Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1898-11-03
Under the Window Sash
BY Mattheru White. Jr.


Wilton was one year younger and from
New York; but during the summer. the
Applebys and the Wiltons occupied adj
joining cottages at Lake Beach, and
thus Fred and Tom always set off their
Fourth of July firecrackers together.
The former seemed TO know how to
do almost everything, from construct
ing big kite to sailing boat; so,
when the Wiltons decided to take a
fortnight's trip to the White noun
tains, and were compelled to shut up
their house meantime, as the servants
Unexpectedly left in a body, it was
quite natural that Tom should ask
Fred to keep an eye on it.
"You remember how angry that Eng
lish coachman was when father dis
charged him last week?"' he hurriedly
explained, just before the train left.
'Well, he might hear in some way
about our all going off, and, although
I don't suppose he'd risk breaking in
himself, he may send friend of his
down from the city, you know. So
keep"
But at that moment the cars moved
off, and Tom had to run for them.
Fred, however, fully comprehended
what was required of him, and re-
solved to prove himself worthy of the
trust.
His mother being widow, he had
for the past two years been man of
the house" at home, and, indeed, his
height and weight combined were cal
culated to keep small boys very re-
spectful in his presence.
AS soon as he had seen Tom safely
gain the rear platform of the last car,
Fred walked back to the cottages,
which stood apart from the other
houses in the village, the Wilton's be-
ing bounded on one side by a wood.
There was neither fence nor hedge
to separate the grounds from the,Ap-
plebys' and after making sure that
every shutter had been closed, Fred
strobe back across the lawn t his own
piazza.
They might almost as well be open,
though he reflected, "as all one has
to do is to slip his fingers through the
Stats and lift the latch. They ought to
have nailed them up as they do in the
winter; but stop! I don't believe a
man could get his hand in. So won't
worry about that point of approach"
Three times every day Fred walked
around the cottage, which always
stared back at him with the same
closed, inhospitable air, and at the
end of week he concluded that the
wrathful coachman must have forgot
ten all about the Wiltons and Lake
Beach. However, he still kept up his
careful daily inspection of the prem
ises, thereby winning from his mother
and sister the title of "the young
guardsman-"
One day, just before lunch, he caught
up the baseball bat he always carried
on these occasions, and started on his
moon patrol. AS he crossed the divid-
ing line between the grounds, he dis
tinctly heard a shutter slam in the di-
rection of the Wiltons' dining-room,
and quickening his steps, he rounded
the corner of the wing in time to see
the body and legs of a man dangling
from a window on the ground floor, his
head and arms being already inside.
Caught in the act!" exclaimed Fred,
under his breath, as he dashed forward
and fear!essly grasped the burglars
coat with one hand, dropped the sash
with the other, and then held his man
down under it with both.
| The robber screamed and kicked Wig
orously, but Fred paid no attentio j
to the former and skillfully managed
to avoid the latter; however, now that
he had captured his man, like a good
many other people similarly situated,
he did not know what to do with him.
He could not stand there holding his
prisoner under the window for an in
definite period, and yet he did not like
to release him, for fear he should prove
to be stronger than himself; as it was,
he had the rascal at u decided disad-
vantage, and Fred finally decided to
keep him there while he shouted for
help.
But on whom should he call? There
was no man about the place, except
now and then an old Irishman, who at
tended to the garden, and in an emer-
gency like the present he was scarcely
to be depended on; nevertheless, he
was better than nobody, so the young
guardsman began to shout: mike
Mike!" with all his lungs, at the same
time pressing down the sash a little
tighter on the thief, who, as Fred
could now make out, was youth not
much older than himself, and very
slim.
THAT Englishman hasn't forgotten
after ALL" unused Fred, between hi:
cries for the gardner; "and mas beer
sharp enough to send some one will
smaller hands than his own, too. Blu
why he should have chosen broad day
light for his attempt passes me, al
though, to be sure, he may have
thought, and with some show of sense
that nobody'd be on the lookout TO
burglars then. / wonder if I couldn'
manage this young fellow by myself
In lacsdx here Il