Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-04-13
ROSE uNDERwoo0's BURGLAR.

hose Underwood and her sister I an
nv, and several Of the other girls, were
clustered around the stove at recess.
1t was quite cold day, and some of
the seats in the old schoolhouse were
none too warm, and there was general
ly a rush for the stove at recess. A few
boys lowered shyly on the outskirts of
the group and listened to the girls
chatter. 1t was rarely that boy dared
raise his voice. However, to-day one
Of them happened to be remarkably
wise upon a certain topic which was
agitating them all. SO he had spoken
quite at length. with the bushes mount
ing higher and higher in his chubby.
| honest face. There had been a bur-
glary the night before in the village
grocery store, and his father kept the
store, so, of course, he knew a great
deal about it, and had right TO speak.
hose Underwood's sister Fanny
looked significantly at her when there
was little lull in the discussion. Say,
Rose, tell them about your burglar"
said she.
Rose colored up and laughed. ut
isn't worth telling"
Yes it's, too. Tell it, Rose" All the
others chimed in. Tell it, Rose-that's
a good girl; now do"
Fanny can tell it just as well as l, :"
said Rose. 1T was her burglar as much
as mine"
''Oh, Rose! you know it wasn't, :"
cried Fanny. you know you did the
most of it. Tell it. | think you might"
Rose smoothed her white apron down
over her plaid dress redectively. well,
it isn't worth telling" she said again.
"All there was about it, it happened
] before we came here to live, you know:
when we lived in Grover wasn't but
twelve years old, and Fanny was only
! ten and half. Well one night Mr..
Green came for mother to watch with
| Mrs. Green's sister. She was real sick
with fever, and they were all worn
out at his house taking care of her.
And mother didn't know just what TO
do about it.
You see father had gone away. He
was out west, going to be gone six
weeks-he had been gone four then
and il she went she'd have to leave us
| children alone in the house. There
was Fanny and little Abby and /. and
we'd never stayed alone in our lives.
was kind of afraid, but Mr.. Green
| looked dreadful anxious, and l spoke
mp and told mother 10 go. ! said I
wasn't mite afraid and ] tried to
think ! wasn't.
We'll, mother went and just as soon
as she got out Of the house we locked
up. We all got together in the sitting
room and played dominoes, and popped
some corn, but we felt awful lonesome.
! We went to bed in mothers room, that
opened out of the sitting-room, and we
slept three in the bed. because none of
MS dared to sleep alone.
Il suppose we must have been
asleep, because it was quite late, but
all of a sudden something walked us up.
! sat right up and listened, and I felt
| Fanny shake. What's that says she,
! grab ing me, HUSH! said l. We all
| listened. and we heard it again. We
knew what it was in minute then.
/ suppose we were too much asleep be-
fore. Somebody was pushing up the
| kitchen window. 1t went hard, and it
kind of grated We'd put sticks under
all the windows but that, and that
stuck, so we didn't think any body could
open it.
Its the kitchen window SAYS !,
and jumped right ont of bed Come,
says !, quick, and Abby and Fanny
never said word; they just scrambled
out OF bed and tagged right after me.
| And few up stairs, and up the attic
staiIs- You see. 1t flashed into my
head that burglar would never think
of going up to the attic, for he'd know
there wouldn't be anything that he
| wanted there-nothing but old clothes
and thinga
when we got into the attic the
moonlight was coming in the window,
20 we could see quite well, and there
| ~sas en- old bedstoad with some old
| auiita on it In the corner. and we Just
| goa into that and covered Us up, heads
| anA all
Then We lay there aud shook. We
were terribly scared, but little Abby
nsysr cried, ard abe wss only seven
Isyeass old Well we stayed. there Quita
| awhile before we dared 70 peep out
from under the quilts, but Hnally ]
Il RVAO& Ii ACN4 Oub AAbtAC way. net
| begun to snif. and made the Others
poke their heads out and see If they
Aidn't smsl something. And, sure'i
| you live. We could smell ham frying
| We eoui6n't believe II at frat, but We
1 Gid.
well, We lay there and smelled the
ham frying, and I got more and more
uneasy. II seemed TO me l hadn't beer
very spunky. and / thought Of mothers
silver spoons, and her gold breastpin
and my gold chain, and Alloys silvsl
cup that she'd had given her wheM shs
wAs . baby, and wondered IL I couldn't
do anything to stop the burglars taking
them.
Finally got up. Fanny and ABBY
we're most scared 10 death 70 have ma
But erawied over to the attic window,
and pushed IL up an inch at . time
Then l put out my head and looked uE
and down the street but didn't sss
anybody coming. / begun to think