The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-01-15
HAD a TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE
Thought There Were Burglars, but a
Lawn Mower Solved the Myste-y.

Z "
Thought There Were Burglars, but a
Lawn Mower Solved the Myste-y.
"Yes," said the man with the blonde
mustache, that was terrible expe-
rience had that night"
And was it really burglars?" asked
one of the young women with a shud-
der, and she looked over her shoulder
with glance of terror, as though she
expected to see behind her ruffia My
looking fellow, with a black mask OH
his face and cooked revolver in his
hand.
III tell you all about it, replied the
man with blonde mustache 1t was
evident that he understood his bust
ness and did not intend to give away
the denouement chats French, you
know, for ''snap'D until he could do it
in true dramatic fashion.
"1'll tell you all about it," he said.
Everything was as still as death, or
suppose it must have been, for l was
sleeping like a log, when was sudden
ly aroused by peculiar rumbling
sound. 1t was like the noise of an ap-
preaching carriage. 1t grew louder
and louder until I knew it was close
at hand.
1T suddenly occurred to me that it
was burglars, and that they had come
in a wagon, the better to get away in
hurry in case of chase by the police
and for convenience in carrying off
their plunder.
Il leaped up on end in bed and sat
there listening and-yes, trembling, for
the situation was not pleasant"
'.Oh, it must have been horrid" ex-
claimed the young lady who had
spoken before. 81 know 1 shan't sleep
wink tonight"
II sat listening and listening" con-
tinued the man with the blonde mus
tache, "but not sound did hear. All
was still as the grave"
81 wish he would not talk about
graves" murmured the young lady
aforesaid; sit is CHASTITY enough with
out that
"All was still as it could be-" resum-
ed the story teller, intuitively chang
ing his smile, for he had not apparent
ly heard what was said. "All was still
as it could be, but all of sudden my
ears were pierced by a sharp click"
"And so 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?"
"Hushr' exclaimed the young lady
| with the fluffy hair. SOh, dear! it
makes me crawl all over. 1 can see it
all; one of the horrid creatures was
outside with the horse and wagon and
the other, the biggest and most fero-
cious one, had got into the house with
a billy or Jimmy or one 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. "After little 1
began to understand the situation"
"And you leaped out 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, ''or,,- indeed, how could 1?
When heard second click got onto
the racket. 1t was Urliburd'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 while
ago had felt herself unequal to hearing
the story.
Another young lady expressed the
opinion that it was "real mean," and,
take it all around, Blonde Mustache
would better have kept his yarn to him.
self.-Boston Transcript
Pride's Penalty.
Quite recently, into a railway car
riage at Oldham, stepped a young man
fresh from school evidently, and
wearing his first watch.
The very many proud glances which
he cast on the gold chain raised a smile
on the faces of his fellow passengers.
Apparently by accident, though mis-
chief might have been at the bottom of
it, the subject of watches was" brought
on the carpet"
"Ahv' sighed an old farmer, giving
the watch back to the young man, who
had handed it round for the inspection
of the company, that theer watch
minds me O. my own son."
"How's that?" asked several passen-
gers.
"Why, 1 gave i'm a watch when e
wur Is year owd, and it wur tn ruin of
i'm"
Being asked for an explanation. the
farmer continued:
'"Afore l gave it i'm, e wur the
straightest built lad for miles round;
but e 'adn't 'ad that watch above four
months afore e growed 'umpbacked
wi lookin' at the chain so much."-Tid-
Bits.