Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1892-03-12
SATURDAY, MARCH IL, 1892.
How 1 Caught a Burglar.
We were living in rented quarters.

We were living in rented quarters. II
you should go to L-you may see the
house on north Madison street. A large
brick structure intended originally for
the accommodation of two families, and
standing directly on the street A fight
of four steps on the outside led to small
platform from which the hall door opened.
The hall ran straight through the house
and had door in the rear, which opened
into the back yard. The yard was sur
rounded by high board fence, and the
gates leading out were kept locked, my
husband and 1 each carrying keys, as
each carried keys to the door.
We weren't burdened with many be-
longings so we only occupied the north
side of the house below, which consisted
of double parlors and bed room, which
/ had transformed into parlor, bedroom
and kitchen. The door leading into the
parlor from the hall was part glass, while
another at the rear of the hall, opening
into the kitchen, was heavy oakeu door.
Besides the two outside doors i'll either
end of the hall, you see. there were the
two inside doors opening into our apart
ments. Between the two inside doors
was the stairway built in the hall, while
back of and under the stairway was
trap door leading down flight of fifteen
steps to the cellar. The trap being only
a step from my kitchen door, and the hall
being poorly lighted, I used the cellar
only rarely and kept the traps carefully
closed.
However, that day I had been carrying
some plants from the cellar for the water
had risen in it to the depth of about ten
inches; so decided to leave the trap and
the back door open to air the cellar.
About dusk / had closed the outside door
and locked it, thinking 1 would leave the
trap till my husband came home as it
was heavier than l cared to lift. But
when be came in to DINNER through the
front way, forgot the open trap till he
had taken his lunch and gone TO the mills
where he was night Waterman. 1 was
such a coward that did lot wash my
dishes after he would leave me at half
past seven. I never had courage enough
to stay in the back part of the house,
much less to 60 out to empty dishwater.
So 1 thought I would leave the trap open
since tho back door had the dead lock Oh,
and Jack could not get in, without my
la -, 10 10 hot
My extra work with my plants and
climbing stairs had made me tired and
nervous. So. though went to bed early,
could not sleep. There is no being ex-
cept a woman, a cowardly woman, who
ever reaches that state of nervous distrac-
ton in which I was that night. I had
arisen twice to peep at belated pedestri-
ans-hoping that Jack has forgotten
something or on some pretext or other
would run over home Tor a minute, as he
sometimes did At last had concluded
that it was the ticking of the clock, which
was preternaturally loud that night, that
kept me awake. So arose, wrapped up
the noisy thing and put it in the closet.
As I did SO / noticed that it wanted five
minutes to one O'Clock. went to bed
again determined to go to sleep and leave
off being SO foolish. had just settled
myself down costly when I heard some
one at the back door. "You'll have to
speak old fellow" said to myself think
ing that my husband had come over.
The attempts to open the doorceased and
I began to wonder Il I was mistaken