. Elizabeth, l beg-nay, 1 com
mand you not TO scream"
1t is just possible that Mr.. Bileton
cherished n hope that his wife would
not obey him, but she did, covering
her head with her bedclothes and stop
ping her ears with her fingers.
Henry's knees shook as he went
slowly down stairs, flashing the disk of
light from floor to ceiling.
WINS theref ne asked gruffiy.
Come, no nonsensel Surrender quiet
ly, or will blow a hole through o -
The burglar, perhaps having no de
sire to be ventilated on n wholesale
principle, made no reply, and plucking
up courage, Mr.. Bileton descended to
h hall. The front door was securely
locked, bolted and chained. There
was nobody in the drawing ROOM, moth
ing in the dining room more alarming
THAI n pet tabby the kitchen was
empty OF everything except its appoint
ments.
This comes Of giving way to idle |
f%ancies," Henry said s~avagely. Here
am l with every prospect of rheuma-
tism, %shivering about on-good gra-
ciousl"
1t was only the cat, which, having
followed him, leaped upon the dresser.
Mr.. Bilcton had neve been initiated
into the high art of the cancan or it is
probable that he would have given
that cat a sudden rise in the world.
The burly burglar had dwindled into n
myth, and Henry was about to return
and deliver n sound lecture to his wife
on her folly, when he thought he would
open the larder door. And there was
the burglar! He lay dead with one
CLASSY eye fixed blindly upon the cell
ing, his head resting upon a pile of
smashed crockery ware, and his body
half immersed in a pan of milk.
Mr.. Bileton smileda smile of mingled
rage and triumph ms he carried the
midnight intruder up stairs by the tail
the Goldfish.
That gentle and intellectual maiden,
MARY, instead Of suspending the de-
funct victim of the fisherman's craft
under the gill, had thrust the hook
through the top lip, and the weight oil
the fish had asserted itself in an alarm
Ing fashion.
Elizabeth" Henry said, Il have
taken the miscrcant prisoner. You arc
quite right" he added, as she looked
up tremulouslyi this is the dearest
fish that Gver came out of a shop.
Mary hung it on a thread, so to speak,
and placed half our stock of crockery
ware to catch it. She has succeeded"
Since that day there has been no
more talk of burglars at the Hareland
Cottage. Mr.. Bileton's dog found an
other master, and only a short time
ago the dustman discovered a rusty re-
volver amid II heap of ashes.
Mrs. b. is not nervous now, but
Henry, remembering that there are
such things as foggy nights, and rain
water ponds abound during many
months in the year, slips away from
the city at 4 2. IN, and always goes
home to his tea. m-Trne Flag