The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-18
TINE RETIRED BURGLAR.
His Bu-iaess Nay Ne = Meas ore, bet ne
IL AIvrsys Ready e DO Good.

Is Always Ready - DO GOOD.
~ suppose robbing people Is = pretty mean
business TO be in" said the retired burglar. but
sometimes the burglar gets a chance 10 do peo-
pie a good turn; and he always does II. picked
ont one day for my nights work a house on a
farm just outside q town in Ohio. II was a pros
porous looking farm-fences in good order, every
thing about the house looking neat and trim. and
there was every reasonable Indication that there
was stuff in the house worth carrying away.
when I came 20 look around that house that
night I was surprised. Everything inside was
Just az neat and trim rs 10 was outside, hut |
never was in a house OF its size that was so poor.
Actually. on the ground floor there wasn't a
thing worth carrying OF; they might 10 living
comfortably enough. but certainly they were
living very plainly and chcnply. Tho household
plant was old and all run down. II was evident
ly taken scrupulous care Of, but II hadn't been
renewed in | don't know how long; carpets
worn out, and oil that. 1t Is evident
that the money was all golno for some
thing else; paying Oft an old mortgage,
maybe. or supporting a boy In college
or something. 1t wasn't spent on things for the
house any way. As a matter OF fact | didn't ex-
pcct, after what I'd seen down stairs, 10 find
things any better up stairs; but I was in the
house and might as well go up and see.
"Td been smelling smoke more or less ever
since I came up from the cellar. but I supposed
IL must come from the end Of n wood fire some
where around the house and | hadn't paid much
attention TO y, but when started up the stairs
sneLIeo ~ stronger, andi " KEEP getIinR stTongei
look l saw smoke In the upstairs hall and when
! hsd actually stepped up into the hal ! saw lit.
IN one corner at the front end of the hall. TIT
We'll You know that was an unpleasant
situation. Everybody In the house was sound
asleep, and Of course / bad to wake EN- up.
nobody knew what would happen to me-. They
might think I'd set the house afire myself by
carelessns.s with matches or somehow. and X
than | would for Just simple burglary. So 1
Just hustled out OF the house again TO wake 'em
had happened TO see the fire In the house. | got
up on the steps and began pounding on the
i f5'n' hr door w thdusR iny i'hi%ey%'9Y newer SSa hU %sf.
up, arid l pounded and pounded and kept on
hurry across one Of the front rooms with a light
In his hand. He came back In a second or two
and ,.rad 9pe Elsd, E s,y wind2 TSs ana i. looked I'd out onnt,HTIn and o hoI-
where IN the house and then was of and down
the road; As went, l heard him at a window
III jumped over a fence after I'd gone down the
road a little and hid in an angle. knew thcre'd
% We so% q %nn f fTom t pGrs'' house sSSn that sad w so t asre
came Ia about a minute, a young man going like
for sp somssod %a that Belonged ep nS%pt to i the FIRE re' sompan nv
or hose company in town. | looked after he'd
passed, and you could see the light OF the fire
now at three or four OF the upstairs windows.
The house WINS n goner. sure. Some OF the
had ,'rt around by this time, and they
got out some ~ he things, and pretty soon a fro
engine went h. where | was. the men Juggling
hard. and not 30 very. many Of them: They
really couldn't do much. even after they got
there: the fire had got too much start.
We'll, she burned down. plumb TO the
ground; insured. | hope. ! went up there when
rest Of the people and looked at the ruins.
the man I'd seen the night before going
across the window with n light-hc was evi- |
IDENTIFY the head OF the family-snd | saw his
wife and two daughters, both grown up. and the
young man I'd seen the night before going down |
the road; that was all there was in the house.
They'd all saved their lives, any way"