Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1899-11-02
A MOCK BURGLAR.

Personally" said Belts, referring to
the subscription fancy dress dance in aid
Of the Woplington Mission to Inebriates-
personally, I shall go as a burglar"
"Oh, doP' said Tamplin. "Or go as the
Duke of Wellington. You'd look about
as much like one as you would like the
other"
The difference between Belts and Tam
plin was largely based Oh a social question.
Both were young, married, suburban,
moral, but neither was quite sure that the
other belonged to a class from which, as a
matter of fact, both we're 100 miles away.
Belts would say, "But do you think
Tamplin-a good fellow, no doubts
quite good formP" And, changing the
name to Belts, Tamplin would put the
same question.
They spoke when they met, and always
unpleasantly. There was nothing in the
present occasion to cause the social ques-
ton to rankle. Both were free to 90 to
the dance. The charity of a subscription
dance is very, very wide. 1t is trying to
cover the largest possible multitude Of
subscriptions all the time, and it general.
ly does 1t. Nor could Belts have seen
that the histrionic difficulty was involved
either.
But Tamplin had an idea. And about
this time Tamplin took to standing up
parently unmeaning drinks to Bilson.
Now, Bilson was in the greepgrocery and
occasionally added a glory to a local din
ner by waiting at 1t, and was to have the
charge of the oloakroom at the subscrip-
ton dance in aid of the Woplington Mis-
sion to I%nebriates.
And in course of time Belts arrayed
himself as a burglar. His disguise had
been the subject of much thought, both
on the part of himself and of Mrs. Belts.
Originally, Mrs. Belts had intended to go
as Queen Boadicea. A flood Of bright his
torical light deferred her from that char
acter, and finally a IN acute attack Of hay
fever kept her from the dance altogether.
ticket pocket of his %overcoat, and she was
sure she hoped he would enjoy himself
and not wake her on hi. return. And
Belts did enjoy himself. He vas com-
plimented on the complete accuracy Of his
costume by many kindly people. At 1
o'clock in the morning he was feeling
good all over. At 2 O'Clock he decided to
end one of the most enjoyable evenings
of his life and go home. In the oloakroom
his coat was ready In a moment. Outside,
his cab drove up at once, and the driver,
though drunk, was not nearly so drunk as
Belts, with every good reason, had ex-
pected.
"Luck's In my way" he said to himself
as he drove off.
But when he reached home he was by
way, for he felt In the ticket pocket of his
overcoat, and the key was not there. He
was perfectly certain that he had put 1t
there when he went out, and the only pos
sible supposition was that Bilson, by care
lessly handling the overcoat, had allowed
the key to fall out. Well, there were sew
eral courses open to Mr.. Belts. He could
throw up a handful of stones against the
window of the room occupied by Mrs.
Belts and bring her down to open the
door to him. This he thought of, but with
a shudder, and put it by as impossible.
Mrs. Belts did not like being awakened
at . In the morning. He might have
waited yet a few hours and have got in
with the milk, but Mrs. Belts was a curl
GUS woman-one who asked many ques-
lions and rarely believed in any answers.
Or he might have returned and searched
for his key in the cloakroom, but this
would have involved a considerable
amount of chaff. No, he could not go
back. He walked around the house twice,
like a lonely nocturnal cat, but all the
windows on the ground floor were fas.
tened, and there were shutters behind
them. The walls were just as solid as
when he had left them earlier that night.
He stepped back a little from the house
and looked up. joy! The window of the
bathroom on the ground floor had, very
oarelessly, been left open. He would GER
tainly reprimand Susannah severely for
this neglect Of her duty, but In the mean
time he would avail himself Of It. There
was a ladder at the other end of the gar.
den. The window was out of sight Of the
road. Once more fortune seemed to smile.
1t struck him as a humorous thing that
not only at the dance but also in the man.
ner Of his return, he should keep up his
kurglarious character. As he placed the
ladder in position the humor appeared to
him so strongly that he laughed aloud.
Then somebody slapped him on the
back, and he stopped laughing, and for
tunes smile was once more obsoured.
He started, dropped his jimmy, and
turned around. A man stood there, at
tired, SO far as Belts could judge, In the
dim light, in a tightly buttoned blue serge
auit and n brown felt hat
'Ello, matyl' he said in a husky
voice. YOU'RE In luck tonight! Amt !
comm in OF It'll"
. "What do you meanp'' said Belts indig.
nantly. what business have you got
hereP'
Cheese It'll" said the serge man.
What's the user My business is the
6ame as yours"
II will have you know" said Belts
with dignity, that ! am the master Of
this house"
"Do drop It," said the other. "Don't
make mo laugh out loud when a copper
may be passing down the road any min
ute. You look like the master Of the house,
don't you. with them silver forks sticking
out Of your pocket and that gold watch
chain hanging down your legf Getting In
at the open window with q ladder at 8 In
the morning looks like the master OF the
house, don't itf Now, sec, I don't ask
what cribs you've just cracked, nor ]
don't ask you to go shares In the swae