The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-02-16
THE BURGLAR.

0'NO'oh-keepef 1Or Cne prOSperOusg grocery
house of Ham, Bacon, Lard and Co.
he had lived ten years with his wife
n the same house at 7O95, Eddy
II Street, and had saved his hmoney, for
his habits were frugal, his pleasures
SIMPLE, his pains few. His pleasures
consisted OF an occasional game at
whist, at which Mrs. Timmins was
always his partner. for the reason
that he would not allow anyone else
| to scold her when sherevoked, though
he did not mind scolding her himself.
His pains were an unreasoning terror
OF burglars and dire apprehension
that his niece and ward, pretty Con-
stance Timmins-who was the only
young person in the house-would
/. end one of her many flirtations by
3 throwing herself away on some
worthless scamp.
To guard against burglars, he culti-
waited an acquaintance with the police
men who alternated on the boat, and
dropped mysterious hints of munifi-
cent rewards in case they caught
burglar in the act. He had a burglar
alarm in his bedroom and a shot gun,
from which Mrs. Timmins was in the
+ habit Of withdrawing the cartridges
for fear he should shoot himself.
Many sleepless night he spent in
proving about the house in the dark
lin quest Of some intruder whose foot
step ne thought he heard He read
every article in the newspapers about
burglaries, and surprised his wife and
{ niece by the extent and accuracy of
his information touching the methods
of the fraternity. He plunged them
Y into depths OF dispair by declaring
that he knew it was his destiny to
wake up some morning and find the
( house robbed and Constance's throat
cut.
Constance was a lovely girl, the
+ daughter of an elder brother of Tim
minis, who had taken yellow fever and
died leaving an estate of which the
VALUE was unknown.
! Among the admirers of Constance
who could not fairly be condemned
was Colonel Pitblado. He had met
Constance at small party, and had
been struck by her beauty and vivac-
ity. With his usual circumspection,
The had instituted inquiries regarding
lher prospective fortune; and from the
assiduity with which he pursued her
afterwards, it may be inferred that
v the result OF the investigation had been
satisfactory.
Much to his annoyance, Constance
not only did not ask him to the
house, but begged as a favor that he
present.
! "You see, Colonel Pitblado," said
| she, II have rather taken a. fancy to
! you, and 1 don't want to lose you.
Now, my uncle, who is the best man
in tbs world, invariably takes a dis.
like to people who pay me attention.
came to the house he would quarrel
of our acquaintance.
The colonel argued, but it was of no
avail. The only concession which
I Constance would make was thatnow
and then, say once a week, she would
had gone to bed, and the colonel
might slip in and spend few mmutes
L with her in the dark in the hall OF
the drawing-room.
81 II know" she said, "that you love
me too much to make me regret act
ing in this manner towards you"
tul; his speech was eloquent on the
subject OF his love, but he rarely ven
- fured even to press the fingers of his
isharmer as they sat side by side on
fthe sofa.
There they sat one night, and Con-
stance, in a subdued voice, was -ex-
planning her uncle's extraordinary
terror of burglars.
Lo
the colonel.
burglars broke into the house where
me was living, and killed one OF the in
]mates. He was wakened out of sleep
}by the sound of the shot, and he has
never got over the shock"
~ can quite understand it, replied
the colonel. "There is something pc
3culiarly terrifying in a midnight en-
counter with man whom you can
not see, and who has everything to
s IT, ana n'''' TO lose 0S taxing your
"Oh'' cried Constance, "the thought
J6lls nae at2times with such horror that
am as afraid Of burglars as my I'm.
- lroom, / would die of fright
u
t4that / would not show the white
Feather. But I must say l do not
banker to meet a burglar in the flesh. u
At that moment slight noise was
heard outside the drawing-room door
1t was the faintest possible creak OF q
weak flooring. plank under a tread
= Both the tenants OF the sofa looked
mp and held their breath, with ears or
Che full strain. Another board creek
1 cd, and presently, after wait which
seemed to last for ages, the acute ears
iof the colonel detected muf1ed tread
A on the carpet OF the room in which
y they sat. There was a third party
- in the room. He was shod with wool
and was moving noiselessly, and oc
casionally, stopping as if to- lister
whether he was detected. The long
texpected burglar had come. ..-
Constance tainted silently ON tn
-