People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1894-03-30
A RETIRED BURGLARS STORY.
A Curious Happening In n House in
Pennsylvania Town.

A Curious Happening In n House In
Pennsylvania Town.
al think that about as curious an
experience as | ever had" said a re-
tired burglar to a New York Sun
man, al had In a town In Western
Pennsylvania | had got into a fine,
big house there without very much
trouble, and had found things when
| got inside about as / had expected
to find them. There was some silver
in the dining-room, and | nipped o
few little things that | could get
into my overcoat pockets handily.
but | had other things in mind and
went on into the next room. which
turned out to be the library. As /
threw my light around this room /
saw on a table in the center a maya
zine open and lying face downward.
| picked up this magazine and turned
my bulls-eye on it. and saw that IL
wos open at the beginning OF the
story. The title caught my eye and
] stood there for a moment with the
magazine in one hand an tie bulls
eye in the other, and reat few lines,
it seemed 20 be might interest
ing story. Whoever had been read
ing the magazine had sat in a big
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 be-
gan to read. and became so inter
ested that forgot that was there
on business.
IL don't know how long had been
reading, may be twenty minutes or
so, when felt q hand on my right
shoulder. looked up and saw
standing alongside OF me a tall man
in dressing 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 coolly. | confess
that as far as | was concerned was
surprised, and when he asked me-
what ! was doing there was at
first actually too fabbergasted to
reply, but finally told him | was
reading a story in that magazine.
He asked me what story was read
ing and | told him. | thought saw
just the faintest flicker Of a smile on
his face at that, but / couldn't be
certain about it.
"'What doyou thing oft" says he.
81 had come back to myself by
this time. and | told him | thought
he ought to DO able to see what
thought of it himself; that | was
interested in it enough to let him
come down and find me there read
ing 1t, but that | wouldn't under
take to say what l thought about II
absolutely until had finished read
ing it.
"'Well, says tho man, don't let
me interrupt YOU Go ahead and
finish it. 4
''He was looking perfectly calm
and cool, just as he had been when
first looked up at him. Gle set his
lamp down on the table by the bulls.
eye and pulled up a big chair him
self on the other side, and got TN
other chair to put his feet on he had
only slippers on and suppose he
thought his feet would be cold on
the aoor He sat down in the big
chair, put his feet upon the other
and pulled his dressing gown up
around his legs. making himself
quite comfortable. Then he picked
up book of the table and won't 10
reading, while he waited for me to
finish the story. When / hal fin
ished it the man said:
"'Well, what Go you think of it
now%
"And | told him. ana that's what |
did think about it, that thought IL
was immense.
1.-The man laid down his book and
got upon his feet again. He picked
up his lamp and stood there for a
moment 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 bull's-eye. and
moved toward the door just as
might have done il l had been a
guest. The tall man opened the
door and calmly bowed me out As
| went down the steps | heard him
boiling the door after me.
"You know | wondered who he
could be, but when | came to find
out, | wondered that hadn't thought
OF 1t myself before; he was the man
" ha u-rnfa Tho ato.y