Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1896-07-03

| MdNe "a 10 tho
"In house that was looking over
I'm town up the state one night, said
the retired burglar, Il came across
something that L never struck but that
onco III ali ny experience, strange as 10
may seem, and that was a lot Of we'd
ding presents, all just as they were ar
ranged for display. When turned my
| lamp into tine room, [ wished l had
brought horse and wagon; there was
a good deal OF it that wouldn't have
been Of any earthly use TO me, but it
seemed Il pity 10 leave amy Of it behind.
But if / couldn't carry it all off, could
have the fun Of picking, and | started
TO look the things over. They were ar
ranged on tables and chairs and on the
| floor around ON three sides Of the room !;
ON the side opposite to the side that |
| had come il at, and on the sides TO the
| right and left; running around those
| three sides in a sort Of irregular order.
| On the side where | was there were a
| few chairs. | thought ia start in on
| the left and work around TO the right,
| and / started from the door and had
gone about three steps when | went
down through the floor, as it seemed to
me, but what / had really done was to
step down through an open register. |
suppose somebody must have dropped
something down through it and have
taken 1t out to SET 1t and forgot to put
| it back
"Ihere Was wire screen under the
register over tho pipe opening to keep
things from dropping down the pipe,
but il was very tino light wire, and il
iidn stop mo al all; just slid down
into the piro, pushing that along under
my feet. When / dropped into the pipe
hld been facing to the left; in some
WayGSINcnt down got skewed around
50 hat Whcn cot down as far rs | did
20 l was facing 10 tho 'front.' that is,
toward the center Of the room. The
pipe didn't 20 straight down, hut with
1 curve. mad thrown up my hands az
l went down, and ] suppose | might
have gOuo plumb 10 the furnace if /
hadn't clutchod at the edge of the regis
en- opening and hung on. \ minute be-
fore ! was going to take my pick OF
rCOmtui; now where was [!
II had started across the room carry
ing my toolbag in ono hand and my
lamp in the other The shock when |
went down had shaken the bag out of
my hand, but had held on to my lamp,
though it WAS lying on its side now
With my fingers clutchiug through the
handle. The falling Of the toolbag and
The striking Of She lamp on the floor
md the scrapiug Of the wire gauze
down through the tin PIPE must have
made all together Il good deal of noise,
and / expected every minute to hear
somebody moving about up stairs and
coming down to h3ul me ont, but no.
body did come, and / set my lamp up
straight, and after I'd waited minute
or Two mo,e / started TO see if / could
Aaul myself ont.
As | lay in the pipe my head was
fellow the level of the floor; by great
effort l could raise myself so that the
upper half of IAy head was above the
1pening, but 10 higher; there was no
room for play; when I got that high,
found myself with my elbows close to
ny body and fairly wcdged into the
pipe; l Couldn't get any higher.
- let myself down again, and after
awhile l pulled myself up again, and
Held on by one hand and held up the
amp aud swung it round on the things
hen | lee myself down again, and won
dered what ! was going 90 do 1t WASH t
~ uncomfortable there in the posi-
Gon | was in, il was mighty hot and
emlcaaut every way II | let 90.
a.u't know lut that Id slide down
luiust the furnace, and, Of course,
uldn't stand it for an indefinite length
"a time, and when Ia been in the pipe
should imagine about two hours,
n"re up Ly mind that I wouldn't try
sad it ANY longer; I'd got to come
80 so.nc time, and Knight just as we'll
come out then; in fact, better, for while
tle chances OF my getting away at all
,re mighty small. they would be bet
,r At night than they would be in the
anytime.
$50 I made up my mind TO kick on
&c pipe and wake up the house and
nave the thing settled. So | kicked !
,lco, twice, and then | kicked again !
LII lY SIuLtHI kltheu lllt pipe open |
30 my feet. There was "A joint there, and |
d Kicked IT apart, and the sections i
as IN Sagged down with my weight. |
nd / slid out on the cellar floor. The
slgging down of that part of the pipe
detached it from the part above and it
fcll on the cellar floor alongside of me.
That made noise enough to wake every
hody up; there couldn't be any doubt
llout that.
l went ont by the same cellar win
dow THAT / came in by. Ii was the first
aud only such lot Of stuff that ever
>trnck, and / never got thing out Of |
t; in fact, | added something to it my
sef--a set OF tools and dark lantern. "
New York sun.
"The Pyramid Limp"
"The pyramid limp " as it has come
10 be called, is that state of body which |
A u n.