The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-09-07
A CAPTURE.

Billy Sims was enjoying that period
Of rest and peace which comes to a man
when his wife and family go to the sea-
side and leave him in possession Of the
house, Then a person can stay out as
late as he likes. He may smoke in any
room In the house. He may ever go to
bed with his boots on if it so pleases
him.
Billy had expected to stay at the sea
for a couple Of weeks, but a telegram
had recalled him to town after being a
day or two away and he came joyfully
back, for the sea bored him, and there
was nothing lively going on at the re-
sort his family had chosen. Before he
left town Billy had told the police Of
his suburb that the house would be
closed for a fortnight, and he asked
them to keep an eye on the premises.
Billy's faith in the force was somewhat
shaken when he unexpectedly returned,
found he had left his latchkey at Ma
rineville and was thus compelled to
climb in at a window after midnight,
yet no notice was taken of him. He got
out in the same way next morning and
telegraphed for his keys. He roamed all
over the house with a lighted candle at
various periods Of the night, but the
guardians Of the peace never disturbed
him, and Billy made up his mind that
the next time he went away he would
take out a burglar insurance and not
trouble the guardians who guarded 20
c~arelessly.
On Saturday afternoon Billy, having
a day off, took a day on, as it WERE, and
went for q long spin through the u
try on his bicycle. He had dinner at a
wayside inn and got home late and tired.
Putting his machine in it's shed, he en-
tered the house, poured out for himself
a glass Of cooling s%timulants, and rested
his weary body in his most comfortable
armchair, slipping the gratifying mix
ture in accordance with the directions
on the bottle.
The house was very quiet, and soon
Billy dropped off to sleep. He woke up
suddenly and found everything still
very quiet and very dark as we'll, yet he
had the feeling within him that he had
been awakened by a noise. He listened
intently, sitting still in the comfortable
chair, and presently the chandelier
above his head gave a slight rattle, as it
was in the habit of doing when some
one was walking in the room overhead.
Billy did not believe in ghosts, for he
was a newspaper man and could hardly
be said to believe in anything. Again
the chandelier jingled, yet there was nc
noise of q footstep overhead, and il
dawned upon Billy's scarcely awakened
faculties that whoever was above him
was going around in his stocking feet
trying to be as silent as possible. Billy
regretted hat he did not own such {
thing as a revolver, for he felt convinced
that at last burglars were in the house
He vaguely saw himself writing an &C
count of the incident, headed "Desper
ate Encounter With a Burglar. Heroic
Conduct Of a Suburban Householder.
Fired by this thought, and in spite o
the distinct creeping of his scalp which
we exaggerate into terming the sense
ton of the hair standing Oh end, Bill,
grasped the poker that lay on the fende
by his chair and cautiously crept on
into the hall, making his way like ca
up the stair, fervently hoping that II
step would creak,
At the landing above Billy peered in
to the bedroom from which the ligh
issued and was appalled, to see, not ON
burglar, but three. This exceeded Billy
most ardent expectations. He had bee
prepared for a desperate encounter wit
one, especially if he could have crept i
on him and landed on his head with tn
poker before the burglar was aware tina
there was anybody else in the house
but a fight with three was too much {
a good thing.
One Of them would be certain to hav
a pistol, which would make things eve
more interesting. Glad as he would b
to have an exclusive item for his paper
he had no desire to have some one els
write it up and head it, "Dastardl
Murder Of a Reporter In Lonelyville.
There are some sacrifices that a ma