The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1895-05-18
THE RETIRED BURGLAR.
HE story 81 . Night Of frihalation and
Unexpected Reception.

oPSAs @nu was SVAuS hlOu& COMFORT
ably enough, when. just as l was step
ping up at the turn, u rope stretched
across caught me under the chin and
toppled me over down stairs. There
was only the stone wall Of the cellar ON
one side and no rail ON the other, SO
there was nothing to grab to, and Just
tumbled down the stairs. As bumped
along. something scattered along down
the steps, over me and under me- and
around me, chasing ME all the way
down; and when finally got to the
cellar bottom. that thing was lying
across my chest. 1t was the coal
shovel, which had evidently been stood
up against the rope, and which l had
Jared loose.
But the worst thing Of all was that
my Lamp was broke. l lost my jimmy
ON the way down. but hung ON to the
Lamp; but new the light was out and
the glass was broke and the slide was
damned around in front, and could
not turn it. felt around till | found
my jimmy, and then wair,d to see if
had woke any body up. didn't hear
anybody 50 l started again, and this
time felt my way carefully up the
stairs to the door. found it unlocked
and had got it open about An inch,
should think, when heard little bit
of y scraping on the other side, and the
next instant the dreadfullest racket that
anybody ever heard-the falling of a
dlshpan. that must have been hanging
ON the other side of the door knob or
the key and at the same time what |
imagine must have been the potato
masher-I don't know. because didn'r
look for it-dropped from the top of
tie door upon my head.
This door to the cellar opened from
little square hall or entry.way that
had, as l learned by feeling, a door to
the left, to the kitchen, and one to the
right, guessed, into the front hall.
waited again, but no sound from
the upstairs. so l turned to the right
and opened that door, and stumbled,
the nrsr thing, against a chair close by,
IN the hall and almost broke my shins.
felt along and found row Of chairs
standing close together from that door
clean to the front door. sat down in
one Of them and nursed my shin and
waited. Still no sound, and | tried
again, and got along all right this time
and turned of to the left and into the
parlor, without falling over anything,
and began to feel encouraged. But
III the dining room there was nothing
but plated spoons and forks, which OF
course could tell just as well as though
Id had an electric light. II they had
any silver they had carried it upstairs.
is some people do at night. | turned
back into the hall and groped my way
through that row of chairs to the foot
of the stairs. To make sure of the first
step in the dark | stepped high and
stepped into pan of water on the bot.
tom step. That made me mad but |
didn make any noise, and | stepped
out OF 1t and started on up. At about
the third step my leg struck string
tnat was strung across these stairs, and
set bell ringing that was hanging on
1t; and kicking that string started
down on me from above, loosened |
suppose by another string tied to the
one | had kicked, a shower of tin pie
plates; and had got my leg tangled I'D
In some way In the string across the
stairs, and as | struggled TO get free the
bell kept on ringing and the plates
rafting, and presently I fell over
wash-boiler that had been set on the
stairs step or two up, and brought
that down on me.
As l was floundering around in this
tlnware and strings and bells and
things, l heard children's voices ND
stairs, and a minute later | heard steps
IN the hall above, and could see in the
blackness up there the white of night
gown at the head Of the stairs. Then
something came slamming against the
balusters. hitting me as it ratified down.
and finally landing with great bang
on the floor among the chairs in the
hall. The minute he threw it, who
ever 1t was, he ran, and I began to
think 1t was about time for me to go
too. l had freed myself from the bell
cord by this time, and l got on the
stairs into the hall again, and there
this time. | stepped on a base ball bat
that was what had come banging down
at me from above-that rolled out from
under me and upset me once more
among those chairs.
Il got up and opened the front door
it wasn't locked-and got out ON the /
piazza. Before had got to the top
front step heard horn blowing from .
an upstairs window on the side Of the
house, and an instant later a shot from
revolver and big bell ringing.
There was late moon Just rising
and little light just now, and as 1
went away looked and saw three chill.
iren all in white, all leaning out of
one window on the second story. On
one side there was a boy Of about four.
teen, as l should guess by that light.
bring pistol He was the boy. no
doubt, that had thrown the baseball
bat On the other side was his younger
brother with good pair Of lungs blow.
ing a fish horn about az long as a bean
pole, and in the middle was their little
sister swinging big bell with both
hands; and take EN- all together thew
we're making great deal Of noise.
didn't stop to inquire about il. .
nut it was just as simple az rolling of .
log. The chlidren's parents had TO 20 ,
way somewhere over night-sickness ,
n something-and had left the child 7
en- alone. The young folks had forgot c
0 lock their doors; but there wasn't a
eally any necessity for locking EN- j
With such burglar system az that - I
7. Y. Sun.