The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-06

turn, rope stretched across caught me-
under the chin ard 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. 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 1
finally got tc 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 I
had Jared loose
But the worst thing of all was that my
lamp was broke / lost my Jimmy on the
way down, but / hung on TO my lamp,
but now 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 i waited to see if I'd woke anybody
up. didn't hear anybody, and SO start
cd again, and this time felt my way up
the stairs carefully to the door. I found it
unlocked, and / had got it open about an
inch, should think, when heard little
bit of a scrsping on the other side, and the
next instant the dreadfulest racket that
any body ever heard, the falling Of dish
pan that must have been hanging on the
other side of the doorknob Or the key, and
at the same time what I imagine must
have been the potato masher-1 don't
know, because didn't look for it-drop-
ped from the top of the door upon my head.
This door to the cellar opened from a
little square hall, or entry way, that had,
as learned by feeling. door TO the left,
to the kitchen, l suppose, and one to the
right, guessed, into the front hall. 1
waited again, but no sound from up stairs,
go turned to the right and opened that
door and stumbled the first thing over a
chair close by in the hall and almost broke
my shins. felt along and found n row Of
chairs standing close together from that
door clean to the front door. sat down in
one of them and nursed my shins and
waited. Still no sound, and tried again
and got along all right this time and
turned off to the left and into the parlor
and back from that into the dining room,
for wonder without falling over any
thing, and ! began TO feel encouraged.
But in the dining room there was nothing
but plated spoons and forks, which, of
course, / could tell by the touch just as
well as though / had an electric light. II
they had any silver, they had carried it up
stairs, as some people do at night.
81 turned back into the hall and CROPPED
my way through that row OF chairs to the
foot of the stairs. To make sure Of the
first step in the dark l stepped high and
stepped into a pan Of water on the bottom
step. That made me mad, but it didn' t
make any noise, and 1 stepped out of it
and started on up. AT about the third
step my leg struck string that was strung
across these stairs and set bell ringing
that was hanging on it, 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
up in some way III the string across the
stairs, and as / struggled To get free the
bell kept on ringing and the pie plates rat
ting, and presently I fell over n wash boil
er that had been set on the stairs step or
two up and brought that down on me.
las 1 was nounderlng round in this
tinware and strings and bells and things l
heard chilGren's voices up stairs, and a
minute later l heard steps in the hall
above, and could see in the blackness up
there the white of a nightgown at the
head of the stairs. Then something came
slamming against the banisters, hitting
me as it ratified down, and finally landing,
with a great bang, on the floor among the
chairs in the hall. The minute he threw
it, whoever he was, he ran, and l began to
think it was about time for me to go too.
/ had freed myself from the bellcord By
this time, and I got down the stairs and
into the hall again, and there this time I
stepped on baseball bat-that was what
had come banging down at me from above
that rolled out from under me and up
Set 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 l had got to the top front step [
heard horn blowing from an up stairs
window on the side of the house, aud an
instant later shot from a revolver and a
big bell ringing. There was late moon
just rising and little light now, and as
went away / looked back and saw three
children, all in white, all leaning out Of
one window on the second story. On one
side there was boy of about II, as
should guess by that light, firing a pistol.
He was the boy, no doubt, that had
thrown the baseball bat. On the other
side was his younger brother, with a good
pair of lungs, blowing FISH horn about
as long as bean pole, and in the middle
was their little sister, swinging big bell
with both hands. and, take 'em altogether.
they were making great deal OF noise.
Il didn't wait to inquire about il, but
It was Just as simple as rolling of log.
The children's parents had had TO go
away somewhere vernight-sickness or
something-and had left the children
alone. The young folks had forgotten TO
lock the doors, but there really wasn't any
necessity of locking 'en, with such bur
slar alarm system as that. Exchange.