The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1894-04-05
A RETIRED BURGLARS STORY.
a Curious Happening in House in q
Pennsylvania Town.

Il think that about rs curious an
tired burglar to "A n. Y. Sh9 man. Il
had in town in western Pennsylva-
MIA. | had got into 4 fine, big house
there without much trouble. and had
found things when | got inside about
as | expected to find them. There
was some silver in the dining-room,
and nipped Il few little things that |
could get into my Oyercoat pockets
handily, but | had other things in nv
mind and | went on into the next
room, which turned out to be the IL
brary. as | threw my light around
this room / saw on table in the CEN
ter magazine open and lying face
downward. | picked up this maya
zine and turned my bull's-eye on it,
and saw that it was open at the Begin
ming of 4 story. The title caught my
eye and | stood there for a moment
with the magazine in one hand and
the bull's-eye in the other, and read
few lines. 1t seemed to be nightly
interesting story. Whoever had been
reading the magazine had sat in bic
leather chair, which still remained
alongside the table. | sat down in
this big chair, stood the bull's-eye on
the table at my elbow, where its light
would strike the pages, and began to
read, and became so interested that |
forgot that | was there on business
Il don't know how long | had been
reading, maybe twenty minutes or so.
when | felt a hand on my right shoul-
der. | looked up and saw standing
alongside of me tall man in dress
ing-gown. He had lamp in his right
hand; he had touched me with his
left, and that hand still remained on
my shoulder. He looked down upon
me coOllv. | confess that as far as |
was concerned | was surprised. and
when he asked me what | was doing
there | was at first actually too fab
bergasted to reply, but | finally told
him | was reading a story in that
magazine. He asked me what story |
was reading and told him.
what do you think of it?" says he.
81 had come back to myself by this
time and | told him thought he ought
to be able to see what | thought of it
himself; that | was interested in it
enough to let him come down and find
me there reading it, but that | would
MT undertake TO say what | thought
about it absolutely until | had finished
reading it.
"'Well,' says the man, don't let me
interrupt you. Go ahead and finish
it.
He was looking perfectly calm and
cool, just as he had been when first
looked up at him. He set his lamp
down on the table by the bull's-eye,
and pulled up bic chair himself on
the other side, and got another chair
to put his feet on; he had only slippers
on, aud | suppose he thought his feet
would be cold on the floor. He sat
down in the big chair, put his feet up
on the other, and pulled his dressing
gown up around his legs, making him.
self quite comfortable. Then he picked
up Il book off the table and went to
reading, while he waited for me to fin
ish the story. When | had finished it
the man said:
"'Well. what do you think of it now?'
"And ! told him. and that's what |
did think about it, that | thought it
was immense.
The man laid down his book and
got upon his feet again. He picked
up his lamp and stood there for mo-
ment holding it and looking at me. He
said nothing, but it was perfectly clear
to me that he was about politely to
bow me out of the house. | laid down
the magazine and picked up my bulls
eye, and moved toward the door just
as | might have done if | had been a
guest. The tall man opened the door
and calmly bowed me out AS i went
down the steps | heard him boiling the
door after me.
you know wondered who he could
be, but when came TO find out | won
dered that hadn't thought of it my
self before; h was the man that wrote
the strry."