The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1895-08-08


he saw them 80 cfl cuei H.l, II
iBo~s we're alone. Bu, this burglar Won
y tsle ~ 10. wlll be, Lolo'
- TIE girl had uos slipped on her dres
abd bad come into the boys room tot pre-
itotiou.
He'll oaleh It pretty soou, qasyered Hsl
= II be tries 10 get 10, bope the .tuhi
90 of
He bad hardly expressed this modes
y desire before be heard the front door for
. osd open. There Was a chatter OF ito tbs
might have walked mummy. Then 70
loved re,ouuding shrek 10 spite o
their terror ,the boys could not help lsusl
ing
III bet ihst caught him 10 the eye II,
Won't burgle long 10 this house, said Hal
gathering courage from the very suliblC
gtosns lm going to look over the
stsits and see II can hit him With the
bat
The uptoed so lightly that they could
hardly hear themselves, snd when they
got to the railing they peered cautiously
over down stairs. II the burglar lcould
have only known how harmless were the
trembling iohsbitsnts of the upper
stvry
The only sounds were u succession OF
grosns and gureles and scutiiings OF feet
snd mutil CALCULATIONS that found no dii
hculty 10 reaching the cbildrens ears.
Oh, my head What an awful placel
| wish I'd stsid. What am in2 All at
once there was smother crash,
! It's the chairs this time. whispered Lolo
as softly as she could. | hope be won't
brsnk them all up.
The children could hear the intruder
wrestling with the rounds of the chairs n
which bis feet had evidently become eni
tangled.
There's II OF 'eml whispered Billy.
Even while be spoke, the burglar extricst
ed himself and made rush ss if to go
ont.
But the stairs we're 10 front of the dim
i1g room door and, being turned about 10
the dark, aud 10 a strange place. he made,
instead, a dive upwsrd.
He's coming up Give it to him shrek
ed Hal,
There was splash Of water - then the
clawing Of hands upon a toboggsn. There
was clstter OF springs and stats rs the
bed toppled over from above Then hat
came wblrling through the darkness at
the emmeshed man, A pair Of skates suc
ceeded "A pitcher Of water drowned the
whole
Splutters bowls grosns and even sbrieks
OF agony now reverberated through the
house. 1t was as il D regiment were STAN
peded below. Judging by the cracking of
stats and the clsuking Of dishpans and
the wash boiler. the burglar was ow max
ing the effort of bis life to escape.
By this time Hal had opened the win
dow, and thinking the final crisis had
come, fired sll the cham bers OF his fathers
revolver into space. Billy blew tin horn
almost as big as himself, while Lolo rang
the dinner bell as il a thousand laborers
were to be c!lled from q thousand miles
away.
In five min utes q dozen neigbbors were
hocking to the house. Several places had
been entered and robbed during the last
few weeks, and they were ready for any
emergency.
After some little consultation, the neigh
bors formed q bold column and pushed
10, each holding his pistol in front OF him
At full cock.
On the floor in front OF the psrlor door
sat a poor parslyzad fgur He was the
most ridiculous burglar that respectable
home had ever caught.
There he sat, helpless, battered aud
orni-ed, with family Iic'ure caught
around bis neck evidently not daring TO
move. His head was protrndiDg thrt ugh {
he portrait. Instead OF shrinking away
rom his captors, the burglar grosned:-
Thank God, you'ye come Where sm +
2 What luLslc asylum bsve | struck2
Sir, repfoved the potato man - Deacon b
5mithkint-
Smthkins? Is this John Suithkins
rouse? Impossible In the end OF
lis sentence was Ios, 10 the effort to pull U
I'm ont Of 'he family portrait. The two
'ere separated as gently as possible, while II
be Deighbors gathered courage TO view g.
he wreck by which they were surround U
d. 0
Come down cried MIR Baldwin. Come II
Iowu, children. You needn't be afraid,
We've got him safe, 3
Nov. who are you? demanded Mr.. Bald e
IiD sternly. What DO you mssn by enter d
ng honest peoples houses at uigh'
Where's the constsblef Il
Where's John Smithkins2 asked the L
,urgIar ieebly, He'll know me.
Pspss gone to New York to meet Uncle 81
henry on the steamer, spoke up Hal, tax
ng step besrer. He told me to guard O.
be house. Ididn't think we'd catch you, o
II. as easy az that. u
Over the breeding face Of the prisoner D
here stole pl.lutiye smile, a
Well. ssi the burglar, rslog sttiiy. y
u your UBc.e eurt. My steamer came b
0 five hours early aud | took the frt -
rain could. 10 get down here and surI 81
rise them. Id have stayed 10 Austrslis o.
~ known bos my rels ives were going !
o treat me 10 this country.
Uncle Henry gssped Lolo 81
Y-s. continued ! victim Of his ue
be~'. pstent continuation bntglar pr0tec 10