The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-04-13
THE BURGLARS STORY.

II think that the story | am about
tell you is about as curious an exper-
fence as l ever had" said II retired
burglar 81 had got into fine big
house without much trouble, and had
found things inside just as l expected
to find them. There was some silver
in the dining room, and l nipped IL
few little things that | could get into
my overcoat pockets handily, but |
had other things in mind, and | went
into the next room, which turned out
to be the library. AS | threw my
light around this room | saw On the
table in the centre a magazine open
and lying face downward. | picked
up this magazine and turned my bulls
eye on it and saw that it was open at
the commencement OF u story. The
title caught my eye, and | stood there
a moment with the magazine in one
hand and the buli's-eye in the other
and read q few lines. 1t seemed TO be
a mighty interesting story. | sat
down in Il big chair, stood the bulls
eye on the table at my elbow where
its light would strike the pages, and
began to read, and became SO interest
ed that forgot that l was there on
business.
1
reading, maybe twenty minutes or so,
when | felt q hand on my right Shout
der l looked up and saw staining
alongside of me tall man in dress
ing gown. He had q lamp i'll his right
hand; he had touched me with his
left, and that hand still remained on
my shoulder. He looked down upon
me coolly. l confess that as far as
| was concerned | was surprised,
and when he asked me what
l was doing there l was at first
actually too fiabbergasted to reply, but
finally told him [ was reading Il
story in that magazine. He asked me
what story | was reading, and told
him | thought saw just the faint
est flicker of a smile on his face at
that, but | couldn't be certain about
it. What do you think of it?' says
he. ] had come back to my self 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
let him find he there reading it but |
wouldn't undertake to say what |
thought about it absolutely until l
had finished reading it. 'Well,n said
the man, don't let me interrupt you.
Go ahead and finish it..
He set his lamp down on the table
by the bull's-eye and pulled up big
chair himself on the other side and
got another chair to put his feet on.
Then he picked up a book off the
table and went to reading, while he
waited for Inc to finish the story
When l had finished it the man said:
Well, what do you think of it now?'
And | told him that thought it was
immense and that's what | did think
about it. 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.
i laid down the magazine and picked
up my bull's-eye and moved towards
the door just as l might have done if
| were a guest. The tall man opened
the door and calmly bowed me out
AS | went down the stairs heard him
boiling the door after me. You know
| wondered who he could be, but
when l came to find out | wondered
that l didn't think of it myself before;
he was the man who wrote the story"