Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1896-12-16
'"Therc are burglars in the house!
DON'T Won hear nnisa2 IiStnnrv

near anything put my own heart thump-
ing like an engine. Of course | was not
bit frightened, but l was dreadfully
startled at being walked suddenly in that
way.
There! Don't you hear them NOV
ing! whispered mamma again.
Then | did hear a sound as of some
one walking softly in the long hail. fol-
lowed by low tinkling noise.
Then, everything seemed to come into
my mind at once, how the twins were all
by themselves, across the hall, unpro-
tected-though papa said afterwards that
this was ridiculous, for burglars didn't
go about looking for twins and how
we had been SO busy filling their stock
ings that we had forgotten to put the
silver away. Even mammals handsome
service, which grandpa gave her when
she was married, had been taken out of
the vault to be cleaned, ready for use on
Christmas day, and left in the dining
room!
where's papa's pistol?" I asked, for
| had thought of all this while l was
listening.
Then we heard the tinkling sound
again.
"They are carrying off the silver"
said mamma, wringing her hands.
With that she got up, and closing her
door very softly, SO that the burglars
might not hear, she ran into the front
room.
When got to her she was leaning out
of the window, crying, "Help! Help
a man, who said afterwards that he
had been seeing Christmas in," was
just passing.
whats the matter?'' he shouted.
''The house is full of burgloJs," said
mamma
''Where?" cried the man.
Here, come Quick!'
Il must get help" be said and with
that he ran across the street and hanged
on fhn II 80 h. -
Somebody threw up a window and
shouted:
SIS it fire?'
"No burglarsr'
Then | think everybody in that house
shrieked at once. When they had
the man at the door said something to
the one at the window, and then went
into the hall.
OH groaned mamma, 'he's desert
ed u.s.
But, as he told us afterwards, he had
only gone in to telephone for the police.
In a moment the two men came out
together, and our neighbor had his shot
gun.
When mamma saw them coming. she
ran to put on q Dress and then slipped
down the back stairs to let them in. She
told me to stand in her room with napa's
pistol, ready to rush out to protect the
me to hold the pistol at arms length
and point the muzzIe at the ceiling, for
fear that l might shoot myself.
1t seemed to me long time before
mamma and the two men came up the
stairs. Then we all four tiptoed down
the hall towards the room at the end.
where the whispering and noises seemed
to be behind the heavy portiere.
The man with the gun went first, and
when he had got nearly to the door, the
other man stumbled against him, knock
ing him clear through the curtains, into
awful noise | ever heard, shrieks and
screams as if somebody We're being muir
dered Mamma was SO terrified that
she nearly tainted.
One Of the men threw the portiere
back, and there seated on the floor, in
the freight, with their toys around
them were the twins in their little
gowns, holding on to their half-empty
stockings and yelling like cats.
Mamma rushed in, taking them both
in her arms at once. AS soon as they
were quieted down bit, they sobbed:
I'VE knew Santa Claus had come, and
we couldn't wait till morning to see what
he had brought us. We didn't want to
wake you, SO we just tiptoed and whis
pered, and our toy bells would keep tink-
ling."
I think we may so home now, madam,
leaving you to take care OF your own lit
tie burglars" said one of the men, and
they laughed as if they would never stop.
Just then we heard the noise of wheels,
followed by a sound as if some one were
trying to get in downstairs. Mamma,
who said her nerves were completely
shattered" gave a loud shrek, and that
started the twins to yelling again.
Then there was noise at the front
door as if it would be battered down.
One of the men ran to the nearest
window.
You had better give yourselves UP"
said a voice outside. 1--WE have sur
rounded the place"
Great Scottr' cried the man, jerking
in his head. It's the police! They
think we are burglars and are ready to
shootr'
What shall we do?' cried mamma
Telephone to the police station and
ask them to call off their army"
This made me think of something, so I
call up our opposite neighbor, and tell his
wife that if she didn't come over to let
the police know we are ''all right" her
husband would be killed for burglar.
| suppose that scared her, for presently
! somebody came running across the street
The police stopped grumbling, and the
two men, after wishing that we might
spend the rest of the night in peace,
went away laughing.
Then mamma said:
'Oh, John, just look at my headn'
1t was all done up in crimps.
When papa came home, he said:
THAT pistol hasn't been loaded in ten
yearsr'
l have written all this down just as it
happened. Mamma changed some of the
words, but when she said / need not tell
about her crimpS, papa Said
Eyes, it would not be a true account if
I left out something"
So, have given it to you, crimps and
alp Philadelphia Times.
Are There Others Like Her?
Here is a good story from the New