Tombstone epitaph., 1891-02-15
KISSED BY A BURGLAR.
The Story of . San Francisco Girls Md
 night Adventure. Fte

The Story of San Francisco Girls Md
 night Adventure.
 "I heard the oldest of all burglar stories when was out on the Pacific coast" said a New Yorker who has just returned from there to New York Sun reporter. ''It was told me as having happened to household in suburb of San Francisco. Private detectives were to hunt the desperado, but the fear of publicity hid the case from the authorities. In the front hall room on the second floor of detached house slept the daughter of the house, the other members Of the family being only her father and mother. The Chinese servant was in all probability at some friends laundry or over in San Francis co smoking opium, as those servants are almost certain to be after nightfall. But he does not count at any rate. The young lady was not asleep. She was in very poor health. and part of her ail- ment was an inability to sleep except in cat-naps. She heard noise on the porch beneath her window, and a min ute later her window was thrown open and . man stepped lightly into the room. Without halting to see if his action had aroused any one he passed along the very narrow passage between her bed and her trunk-a way so narrow that 1t was the young lady's custom to sit on her bed and search her trunk and to lace her shoes by putting one foot at a time upon tho trunk while she was seated on the bod.
 "As the burglar passed along beside the bed he dropped one hand upon the young woman's head, and then let it re- main in that position as he moved, and it swept along her side over the bed clothes. But when his hand reached her feet he pinched one of toes, gently and mischievously, and passed out Of the room into the hall. She did not dare to scream, nor did she care to venture out after the thief. While she lay there, dreadfully frightened and wondering what to do, back came the man. He stood in her room, closed and locked the door, end then sat down on the bed.
 "'Now, said he, in gentle voice not at all modulated to avoid being heard, I know that you are awake, and am going to sit here and talk with you. Upon my honor as burglar of reputa- tion and good instincts, will not hurt you. In only one way will I transgress the rules of good breeding. l am going to kiss you, that is all
 ''The young woman found her voice and screamed.
 "'Oh,' said the burglar, I an sorry you are frightened. 1 have half a mind to go away and come again when you are more accustomed to my presence. But, no; l can not do that. I only mean to take one kiss
 ''At this point her screams were at her loudest, and the. noise she made was such as to wake any but dead household, one would have thought.
 "I really wish you would not do that, said tho burglar. 1t will not deter me. What do care? can only die at the outside, and l am not in the least afraid to die. l have seen you again and again on the streets, and I have made up my mind to risk every thing in order to kiss you-to kiss you when you are awake, and know that I am stealing the favor, for Lwould not risk day in jail to kiss woman asleep. We'll, if you won't stop screaming I can not see any use in delaying-'
 ''Here he put an arm under the girls shoulders, and, gently raising her body. he bent his own and kissed her on her lips as lightly and respectfully as if she had been his maiden aunt. With that he lowered her, still screaming, to her pillow, and lcapcd out of the window. Her screams brought her father and mother, all too late, and they found her able to tell all that had taken place. Yet in an hour she had grown delirious, and it was month before she was even mentally herself again. The bravo was never captured"