Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-11-13
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
. SOME SHORT STORIES. :

sss "tsuo' oetS W AoSAaSs oaa itNCo
alone He 10 just recovering from
IN experience which frightened him
to such IN extent that his dreams
are nightly haunted by the visions Of
robbers 81 returned to my led giDgs
rather late the other night" he said.
explaining the Affair TO confidential
friend. IAN by neighbors we're in
bed. I should Iadge. The gas light
was Pickering dimly in tbs hallway
ut the head Of the stairs tiptoed to
ny room. and placed the key in the
door. turned the knob and pushed,
but some obstruction bsaind tho
door prevented its opening. I
showed again. There was noise
~ishin rs " something fell.
What's tast?' 4 asked myself.
paused s~oont to- listen. Al
YES eth. Then l medita,ed over the
sdvissbiiiy 81 AWAKENING the other
people in &c house, or whether 4,
~ould be better 10 20 to police head
quarters and ask an officer tn aecLm
P1ny the 10 my rooms. bu. Iaa.
would te cowardly. concluded.
The door wss now sjsr. / reached
ny hand in and caught hold of a
chair. which had been placed against
IL. When I pushed on tho door tiess
tho obstruction fell over against the
door. OF my bed chamber which wa-
partly open. That is VIVA, caused
the racket. But who moved that
chair over In front Of the door, vas
what bothered rue. The room Va.
dark as night. The hsllway light
gave me no assistance. / had 10
mstehes with me. So mustered I'd
coursge and walked into the room.
keeping my back toward the wall
aud my eye on the open door. edy,pg
down toward stand on which 4
KEEP. q match case. Irervously fun.
oled over the stand. aud finally got
hold OF match and lighted the gss.
"a glance NJ the room nearly made
me faint. A large rug in the nidd e
OF the floor was bslf folded DIP, with
q rocking chair placed upon IL.
had been burglarized, Thought. MY
next ordeal was TO look in my bed
room. There was where the burglar
vas. paused sgsin TO think. / fiy-
urei IL on, that the fellow had
crawled in the transom over nv
ioor, aud had placed the chair there
o escape. and was getting ready to
ge: out when I arrived. He was
aiding under the bed. and the mo-
ment / entered the room he would
spring ct ne and probably l wou &
bs killed.
"But brsvod IL. anyway. struck
another match and rushed to the "a.
jet over the bed and lighted 1t. I
grabbed my revolver from tho dres.
ser. Then felt safer. loot cd
under the bed. Butthcre was no one
there. looked In every nook and
corner 81 both rooms. bat I was
alone. took mental inventory OF
ny effects. BAT nothing WAS dis
,utbei but the rug and the chairs.
81 locked the door and sat down Ia
think 10 over aud Iarrlved =, the con-
clusion thu, i. was ali joke. Bat
there is bat one key 10 the door. aud
| had that / could not figure IL out
| worried all night over the at sir. ana
next day started an investigation.
met = msn who ran n store beneath
NY lodgings. He asked me what was
the matter With the radiator il nv
room. told bin nothing that I
knew Of and then no told me tina: the
night before he came to his store aud
found water dripping from the
ceiling on his goods. He knew tie
water came from my room. lie
could not ind me, so be secured a
ssepiadder and crawled through the
iransom into my place aad turned
of the radiator. Then I fel, much
easier"
Bat the bachelor did not tell how
he sat mp until daylight. when he
fol! to sleep and did not turn up at
the office until noon.
-
Jack Aud says it was not his taul,
that he did not carry musket in the
late unpleasansness between the
north and south.
He was living in that part OF Chi
cago now known as Blue Island when
the war broke ont. He was then Is
lie wanted TO be q soldier Ike his
brother. His father sid he was too
young. But he felt different atou,
IL. His patriotism was beyond his
control. and with q companion he
started for the mastering Office. H.
was nervous and excited when he
marched in to be examined.
One Of the ply sicians took hold Of
him roughly and o, dered him TO hold
up his hands. Jack Gays he was 50
frightened he could hardly answer
the questions put at him. The doc.
tor placed his ear over Jacks heart.
"Why you've got pllpitation Of tie
teirs. boy" he said 'Can't use
you
And Jack With his companion lef,
~TA