The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1894-03-15

by Look of Terror MndeaHim Smile.
chamber and not be poked away in the
cold apartment reserved for ordinary
guests.
After some trouble and complaining,
for the trunk was unusually large and
heavy, the eXpressman, helped by our
gardener, carried it up and set it
against the foot Of my bed, there to
wait for it's beloved owner.
AS L have mentioned, our house and
grounds were large and handsome, for
my father, being rich, prided himself
on maintaining il home befitting a coun-
try gentleman. We also possessed
much jewelry and other rare treasures
and for fear of robbers, our house was
well protected without by dogs and
within by bolts and bars with cleo
trio alarms at each door and window.
In addition we all had large dinner
bells by our bedsides to ring furiously
in case Of necessity, and the male
portion Of the family had no end of
guns and handy pistols.
Consequently, on the following morn
Ing when we discovered that we had
been robbed during the night, we were
frightened and shocked beyond meas
ure.
Almost every room had been entered
and nearly all our jewelry was gone.
Even watches from under pillows and
pocketboOks from fathers and brothers
trousers had been taken:
And most puzzling and alarming of
all was the fact that not the slightest
- sign of breaking in or. out could be
found at Il single door or window.
The electric contriyances were all I'M
disturbed.
Who could have done the robbery?
We couldn't suspect our servants of
any share in the crime. for long years
of faithful duty proved the Contrary.
If burglar had SecretCd himself in
the house before closing time. which
seemed probable, how could he have
gotten out and left no trace? The more
we tried to solve the riddle the more
mysterious it became to Us. though
the village constable, hastily sent for,
said he'd soon have Il theory to work
on
In the afternoon Of that awful day
another telegram came to our house
from Mary Norton. 1t read: Mother
suddenly ill. Cannot come. Will send
for trunk. Please deliver to express
man when he calls. Will write par
ticulars'
In IN hour following that came the
"
to be spared the unpleasantness of a
visit at such Il forlOrn time, we again
let our man help him away with the
heavy trunk from its place at the foot
Of my bed.
For week we did our best, assisted
too, by city detectives, to discover ;
clue to the robbers, but all in vain.
And every day we sent to the post
office for my friends promised letter
but none came. Then anxious for feal
her mother was seriously i'll, wrote tt
her. BY return mail came IN answer
saying she had sent neither trunk MOI
kilograms, that her mother was no
sick, and asking what it all meant.
At once l understood our robbery
The burglar had been in the trunl
when it came, he had passed the night
save when he was making the round O
the house, in my room when I wa
alone; then with his valuable plunde
he had been shipped away in his quee
hiding place. No wonder the trun
was heavy and big. No doubt frol
peepholes in it the robbcr had watche
me until certain I was sound aslee1
Then out he must have crept and-th
thought made me shudder and fet
faint.
But, though we admired the ct1nniu
and bold trick, we Immediately SC
about tracing the trunk to where
went after leaving our house.
The expressman whom we found I
be honest and unsuspicious in the ma
ter, had given it to the railroad whicl
on Geographic orders, had forwarde
1t to an adjacent city. There it w:
called for and taken away by a dra
man who likely was an acoomplice
the burglar, for no one at the static
knew him and nothing further could
learned regarding the trunk, at lea
for the time being.
Now comes the strangest and mo
Incredible part Of my story
Some months after our robbery
was on a weeks visit at my uncl,
house in a distant town. Like my /