Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-02-22
Midnight Burglars.

/ bought q ten-acfe Island Clree miles
from the shore and built my summer
house on it, but / laughed and said
quiet was what / sought, and there l
would have it, from from the madden
ing crowds ignoble strife" Being a
bachelor, with few wants, / took with
me only my man, Henry, who was an
excellent housekeeper and cook.
/ don't think I ever enjoyed myself
more than the first four weeks l spent
on the island. In the morning L took
TO the water, or took a walk Tor an
hour or so; then 1 wrote for three
hours, and the afternoons L read and
loafed, and at. night slept, Some days
j would row over to the mainland,
and every day Henry went over after
the mail, unless it was stormy. Some
times I had a friend or two to drive
with me. but no woman was allowed
10 come ashore there.
/ was rigid in my determination on
this point, for had not one Isabella
Ventnor told me two weeks before l
bought the island that she did not
think / was the kind of a man any
oma ought to marry.
She had, and for that | had fore
sworn all women.
AS say, | was supremely happy all
by myself, excepting of course, the
hurt Isabella had lone me, and [ think
that was healing slowly, when one
night the entire scheme was over
thrown.
That night was a dark one but quite
still, and I went to bed feeling fairly
comfortable, as a couple of my friends
had been with me until Z O'Clock and
were to return early in the morning
with a sail-bOat for a fishing trip out
10 deep water. About l o'clock, or
perhaps later, ] was awakened by hear
ing a disturbance of some sort down
stairs, and before | had my eyes fully
opened Henry rushed into the o
slammed the door and locked it.
whats the matter?" I exclaimed.
For the PHYS sake, major" gasped,
"get up and help me. There's bur
glars in the house and Pm done for.
Then Henry went down on the floor
In a heap, and | lit a lamp, as there
came a terrific %hammering on the door.
The light showed me Henry covered
with blood, his throat slashed, lying
there dead or dying, as I supposed.
What to do | did not know, for the
only arms in the house were across the
hall and the burglars had me shut off
from that direction and were rapidly
demOlishing my door.
The swore and pounded, entirely
regardless of the ordinary rules of bur
gIary. for they knew that so far away
from the shore they were perfectly
safe.
60 down stairs and get that axe"
/ heard one Of them say, "and We'll
have this door out Of the way in Il min
ute. We've done up one of 'em, and
now we've got to do up the other; so
there won't be any tellin' tales out Of
school"
Then he laughed and | heard foot
steps down the hall and stairs.
l knew there was no help for me
there, and only Il chance anywhere, and
| took that. One window of my room
opened out on n back roof, and from
that it was only a shor distance to
1AAN ~ ~ Oib " LIN hOLC\ L
had one chance in a million of escape.
In one minute | was out Of the win
dow. over the shed and one the ground.
| had on only my pajamaS, ard the
sharp stone cut my feet cruelty, hut
| did not think of that. 1t was life,
and life is very sweet to us, even
though some fair Isabella may have
slipped a drop of bitter into it.
Over the rocks and stones I flew, go
ing l knew not where, thinking of
nothing but escape.
What brought me to my senses some
what was my rushing into the water,
and at first | thought of swimming
out and trying to reach the mainland,
but | was only a poor swimmer and
l knew | should be drowned or caught
and knocked ON the head in the water
by the burglars as a hunter might
knock Il muSkrat in the head, and the
horror of it drove me back. Then l
thought of my own boat, but before
my friends had moved it over to the
mainland to return at daylight with
ne sailboat, leaving me only my
pockets to signal the shore in case of
need, and what were signals now?
Only a means whereby the murderers
might discover me.
One thinks rapidly at such moments,
[ fancy, and all this took place i'll much
less time than it requires to tell it;
but there was time enough for the
burglars to learn | was not in the
room and with their quick eyes see
the window through which | had es-
capped and l heard some of them com
ing along the course [ had taken and
one going down towards the boat
landing to cut me Off there.
Then amnesty again and utterly
dazed, | began to circle the little is
land running ON the beach. They
could not see me and my bare feet
made no noise in the sand and | rush
ed madly ahead, when all at once |
went down with Il terrible crash over
something on the beach. They were
near enough to hear my fall and one
of them shouted:
Here he is, Bill; we've got him;
We'll fix him now"
l thought about as the burglar did,
out as l tried to get up l found l vas
in a boat drawn half way UP on the
sand.
| almost shouted with joy when
made this discovery. 1t was their
boat, and once in it and on the water
l was safe! BY this time 1 could hear