Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-02-05
HER BURGLAR.

Dear me, do wish Jack would. come
home--such stupid norel! The idea Of
that lackadaisical younk woman. iva.
confronting u great, burly burglar Will,
her tiny revolver and soaring him into
closet, and oh, hum, oh, hum - Pm
90 sleepy" sighed pretty Mrs. Norcross.
ioungine hack deep into the pile of cushions
around hka "a,
The slow. solemn ticking of the big IL
brary clock and nm occasional subdued
snap from the fireplace were the only
sounds to disturb the profound stillness
Mrs. Norcross sat gazing dreamily ut
the logs slowly falling into glowing Goals
and ashes, in her mind vague vision Of n
big. brawny, heavy booted man being
backed into her closet and Thought she
would rather object to the crushing her
gowns would receive in the process
/" But then, of course,'' following up her
train of thought rather drowsily, 'she
wouldn't have on big boots-they would
make noise-dear mel''-out loud
"what was that" And she suddenly sat
erect.
Surely she had heard noise in the di-
rection of the dining room.
All was quiet again, however, and not
being an extremely nervous young woman
Mrs. Norcross subsidized into her cushions
again, thinking she had been mistaken.
Still, an uneasy feeling possessed her,
and she remembered that she had sent all
the servants to bed, saying she would wait
till Mr.. Norcross should come in.
| She picked up the despised novel and
read few lines, but it failed to claim her
attention, and again her eyes sought the
dying embers.
| The drowsiness stole over her senses,
and she had nearly dropped asleep, when
she found herself half out of her chair,
straining every nerve to listen
Yes, it is no mistake this time. She can
| plainly hear the catch in one. of the long
dining room windows rafting gently.
A deadly feeling of suspense creeps over
her, and she starts with a gasping shud-
der, shrinking as from a physical blow as
the tall clock softly chimes the half hour
| after ~.
The window in the dining room is gen.
thy raised, and at the sound the trembling
woman suddenly becomes self possessed
| ard calm.
Rising softly, she turns down the blaze
in the tall lamp, and creeping out into the
hall hastens up the broad stairs and flies
along the corridor to her room.
On the way her quick brain has devised
/
the other end of the house, and she is vir-
tuaily alone, for the burglar Eould surely
| kill her before she could rouse them. y
She resolves that as there is no man on
| hand she will herself assume mans garb
and sternness.
Entering her husbands dressing room,
she hastily throws aside her trailing gown,
| and snatching down trousers and smoking
| jacket from the pegs and q soft shirt from
| the dressing case proceeds to array herself
| in her liege lords attire with a rapdity
astonishing. considering the strangencss
of the apparel.
| Pulling a smoking cap over the soft
masses of her hair, she tiptoes into the
| hall, and leaning over the balusters hears
steps in the library she had but just left.
"Oh.;' she thought, ~ don't feel SO very
| brave if / am in Jacks coat. What can
| the horrid creature be doing so long in the
| library Hush--he's at the desk / guess
| I'll get Jacks revolver I've fired papa's
| any number of times"
Softly she re-enters the dressing room
| and there gets a terrible shock-there is Il
| man advancing toward her! Can there be
| two of them?
| Involuntarily she shrinks back in terror,
| and then even in her fright falls to laugh
! ing noiselessly, for, the man does likewise
| in the mirror at the foot of the ROOM
Still trembling from her sudden fright,
she creeps down stairs, gathering courage
| at each step as she grasIf the loaded re-
| volver tight in her hand. lStopping on the
| last step, just out of the broad light stream
| ing from the library door, she sees the tall,
| slim figure of man busted with the pa
| pers in her husbands desk.
JIalf I,or topror 1iac awav che notices
! that he is we'll dressed and quite the gen
| tleman in his appearance, until the thought
comes to her-these gentlemanly burglars
! are all the more cruel and relentless-and
| as the man turns his head at this moment
| she determines in her own mind that there
| is a hard, steely look in his otherwise
| handsome eyes.
Deciding that it would be wiser to sur
| prise the burglar than to, be surprised by
| him, she steps into the circle of light and
says in a deep voice:
"Well, what are you doing here, pray?"
| The start the man gave was not very
| guilty one, and the GOODNESS displayed by
| a burglar caught in the very act stirred
Mrs. Norcross' manly mind to wrath
| '.Who are your" she demanded angrily.
land what are you doing?"
The intruder took step forward, at
which Mrs. Norcross grasped the revolver
more closely and said most courteously:
| II beg your pardon, sir, but l would
| like to speak with Mrs. Norcross mo-
| ment."
Recovering from the effect of this au-
| dacity, the lady returned:
s'You cannot do So"
"But must" persisted the stranger.
| 81 tell you you cannot. Mrs. Norcross
| is not at home"
mot at home? Are you sure?"
81 am sure, and now will you obligc me
| by leaving my house''--this very grandly.
ssYour house?" echoed this rude man.
'sAIr. Norcross desired me to get some pa
| pers for him, and leave message with his
| wife"
'sWill you ieave?" interrupted Mrs. Nor
| cross, who, reasoning that an unknown
man bringing message from her husband
would hardly have crept in by the dining
| room window, raised the revolver and lev
| eletl it at the burglars breast.
| Thus threatened, the intruder shrugged
! his shoulders carelessly.
81 DO not know who you are, but if Mrs.
ia ,,,f of vynIy CO. CHI