The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1892-07-02

JIG udIurdl OFOeF OF Things. IL lluS-
trate by a parallel case. The owl is
not the gravest Of birds simply be-
cause he belongs to the genus Strix,
but for the reason that he has a bad
habit of turning night into day.
But when a night Waterman has
anything which he considers worth
telling, you may take it for granted
that it is something out of the common
run.
Mr. Dipper was one Of the most ef-
fcient night Waterman we ever knew,
for you could no more catch him
asleep than you could the proverbial
weasel. Every hair on his head
seemed charged with electricity, and
constantly on the alert; and it was
very evident that stroking his hair
would produce the same sound as
rubbing a cat 8 fur 1 the wrong direc-
ton.
The building under his nightly
charge was a large silk warehouse or
the outskirts of New York, and within
"a stones throw of a large field, on
which at the period embraced in my
story, a travelling menagerie had
pitched it's tent. As such exhibitions
often brought bad characters into the
neighborhood, Martin was even more
v~igilant than usual, and fearing that
he might fall asleep, he took along a
small bulldog to act as deputy.
2 The night which Martin had such
terrible cause to remember was q very
gusty one in the latter part of the au-
tumn, an the old tree in front of the
ware house was showering down it's
crimson foliage as if the red snow
that is sometimes seen in the polar
regions were falling in huge flakes.
He was a strict teetotaller, and as
every nightwatchman requires some
stimulant, he was in the habit of TAX
ing a pint of coffee with him and
warming it up during the night.
Between IL and 1 o'clock, he went
up stairs for that purpose, as the only
fireplace in the building was in asmall
front room on the second floor. After
splitting up some old boxes, he made
a blazing fire on the hearth, which
lighted up the little room SO resplend-
emily that his lantern became a mere
superfuity. The warmth was 40
grateful to his rheumatic limbs that
he kept putting on fuel long after he
had drank his allowance of hot coffee.
~ 1t was his custom to inspect the doors
and windows on the ground floor OF
the building at regular intervals; so
that at 2 o'clock he went down stairs
for that purpose, leaving the dog in a.
comfortable doze by the fire. He had
completed his round of inspection and
vas on his way upstairs again, when
he heard q tremendous crash OF glass,
followed by a howl from the dog, q
scuf1ing sound, and all was still again.
Martin cooked his Colts revolver and
rushed into the room, only to indthe
window sash shattered to fragments
and the dog gone.
q How was that state of things to be
accounted for? The dog couldn't have
jumped through the window, because
the scuffling sound succeeded the crash;
and furthermore, all the glass broken
from the window was strewn on the
floor, proving conclusively, that the
window must have been broken from
the outside. n
Martin was puzzled for once; and
the more he revolyed the matter in
his mind, the more it seemed that
some supernatural agency had been at
work. A glance from the window sat-
isfied him that no human being could
reach it, except by means OF a ladder;
for, although the tree we have men,
toned stood directly in front of it,
the intervening distance was too great
for any one to use the tree as q means
of access to the house.
Martin then resolved to examine
the ground Immediately under the
window for traces left by the feet of a
ladder, or by those of robbers. He
was aware of Their attached to such
a course, but that couldnot deter him
from seeking a clue to the disappear
ance of his favorite dog. He vas on
the point OF going out, when it oc-
Cured to him that his duty to his EN-
ployer, which was always a para
mount consideration in his mind, for
babe that he should take SO rash q
step, and that he had already been
guilty OF gross negligence in leaving
tll0 UEOACll WtIllOW sAOl On 1uSU6buU.
So he hurried back to the room from
which the dog had disappeared, and
prepared to watch there until morn
ing. The fate of the dog had warned
him of the danger of having. q light in
the room, and thus making himself q
conspicuous target to any one or any
thing outside, SO he extinguished the
fire, covered up his lantern in one COR
ner of the apartment, and sat in the
dark with.his finger on the trigger of
his pistol, awaiting further develop
ments. At this juncture there was q
lnll in the gale, which had raved with
maniacal fury for several honrs; aud
Martins acute q heard an indls-
tinct sound below that was evidently
caused by some one creeping on his
hands and knees, for Martin had Oft
en- heard hunters crawling in that
manner to surprise their game.
Amomentary silence .ensued, and
then he heard the tree violently agi-
tated, as if some giant were ascending
lit, for there vas no wind blowing at
the time. "A moment afterwards what
appeared to be the leg ofsa burglar
was thrust through the window, and
he fred one barrel Of his revolver at
sit, but was unable to FIRE q second az
the exploded percussion cap had got
wedged in behind the chamber of the
pistol so as to prevent it from revoly-