The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1891-04-11

cased In a strange nightshirt, one Of the
late lanented's. and, IL he, had not been
disturbed, would have continued sleeping
till morning. As 1t was he was awakened
alittle after midnight by noise in the next
room. Listening, he heard what seemed
to be blows upon some hard substance.
Instantly he thought of the safe The next
instant he slid quietly out Of bed and started
upon tour Of investigation.
Hs moved noiselessly toward the door
connecting his SOON with the outer cham
her and stood upon the threshold num- j..
Der of seconds, Watching what was tran
spiring in the outer room, before the
persons who were working there were
aware of his presence. He saw two men,
one of whom was gray whiskered and APP
parently so years old, engaged with ham
mer and chisel upon the safe. The gray
vhiskered man was the first to take cog
nizance of Barker, aud he no sooner saw
him than, with loud shrek, he throw
down his tools and started on the run for
the door leading into the hall.
Quick, Joer' he called back TO his
younger mate. "Quick, Joe; don't you see
Rufe Haley's ghost there in the doorway"
The younger man ran after the elder one,
and after the two ran Barker. still in his
borrowed nightshrt aud nothing else,
NftA9Ihb OHO VI WV oAAEithi III
one hand and their lamp in the other. lie
followed the men down stairs and into the
citing room, but he did not leap after them
out of the window. Probably he would
not have done that under any circum-
stances, clad as he was, but there was one
overpowcring circumstance in the case
which made him understand that the
sphere OF his duty was inside the house.
Something which he saw after he had en-
tered the sitting room stopped him short
In his pursuit of the burglars, and for a
second or two riveted him motionless to the
floor.
| He saw three bedgowned, bare toed wo-
| men sitting in n row Of chairs placed
against a side OF the room, bound hand
and foot and made mutes of by something
crsnlmed into their mouths, each staring
at him with widely distended eyes. Barker
recognized in the three women the widow,
the Widows daughter aud the woman who
had scalded him with her pudding gravy
His first impulse was Immediately TO set
the three women loose, and acting under
this impulse he placed hammer and lamp
upon the floor and moved toward the
bandagcd group.
But he quickly changed his mind, the
thought suddenly occurring TO him that
he was not confronted by life or death
condition, and that the call upon him was
not so imperative that he would he justi-
fed in answering it while he was so scanti-
ly clothed.
Pardon me, ladies'" he said, 81 was not
aware that you were in this room or l
should not have followed those gentlemen
in here. II you will excuse me for mo-
ment l will-'see you later"
He whisked out of the room, rushed up
/ the Sta1rg three n n fiunn fiiynI iutn hia
bcdchamber, grabbed his trousers, got
into them fireman fashion on the way
down stairs, and within minute from the
time OF his departure from the room where
the women were he had returned to it, and
was ready to begin the work OF emancipa-
ton. When he had finished it he retired
to complete his toilet, promising to return
very soon.
When he reappeared he found the widow
alone; no, not alone, for she WAS sitting
with a double barreled gun over her
shoulder Eazing fixcdlY at the windows
through which The burglars had made their
exits.
'Tdidn't know but that they might come
back ag'in," she said
II guess not" said Barker. but give
me the gun and go 10 bed yourself III lie
down here on the lounge and keep guard,
ard IL any burglar tries to enter here I'll
blow his head of"
''If l can get near enough to hit him"
he added sotto voce, calling to mind the
fact that he had never fired gun in his
life, "But where were the hired menu" he
asked, after n pause. "Or did they kill the
hired men outright"
"The hired men," answered the widow
"tho hired men is over to Eliot to a wed
dim. That's why We women was left
alone"
"Weddings are bad things" said Barker
impressively.
But of course he spoke jokingly, for he
knew that he himself was to he married
the very next week to my daughter. IIC
told the widow the followingday about the
approaching wedding She had just sug
gested To him the possibility Of u union
with her daughter.
"Pm q sudden sort of woman" she
had said. II amt one of them who be
lieyes in deliberatin' an prayin'. MAKE
up my mind shot off where | want to go
an, git there IA quick as kin | oulN
knowed my husband twcnty-four hour,
before was married to him, and didn'
make no mistake, nuther. Now, wan
to ask you question: How would you lik,
to marry my daughter"
The average man, in Barker's place
would have been stunned by IA proposition
like this, but Barker answered to it with
out the least hesitation.
: Nothing would suit me better" b,
said; but I've been prc-empted by anothe
woman, and she takes possession of INT
next Friday"
Barker in all human probability will
never see the Haleys again, but lie has Ger
tainly made an impression upon thei
minds which is destined to last Seithe
mother nor daughter ever looks at til
photograph of the late lamented Ruff
Haley without recalling that another maj
one day stood in front of it, who, thougl
$50 far as they knew he had not drop 0
Haley blood in him, was Rufus Haley al
J over again.-New York Times.
His wife.
Artistic Frienr-I hear vnu married