The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-06-01
SAVED BY A BURGLAR

1
Quized Brickey in a subdued voice.
Young Teller, If there don't seem to be
no openin' in this world for you. make
onev An here's lookin at you, papa"
| With which invocation the hopeful son
gave a deft turn to the shining little In
strument that he had inserted In the key
hole and opened the door with an infinitesi-
NAL crack.
| He carefully reconnoitered, then rose
and walked lightly but boldly to the bed.
The gas was burning dimly, revealing in
| the lace-draped couch q 4-year-old child
Her fieecy curls were tossed round her
flushed face and the restless movements,
the frown Of pain on the white forehead.
| showed plainly that she was not sleeping
the sleep of perfect health.
kid looks bad" commented Brickey,
looking down a moment on the pretty pic
| ture. Nurse skipped to make night of
1t, an locked the Kid in to git along all by
herself alone Blamed If she amt put the
lamb to bed with that cold, shiny neck
| lace a-chokin' her. She shan't be choked;
| no, she shan't.'
STOPPING the benevolent visitor loosened
the slender coral chain deftly from the
dimpled neck.
"Brickey-brac! brickey-brac!" he NUT
tered disparagingly. "Too much! Piles of
money spent on trash that amt worm car
ryin' of, an the town full Of suffering bur-
| glars. It's shame-hallo!"
He turned round quickly at a queer
sound from the bed. and put his hand on
| the ugly looking weapon at his side.
The strange. choking sound had come
| from her. The dimpled arms were tossed
over her head. and the face drawn and
crimson in an effort to breathe. one
brassy cough told the story.
1.-THE deucel the young ones got the
croup!"
| He looked down on the suffering child
with something like pity in his tough
soul.
AN she'll choke in a jiffy. I'd like to
have that nurse by the back Of the neck
just a minute! Coin off an leavin' that
sick kid with burglar. Burglars amt no
| trained nurses!"
The child seemed to breathe easier Just
then.
That's the ticket! Mabbe she'll pull
through. But it's getting early. What's
this?"
A fine old oil painting hung on the OPP
| posite end of the room. 1t was of very
precise, very stiff, very aristocratic elderly
woman in a coal scuttle bonnet, and every
thing about her suggestive of rigid re-
spectability. On the corner Of the picture
frame hung that same bonnet, yellowed
with age.
Family relic," said Brickey. giving
way to his humor, and detaching the
bonnet from its peg, he put 1t on his own
| head. IF the boys could see me now!'
Another brassy. ringing cough from the
bed drew Brickeys attention from milli-
| merry.
Something ought to be done." Brickey
muttered, anxiously. Somebody ought to
be called. The kids chokin' to DEATH"
1t is probable that the little child would
have persisted 'unaided by the physicians"
but for a sudden idea that visited Brickey's
fertile brain just then, and which caused
him to double up with laughter.
Across the bed was a dainty coverlet Of
fairy white lace; with the bonent still on
his head, Brickey draped this round his
greasy clothes from neck to heels.
Passing softly into the passage. he
looked round minute. then tried door
on the opposite side.
LOCKED tight an right acrost from the
darlin'! This Is the parents room, III
bety' was Brickey's reflection, as his skel-
eton key opened the lock noiselessly.
The dim light from dying fire revealed
on the bed middle-aged woman with
much the same severely respectable feat
ures as the picture in the child's room. A
gentle snore arose from her thin and cor
rect nose as the ghostly figure glided
across the room. .
It took brief look at the dressing table,
made a mysterious pass over a heavy
jewel case, at which the case vanished
strangely, then turned toward the bed.
But let Mrs Hopkins tell the rest just as
she has told It scores of times since to won
dering friends, and just as she wrote 1t up
for the Society Of Mythical Research"
Immediately after.
IT had been sleeping, Henry being away
on important business in the country at
the time. I was awakened by the distinct
impression of q cold hand in contact with
my brow. I started; opened my eyes,
Before me, distinctly visible in the evanes-
cent light of the expiring embers. stood my
deceased mother. Belvidere Proserpina
Dowdall, in her habit as she lived.
1.-THE same bonnet, even, in which her
picture was taken over 80 years ago-here
the bonnet was invariably produced, hand
ed round, and viewed with awe-a misty
aureole seemed to surround her form.
IT sprang upright! She seemed to re-
cede. was speechless! She looked down
on me sadly. warningly, and waved her
hand!
Go to your Child she said, go to your
child
'Then she seemed to fade away through
the open door, which I positively recalled
having locked when retired.
II seemed impelled to follow; was ire
sistibly drawn toward my daughter
room. There I found the reason of this
most extraordinary manifestation. The
nurse had surreptitiously slipped away to
spend the night in the servants hall. My
child was writhing In the commissions of
Group. 1t was only by the most strenuous
exertions that we saved her life; but for
my dearest mothers timely appearance
she would have died."
Just then dead silence of creepy won
der always falls on the deeply impressed
company, and Mrs. Hopkins husband, sit
ting meekly back in a corner, knows bet
ter than to suggest a connection between
the burgled house, open windows and
Mrs. Belvidere's ghost. He did 1t once;
he won't do 1t again.-London Evening
News.
The Negro Soldiers
like the colored regiments. but they