The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1896-01-30

tain the intruder was not the same as
the first. Then began to wonder what
he would do.
II was not surprised to hear him try
tho door of the lower porch and find it
strongly barred within, nor greatly to
hear him climb the lattice as the other
had done. was curious to know wheth
er he would attack the door or the win
dow after he landed on the porch. By
singular coincidence he chose the win
dow. | heard him try 1t and imagined
that he started upon discovering that
the latch had been broken. 1t was evil
dent that upon entering the room he
was surprised and confused to see its
disorder But he drew a sheet from the
bed, spread it on the floor and proceed
ed to ransack the room. Evidently his
bewilderment increased and he must
have been discouraged to find SO little
worth taking.
He was not long III completing the
footing of the room, and then he went
to the door and stood moment in the
passage, listening inteNly. After that
he began carefully to descend the stairs
Lib NOhduCb NiltnOtlOl W dId WAS tAdClJJ
repetition of his predecessor He
passed my door, tinkled the plated sill
verware in the dining room, left 1T
alone, returned to the vestibule, stood
moment listening at my open door, eau
tlously retraced his steps up stairs,
passed through the window closed it,
dropped his parcel to the ground, clam
bered down the lattice and passed out,
closing the gate behind him.
&C 1t may be supposed that the coin
cidences amazed me beyond measure.
This, more than anything else, seemed
to unnerve me all the more. All this
time. realized | had been acting the
part of u coward. Merely to have light
ed the gas in my room would have clear
ed the house of the second burglar, but
| had not the courage to do that.
Ny alarm and nervousness became
so great that arose from bed and WAS
just about to strike match with which
to light the gas in the chandelier when
| heard the gate latch click for the third
time. My match remained innsbruck, and
| listened with fascinated intentness
to this last invasion. In all particulars
it was identical with the second, down
to the point when the burglar descended
the stairs and passed my open door on
his way to the dining room. To light
the gas then would have been to place
the man i'll corner and compel him to
fight. realized not only that it is tax
ing ones life III ones hands to cut off
burglar 5 retreat before attacking him
Gas Il know ledge Of "a chance of escape
diverts his attention from the necessity
for self defense and renders him easier
to overcome), but that l was now in Il
condition III which | lacked both the
courage and the strength to make the at
tempt.
The position which | now occupied
in the room Was half way between the
bed and the window. As was SO much
nearer the window than before, | could
hear sounds from without with much
more distinctness. While stood there
listening to the third burglar tinkle the
plated ware | was startled to hear tho
gate latch click again and the football of
a fourth burglar on the board paved
passage. AS he was climbing the lattice
"a fifth burglar entered the gate then Il
sixth, then others, until burglars in an
endless procession were entering my
premises and riting my house on one
common and unvarying plan.
1T is useless to say that an intelli-
gent man should not have entertained
such an idea for moment. We know
that | might have reasoned that perhaps
there had been only one, or, at most,
two, burglars after all, and that tho
fright which they gave me caused me to
conjure up the others from fear de
ranged imagination. 1t might he profit
able to indulge i'll IA great many other
speculations on this subject, but the
truth remains that | could not reason at
all.
In simple desperation perhaps moved
by q sort of fascination, | crept to tho
window in order to observe with idle
curiosity the procession Of burglars Ell
tering the gate turned the Stats of "a
lower blind and looked out. Not ii soul
visible, and yet burglars We're still pour
ing through the gate
''The explanation came like "A shock
ing revelation. The wind was playing
with some loose blind Stats Immediately
aDove my head as l stood there and out
of that slight and varying sound my
imagination had constructed the phan
tasy from beginning to end No burglar
at all had invaded my house | amused
and leased myself for some time after
ward by compelling my attention to
leave the rafting Stats at intervals and
fill my house with burglars Sian
Francisco Cab.