Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1893-06-03

Valuable Contents of House-Pre-
sentation plate from grateful 9s-
thetes. Gold repeater. Mulready
| envelope. Two diamond rings Com
plete edition of bradshaw from
1884 to present time, 5SS volumes,
bound limp calf.
Generai-Mr. Davis sleeps second
floor, front; servants on third floor.
Davis goes to bed at ten. No one in
| basement Swarms with beetles;
otherwise excellent house for purpose.
This seemed to me to be capital
house to try single handed. At 10
o'clock that very night I pocketed
two crowbars, bunch Of skeleton keys,
a centerbit, dark lantern, box Of
silent matches, some putty, life
preserver and a knife, and set off at
once for Thurloe square. l remem-
Der that it showed heavily. There
was at least a foot of snow on the
ground, and there was more to come
Poor Stoneleigh's particulars were ex-
act in every detail. 1 got into the
third room on the ground floor with
out the least difficulty and made my
way into the dining-room. There
was the presentation plate sure
enough-about 800 ounces as l reck-
oned. 1 collected this and tied it up
so that I could carry it out without
attracting attention.
Just as 1 finished 1 heard slight
cough behind.me. I turned and saw
a dear old silver-haired gentleman in
a dressing gown standing in the door
way. The venerable gentleman COW
cred me with a revolver.
My first impulse was to rush at
him with my life preserver.
"Don't move" said he, 'or you're
a dead mani"
A rather silly remark to the effect
that if / did move it would rather
prove that was live man occurred
to me, but / dismissed it at once as
unsuited to the business charcter of
the interview.
"You're a burglar?"
81 have that homer" said I, max
ing for my pistol pocket,
Don't move" said ne. II have
often wished to have the pleasure of
encountering burglar. in order to
be able to test a favorite theory of
mine as to how persons Of that class
should be dealt with. But you
mustn't move"
I replied that should be happy to
assist him if l could do so consis-
tently with due regard to my own
safety.
"Promise me-" said I, "that you
will allow me to leave the house un-
molested when your experiment is at
an end?"
"If you will obey me promptly, you
shall be at perfect liberty to leave
the house"
"You will neither give me into
custody nor take any steps to pursue
me?"
son my honor as a designer of
dados," said he.
"Good," said I. ''Go on"
''Stand up" said he, 'sand stretch
out your arms at right angles to your
body"
Suppose I don't?" said L
81 send bullet through your left
ear" said he.
"But permit me to observe"-
said L
Bang! A bullet cut off the lobe of |
my left ear
The ear smarted, and / should have |
liked to attend to it, but under the
l thought it better to
comply with the whimsical old gen.
tleman's wishes.
every goodw said he. snow do |
as I tell you, promptly and without
a moments hesitation, or l cut off !
the lobs Of your right ear. Throw me
that life preserver
"But-"
Sab! would you?" said he, cooking
the revolver
The 'click" decided me. Besides,
the old gentleman's eccentricity
amused me, and 1 was curious to see
how far it would carry him. So 1 |
tossed my life preseryer to him. He
caught it neatly.
"Now take off your coat and throw
it to me-"
l took of my coat and threw it to
him diagonally across the room.
''Now the waistcoat."
I threw the waistcoat to him.
Boots" said he
"They are shoes" said I in some
trepidation, lest he should take Of
tense when no offense was really in
tended.
''Shoes, then" said he
threw my shoes to him.
Trousers" said he.
'Come, come, I saym exclaimed !.
Bangl The lobe of the other ear
came of.
With all his eccentricity the old |
gentleman was a man of his word.
He had the trousers, and with them
my revolver, which happened to be in
the right-hand pocket.
Now the rest of your drapery."
/ threw him the rest of my drapery
He tied up my clothes In the table
cloth, and telling me that he wouldn't
detain me any longer made for the
door, with the bundle under his arm.
''Stop!" said L what is to be-