The Opelousas courier., 1897-08-07
; OUR BURGLAR ALARM,

My sister Kate and [ were very
nearly of an age, but we were not
alike III any way except that we were
both tall and both had freckles! These
troubled us, and many were the expert
ments we tried to remove from our
faces the Objectionable effects of the
open-air life We led.
Father was a farmer, and we lived
nine miles from the country town.
Mother was a systematic and careful
h~ousekeeper, and SO engrossed in her
kitchen and dairy duties that she sell
dom made calls on her neighbors and
never went to town unless she was
obliged to.
She was, therefore, q little annoyed
when father said at breakfast, one
morning, that she must accompany
him to What day. Nevertheless,
she got ready, after a little demur, and
took her seat in the dogcart an hour
later with IN air of resignation that
made us all smile.
We had The beds to make, the break
fast dishes TO wash, and the whole
house to put in order, SO we were as
busy as bees until - o'clock, and had
no time to think Of being lonely.
But we found the afternoon 90
slowly, and [ was beginning to feel
that it would be pleasant to see moth
er's face again, when a newspaper that
[ had placed behind the clock on the
kitchen mantel caught my eye. This
turned my thought into a different
channel.
"Kate," said, 'ssuppose we make
some of the complexion compound we
read about, the other day? We shall
never get a better opportunity. Mother
may not be away again for weeks.
Here it is:
Ladies' who are troubled with
freckles will be glad to learn that a
few applications Of a mixture of
glycerine, cascarilla powder, tar,
lemon JUICE and olive oil will effectually
remove them and leave the skin soft,
smooth and tinted like an Infants"
I'm willing to try it," said Kate.
but we haven't the ingredients"
eyes, we have" I answered ; for,
unknown to her, Ihad one day during
the previous week, when father had
taken me to town, obtained them from
the druggist and grocer.
We were soon at the kitchen stove.
diligently mixing and stirring the de-
c%oction, and it was a sorry looking
mess when we at last took it from the
stove. We had, however, faith in its
efficacy, and with great satisfaction
we poured it into a large bottle, which
we hid behind the wardrobe in u
room to await use at bedtime.
While we were getting upper we
were startled by O terrific peal Of
thunder, the forerunner of one of the
most violent storms that ever ragged in
our district. For two hours the rain
poured in sheets, flooding the yard
from the house to the stable, and turn
ing the little brook by the barn into q
roaring river.
The clock struck 9. sDon't YOU
think we had better go to bed ?" said
Kate, folding up her apron. 81 do
not think there is any use in u sit
ting up"
With much laughter we got u big
bottle of complexion yarnish.o a.
Kate called it. Taking a piece of rag,
we gave to our faces a thick coating,
which resembled nothing else I had
ever seen before or have seer since.
In too tired to sit up" said Kate.
why can't we make cloth masks /?
Where's that old pique cloth YOU were
cutting up yesterday"
The masks were 0 made. They
were simply long pieces of white cloth
reaching from the tops of our fore
heads to the collars Of Il night
dresses, with small holes for the eve
aud nostrils. We attached strings to
them and tied them on.
We both soon fell asleep. It must
have been near midnight when / was
awakened by a noise in the dining
room which was directly below the one
occupied. It sounded as if some
was moving about stealthiiy-or
something, rather, for I decided at
'nce that it was the dog.
"Kate," I said, eve must have shut
Did Tige up in the diningroom. Very
likely he hid in the cupboard when the !.
torn came on and fell asleep there.
must go down and let him out"
We did not stop to put on our shoes
II light a candle, but stole down Just
IS we were and entered the sitting
DOM, which communicated with the
llnlngroom by a folding door.
What was our surprise and horror (
Q see the back Of one man in the cup {
directly opposite US, and another
engaged by the light of a Ian !
ern IN preparing to take the silver .
nd linen from the dining table, in {
seemed to be a stout canvas bag.
The sound made by the opening Of S
he door caused the man at. the table :