The morning call., 1893-12-04
mr. GLANDS IDEA

=: :: !: Most men have hobby. and Silas Bland
:.:of ."lhe Beeches" in the fair county of
! surrey, w AS. p o exec option to the rule.
AS: a matter of fact he dabbIed in eyerv-
t}ilfg-ehemistry. photography, geology.
nunllsnl aties, mechanics, mesmerism. all
=. had their attractions for him, but of recent
= years the inventions of Edison, the famous
electrician, had absorbed the greater part
of:his attention.
-: Visitors never required to ring to gain
::admittanee lin fact. there is no bell visl-
BILE: The: stone slab in front of the door
> yielded slightly to the pressure of the
70. ;vtsftor,s foot, and. as consequence, an
!. ELECTRIC peal notified the servants of an ar
: rival: r.:
- Telephone communication reigned su-
: :nreme.. and from all the principal rooms
. in the HOUSE the master. without seeing
:; bis: serva ants, could give his orders while
:. sitting This desk or reclining in his arm
chair. 49,.
=. :: "a complete set of electric burglar-alarms
attached 10 every door and window on the
:: ground floor had hitherto afforded him i'm
munity from nocturnal visitors, but as he
contemplated shutting up the house for
month or so while he sought change of
.. ;scene:it .behooved him to think of some
: methed:o of subduing burglar who know
:: ing he was in an empty and isolated house.
:; I'M ght defy the noisy demonstrations of
. the bells and proceed with his lootiug.
t4;; Now, sSilas BANDS very latest pet
>: was: an: improved Edison photograph,
which be. managed to smuggle into the
:: eOlntry ia: defiance OF the patent rights
supposed to be held by an English syndi-
cate. :;
::-:"With q large supply of black cylinders
:: he was pre- epared to preserve for posterity
the yolces:o tho Agtrlends who were priv-
=. 5eged~to speak IntJ the wonderful inven-
tiop;:l some cases the productions were
: InaTVelons,. and to strangers 1t would ap-
2pear as If the voice they had heard actually
r pT9eeeded from the mouth of the person
~ ho, perhaps six months ago and 5000
j: nSle away. had spoken into the machine
=" Here, then, W as Silas BANDS opportu-
nifty to defend his hearth and home during
his absence and that of the servants.
:: Heiuyite0 an actor friend to dinner one
evening, and afterward get him to deliver
certain carefully prepared sentences in
stentorian voice, and in a most realistic
.style, into the phonograph.
=. "A trial showed that the effort was most
successful, and Mr.. Bland soon afterward
COMPLETED his little arrangements, shut up
his: house, and departed on his holiday
with a light heart and a curiously self
satisfied smile.
Now, lit happened that soon after Silas
-BlaBd's@ departure one of these poor op-
pressed and downtrodden "knights of the
Jenny" ,"'commonly known as "Bill Mac"
being in the neighborhood of "rhe
Beeches" one day ION business" cast an
.envious eye upon the apparently deserted
mansion.
William felt particularly low just then,
as his old and tried pal, Augustus Mont
:. gomeryi: had just been sentenced by
. peSsimlslic Judge to eighteen months
hard" for some alleged trlfling inaccuracy
: .:.on the party Of Monty" as Bill affection
aIely called him.
.. Bill had made it rule never to work
sineIe-handed, but this looked like safe
thing, and; in any case, "needs must when
the devil drives" and Bill wanted money
badly. -.
Guarded Inquiries in the neighborhood
satisfied him that the house was absolutely
unoecunied. Rumors were indeed current
taken with regard TO window fastenings,
etc., but given dark night and an unin-
habited: and isolated house. what true
burglar gives thought to such trif1esP
AsuTyey of the premises led him to the
conclusion that the library was the weak
estpoint Of attack. On the ground floor.
with double French windows leading di-
rectly on to the lawn and easy OF ap-
proach. there would be no difficulty of cut
tinga hole in the thick glass and und0ing
the bolts or catches.
Now, by strange coincidence, Mr.. Silas
Bland had arrived at a similar conclusion
in. regard to the point of attack. and had
made his arrangements accordingly. So.
when one dark evening Mr.. Macnamara
had effectively used his diamond cutter
upen the library pane. had undone. with
as little noise as possible, the folding glass
doors, and had carefully slipped into the
roem, this was the sort OF a reception he
met with.
There was no fussy alarm Of bells as he
had half expected, but as he felt his way
along the wall before displaying the light
of his lantern a gentle whirring sound
caught his ear, which he attributed to a
dissipated moth having followed him into
the room.
Then he received severe shock as a
strong, hearty voice from out the darkness
broke upon. his ear with the remark:
"Ha, so you've come along, then! Glad
TO see you. Been expecting you for some
time. Got You covered all right with both
barrels, so take my advice and don't move.
These express bullets make nasty hole.
Now. just drop that revolver on the floor
Rnd-ah! would youp bang!
William thought his last hour had come
as a shot,. so elose was he to the spread OF
the powder. nearly blinded him. He had
made movement as IL to use his pistol.
and this was the result. He was On his
knees In an instant crying out:
For -HeyiD sake. Guv'nor. don't shoot.
j am lamb, am. Starvation druv me 10
it. Gle mein charge. but spare my life."
Above his piteous appeals the command
ing tones of the voice were heard.
NOW. then. take that chair, double
quick, turn your face to the wall. Dare as
much as. TO move an inch or wink an eye
and I'll blow you Into small pieces.
shan't talk TO you any more, but Just you
recoilect that l am behind you. and the
slightest movement means eternity for
you
William realized that sooner or later in
response to that shot assistance would ap-
near, and he resolved after many intrruai
tremors. to make an appeal to the owner OF
the voice for clemency. So, still with HE
face. turned to the wall, and in most
ap0logetic tone, he managed to fater:
s'I feel my bloomin' 'air a turnin' gray,