Connecticut western news., 1897-07-29

and tentative pulls at wrong drawers at last opened the right one, but failed to feel the wrap.
 'It must be in the wardrobe after all, :" she thought, and accordingly clos ed the drawer with some noise, tripped across the dark room, opened the ward robe door with some difficulty and bur jed herself in it's spacious recesses. Maurice was heavy sleeper, and consequently apt to be a bit bemuddled on first awaking-more especially in the dark. On this particular night, after ap- parently dreaming for full fortnight of excursions and alarums, he awoke with violent start. The room, to him, was pitch dark. There was not even the suspicion of moonlight on this side of the house. Besides, the blinds were down. He sat up, every nerve and sin CIV taut now. He was fully awake. By jingo," he breathed, and he felt the cold sweat start to his brow, ''she was right! They've come." He put out his hand to wake his wife. He felt her form under the bulging bedclothes at his side. He could hear the baby breath ing huskily. There was only one other person in that house unaccounted for. That was the little servant maid. But why should she be trying drawers in the spare bedroom? No, they had come, after all. Mrs. Green was right It was burglars.
 Maurice withdrew his hand, which rested on the hillcck by his side, with the thought: 'I'll not waken her, poor soul. She'd be scared to death.s I'll know the worst first. So thinking, and with sort of infatuation-which was perhaps bravery-to get a glimpse of the marauder, he stole out of bed, buttoned up his dressing jacket, took the little bedside chair by the back, and thus armed, his heart beating like a muffled drum, stealthily turned the cor ner between the two rooms
 A faint light came through the land ing skylight. Heavens The villain was at the other end of the room, right opposite the door. What he was doing he could not make out, for he looked like man seen through mist The wretch! Just then the draft along the landing took Maurice shrewdly on the bare legs. The influenza asserted it. self. He fought against it desperately for moment. It but augmented the force of the explosion. Like thunder bolt he sneezed.
 There was a muffled exclamation in the room. Maurice rushed forward with uplifted chair. The burglar, too, had seized a chair and was making at him with equal fury. Crash The house seemed 10 have fallen. There was a fearful chatter of falling glass, piero- ing shriek, the sound of body falling on the floor, and all was still but for the vail of the frightened babe in Nse room he had left.
 What had he done? He kneeled down, careless of broken glass, and his hand rested on bare foot. Sick with appre- hension, he groped elsewhere and en- countered plaited head and few curl ing pins. "A match, match, my king dom for matchl'' he would doubtless have said had he not been so terribly upset.
 Just then rectangle of light ap- peared and increased until, pale and trembling. stood the little maid in the doorway, faIthing dip in her hand, amazed to see the following tableau vivant: A wardrobe door swinging upon its hinges, with it's long mirror smashed to fragments; chair, with Q broken leg, lying close by; mortified man i'll anightshirt and dressing jacket, kneeling at the feet of prostrate wom- an in dead faint, a dressing gown and plaits, who was none other than the mortified man s wife.
 Maurice Green never turns the gas off at the meter now except when he takes his wife and family away for the sum- mer holiday. Mrs. Green still looks un- der the bed for possible burglars before retiring for the night, but Maurice has never dared to chaff her since he mis- took his own faint reflection in the wardrobe mirror for desperate burglar. London Tit-Bits.