The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-17
THE RETIRED BURGLAR.
A Very Lively Experience Following n visit to
u farmhouse.


AS n general thing said tho retired bur.
Elar, II stuck close tn my legitimate line Of
work, and never took anything but what 1
could carry off myself and dispose Of easily,
but occasionally when l was hnrl pressed I
would take bulky things and do the best |
could with them. But 1t never paid, and some.
thing happened once that made me give up that
sort Of thing for good.
"a farmhouse that | was looking over ono
night Ind nobody in ii, not n soul. They hadn't
gone for long, that was plain enough. Every.
thing was left just as it was. They d just gone
of for thc:night somewhere, maybe to a party or
something of that sort, but they was just as
far away now az they'd been in China, and l
might have carried the house Off and they not
know It. and that's what l did, pretty near.
There was scarcely any small stuff worth
carrying Off, and after I'd looked around II lit.
tic l thought l might as well TAKE n load. 1
could dispose Of 1t for something. l got to-
gcthcr in the hall n wagon load OF stuff, trunks
and one thing and another all ready to load. /
had been around to the barn previously to see
II there was u horse left, because didn't Know
but what they might have taken the only ono.
but there was n horse there. Ie was u big,
solid-lOoking horse, nothing particular about
him one way or the other, except he looked like
I, strong horse that could pull almost anything.
/ got the harness OH him and hooked him into a
farm wagon and got him GROUND TO the side Of
:hr hougc. l suppose | might Just Us wei. have
taken him to the front, but there WAS no use Of
being reckless about II.
"Wcll. | loaded the wagon with the trunks
and things till I'd got II pretty fair load, about
all | thought | could carry and make time with,
and, then | started, and we logged ;long the
road comfortable as could be Tor Il quarter OF n
mile or 50, when there was u squirrel or II chip.
muck. or something run across the road, and
I'm blessed il it didn't scare the old horse, and
in about II second and u quarter he was rum
ming away. And / sat there hangin' on to the
reins and yankin' and sawin' and tryin' to hold
him up. and hayin' Just about rs much effect on
him MS though I'd been a baby.
About. a quarter Of a mile further on-l
knew 1t because had come that way-thero
was II bridge over a brook that ran across the
road, just n common little bridge with barked
poles on each side for, a railing; there was a road
water. There was a house just the other side
OF this brook, and | was afraid II the old horse
night he'd wake up the folk? and rouse the
Off through the brook. I thought he d make
thought maybe the cold water would sober
him., too, and make him stop; and l got a twist
pulled. and / did get him turned Off II little at
the fork toward the, brook and l thought l had
s again a'I for s'1 tbe bridge rfd re- am and ri \ eo;uI II, hG b safSet TO
The bridge ratings were supported, in
side Of The bridge, the ends q ttRese poles being
In lower CrOtcneu SUCKS. W men inc. Ola morse
shcercd back from the ford. road to the bridge
road he got the approach to the bridge all
enough TO throw the hind axle over the end Of
the pole. protecting the approach. and it
jammed, in some way between the pole and the
crotchcd stick supporting 1t, and busted the
reach Of the wagon and tore OF the hind axle
old horse went pounding across the bridge and
half a mile further yet with the tail end OF the
wagon trailing on the ground and scatterin'
what not all along the road. When l finally
got him held up l was sitting in an empty
wagon with the dashboard up in the air.and the
floor sloping down to the ground.
Il might have got another wagon and gone
too much risk in that; maybe / could have
taken the horse along and got something for
him, but l might have been taken up for horse
stealth, and didn't fancy that; so l just
turned the old horse round and started him for
home and then ! started myself; and that's the
last try l made on bulk goods