The morning times., 1895-07-19
p Capture by tho
Police.
By Luke Sharp.

rest and peace which comes to d man
when his wife and family 90 to the seaside
and leave him in possession Of the house.
Then person can stay out as long as he
likes; he may smoke in any room in the
house; he may even 90 to bed with his
boots on if it so please him.
Billy had expected to stay at the sea for
q couple of weeks, but Il telegram had re-
called him to town after being a day or
two away, and he came joyfuily back for
the sea bored him, and there was nothing
lively going on at the resort his family
had chosen. Before he left town Billy
had told the police of his suburb that the
house would bc closed for fortnight, and
ne asked them to keepan neyeOnthepremises
Billy's faith in the force was somewhat
shaken when he Unexpectedly returned,
found he had left his latch key at Marine
vile, and was thus compelled TO climb IN
at a window n little after midnight, vet
no notice was taken OF him. He got out
in the same way next morning, and tele-
graphed for his keys. He roamed all over
the house with lighted candle at various
periods of the night, but the guardians
of the peace never disturbed him, and Billy
made up ms mind that the next time he went
away he would take out burglar insur-
ance, and not trouble the guardians who
guarded so carelessly.
On Saturday afternoon Billy, having a
day off. took day on. as it We're, and went
for long spin through the country on his
bicycle. He had dinner at a wayside inn
and got home late and tired. Putting his
machine IN It's shed he entered the house,
poured out for himself glass OF cooling
stlmuiants. and rested his weary body n
/ his most comfortable armchair. Supping
the directions on the bottle. The house was
very quiet, and soon Billy dropped off to
sleep. He wokeup suddenly and found every
thing sui very quiet and very dark as Wen.
yet he had the feeling within him that he
had been awakened by noise. He lis
! tened lntently, sitting still in the comfort
able chair, and presently the chandelier
| above his head gave 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
| newspaper man and could hardly be said to
| believe in anything. Again the chandelier
| jingled yet there was no noise OF foot
step overhead, and it dawned upon Billy's
| scarcely awakened faculties tina [ whoever
was above him was going around in his
! stocking feet, trying TO be as silent as pos
! Sibe Billy regretted that he did not own
! such a thing as a revolver, for he felt con-
vinCed that at last burglars We're in the
! house. He vaguely saw himself writing an
| account of the incident, headed "DeSper-
ate Encounter with BUrglar-Heroic Con-
duct of Suburban Householder"
| Fired by tins thought aud in spite of the
! distinct creeping of his scalp which we
! eXaggerate into terming the sensation of
| the hair standing on end, Billy eraSped
! thepoker that lay on the fender by his chair,
! and cautiously crept out into the hall, max
! Ing his way like cat up the stair, fer
vently hoping that no step would creak.
| A the landing above Billy peered into the
! bedroom from which the light issued, and
was appalled, TO see not one burglar, but
! three This exceeded Billy's most ardent
| expectations. He had been prepared for
| a desperate encounter with one, especially
if he could have crept In on him and landed
on his head with the poker before the
| burglar was aware that there was any
| body else in the house, but u fight with three
was too much of a good thing. One of
them would be certain to have a pistol
which would make things even more
| interesting. Glad as he would be to have
an exclusive item for his paper, he had no
desire 10 have some one else write it up
| and headit "Dastardly Murder ofa Reporter
| in Louelyville " There are some sacrifices
that man does not care to make, even
for his paper Moderation in all things
| was Billy's motto.
| The burglars had evidently come to the
| conclusion that there was no one in the
house, for no guard was set They moved
| about quietly, but that merely came from
| long practice in an arduouS profession
| where there was much night work aud little
| thanks from a callous public. Billy
| did not pause to think that these men had
20 Saturday night off, and that they were
most Industrious while otE"r aeope We're
| sound asleep We generally think that
| our own particular occupation has the
most drawbacks, giving little heed to the
| discomfortS of others.
One man was holding bag open and the
| other two We're creeping about filling the
| receptacle with various useful articles
priced by connoiSseurs and collectors.
Il think we've got as much as we can
| carry whispered the man who was hold
ing the bag.
This remark caused Billy to reflect that
| if he was going to do anything in the matter
it was time he set about it, So he emu,
lated the conduct OF the celebrated Duke OF
| York, who marched his men up the hill and
| straghtway marched them down again.
| Billy Crept down the stair with the unused
poker still in his fist. He realized that
if he went to the police station, which was
some distance away, the burglars would
be gone before help came.
Then the brilliant idea occurred to him
that he might follow the thieves silently
on his bicycle, mark their lair, come with
an ample police force at his back, and cap
tuTe the whole outfit, thus earning the eter-
nal gratitude OF the entire neighborhood.
Then the item would be headed "Clevel
Capture of a Band of Burglars-The 81
lent Cycle Follows Them to Their Rem
devious"
Billy got his machine out from its shed,
noiselessly unlocked the back gate, closed
ii again as silently as he had opened it, and
waited in the shadow of tree across the
way. In n very few moments the burg
lars came out, each carrying a bag. They
peered up and down the deserted street
and then slipped out, walking rapidly away
together. Billy had no difficulty in fol
lowing them. His only trouble was the
street lamps, which he avoided as well
as he could by keeping on the opposite
side of the road from them He hoped be
would meet a policeman, so that he might
give the alarm, and his Eish was graft
fled. The officer stepped unexpectedly
out from beside a tree, and he grasped
Billy by the arm.
"Why are you cycling out a this time
of the night without your lamp lit?''
MY lamp lit, you fool" gasped Billy
taken by surprise, and therefore not hav
ing time to choose his language with thu
] care O. man should use when addressing