Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1896-12-25
HAD 4 TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE
Thought There We're Burglars, but g
Lawn Mower Solved the Mystery.

UAS s6NV6uOS
Thought There We're Burglars, but a
Lawn Mower Solved the Mystery.
EYES," said the man with the blonde
mustache, that was a terrible expe-
rience l had that night"
"And was 1t really burglars?" asked
M Of the young women with q shud-
der, and she looked over her shoulder
with a glance of terror, us though she
expected to see behind her a ruttianly-
looking fellow, with a black mask on
his face and a cooked revolver in his
hand.
"Ill tell you oil about It," replied the
man with a blonde mustache. It was
evident that he understood his bust
ness and did not intend to give away
the denouement Chats French, you
know, for ''snap'1 until he could do it
In true dramatic fashion.
"In tell you all about it." he said.
Everything was as still as death, or
I suppose it must have been, for I was
sleeping like a log, when I was sudden
~ aroused by a peculiar rumbling
sound. 1t was like the noise Of an APP
preaching carriage. 1t grew louder
and louder until I knew 1t was close
ut hand.
ut suddenly occurred to me that it
was burglars, and hat they had come
in a wagon, the better to get away in
a hurry in case OF a chase by the police
and for convenience in carrying off
their plumber.
II leaped up on end in bed and sat
there listening and-yes, trembling, for
the situation was not pleasant"
"Oh, 1t must have been horrid" ex-
claimed the young lady who had
spoken before. 81 know I shan't sleep
q wink tonight"
II sat listening and listening" o n
tinued the man with the blonde mus
tache, but not n sound did I hear. All
was still as the grave"
II wish he would not talk about
graves" murmured the young lady
aforesaid; sit is CHASTITY enough with
out that" &.
"All was still as 1t could be" resum-
ed the story teller, intuitively chang
ing his smile, for he had not apparent
ly heard what was said. cali was still
ms it could be, but all of a sudden my
ears were pierced by a sharp click"
"And 81 it was burglars, and they
must have been right in your room.
too" remarked the young chap with
the big-headed cane. did they kill
you? No, of course they didn't do that;
but did they-what did they do. any
way?"
'Hush!" exclaimed the young lady
with the fluffy hair. ooh, dear! 1t
makes me crawl all over. 1 can see 1t
all; one of the horrid creatures was
outside with the horse and wagon and
the other, the biggest and most Zero.
cious one, had got into the house with
n billy or Jimmy or N Of those awful
things they give pet names to, and
there he was standing over you with a
pistol in his hand, and"
Not exactly" broke in the man with
the blonde mustache. "4After n little 1
began to understand the situation"
and you leaped u of bed and laid
the miscreant dead at your feet?" sug-
.gested the girl who had aspirations for
the stage.
mo. why should II" replied Blonde
Mustache, cor, indeed. how could 1?
When I heard a second click 1 got onto
the racket. 1t was U%rliburd's con-
founded lawnmower. He is the great
est fellow you ever saw for getting up
hours before daylight and pushing that
beastly lawnmower of his all over his
place."
"And so it wasn't burglars after all:"
murmured the young lady who n while
ago had felt herself unequal to hearing
the story.
Another young lady expressed the
opinion that it was real mean," and,
take 1t all around, Blonde Mustache
would better have kept his yarn to him
'self.-Boston Transcript.