Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-06-10
On her hands and knees she crept

along the edge of the bushes. keeping
herself we'll screened. until she reached
the kitchen door Slipping through
it, she stood still and listened breath
lessly, but could hear no sound. Evi-
IDENTIFY the robber was in distant part
of the house.
With trembling hands she pushed
open the door leading into the sitting
room, and then stood still again, lis
tening intently. A moment later she
almost screamed out with terror, for
she could hear the muff1ed sound of 5
,footstep in the next room, which was
the spare bedroom, and then the creak
# an opening drawer reached her ear.
A''He's getting at the bureau" she
Thought. ssPapa's watch is in one of
the drawers, I think. The robber
muh't find it; I'll not let himp' she
added, wave of heroism sweeping
through her bosom.
Shahesitated no longer. Her whole
being was mastered by one supreme
purpose to save her fathers gold
watch. ASwiftly and noiselessly she
glided ito the hallway, on the wall
of which hung her fathers shotgun on
two stout wooden hooks. She knew
that it was loaded. Under the cir
cumstances she felt justified in touch
ing it, although she had never dared
to touch it bejere She sprang upon
chair standing beneath the weapon,
whose muzzle pointed directly over
the top of the door of the room in
which burglar WIS plying his business.
Yes, she could reach the gun. It
took but momensto cock the ham
mer, as she had oftsn seen her father
do; then, bracing her nerves by SUI
preme mental effcra she placed her
slender forefnger against the trigger,
closed her eyes, and dressed with all
her might. There foil swed deafen-
ing explosion and binding flash, and
the load of shot was buried in the op-
posite wall. The conclusion almost
stunned the girl, but she had self
possession enough to spring from the
chair and dodge into dark, corner for
safety, should the robber come into
the hall.
A moment of silence ensued, and
then she heard few heavy footballs
in the next room, followed by loud
crash of broken glass, and she knew
that the terror stricken robber had
leaped through the window and made
his escape. Her plan, which had been
simply to brighten him away, had sue
ceeded, and her heart bounded with
exultation.
Through one of the windows she
saw the bold robber scampering across
the meadow toward tract of woods.
Then she rushed out of the front door
and dived in among the bushes, where
she lay trembling with excitement and
fright for half an hour. Then her
father, mother, Liza and little Neddie
returned, her parents having become
uneasy about her.
ooh, papa! mammal she cried,
laughing and crying Historically, as
she sprang from her hidingplace, 'I
scared him away! I scared him away!"
"What do you mean, Katie?" they
asked in surprise.
IT scared the robber away" and she
quickly sketched her adventure.
Her father fastened into the house,
and examined the dismantled bureau.
s'You dear, brave girl!'' he said,
pressing her to his bosom; ''you
frightened the rascal away just in
time He had almost found the watch.
See, it was under the pile of clothes
that he was tumbling aside when you
scared him by firing off the old gun.
You're a genuine heroine, Katie
Her mother, too, had to kiss and hug
her
"And nobody'll call me 'fraidy cat
any more, will they?" she asked de-
murely.
ono, indeed" declared her father,
his face beaming with smiles. ''You're
a soldier-as brave a soldier as ever
fought on battlefield; and, more than
that, you know how to obey orders
when-when other people run from
the post of duty
AS he spoke he looked slyly at Liza.
Detroit Free Press.