The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-24
THE RETIRED BURGLAR.
Scared Away by Mysterious Sounds. Whose
Sourcea. Years Latcr. We're Revealed.

Sources, Years Later, We're Revealed.
"As rule" said the retired burglar. Il did not
pause to look at pictures in the houses visited:
there wasn't time even II had had the inclinaton
but sometimes ones attention would he fixed on
picture by circumstances For instance, Us was
passing my lamp one night along parlor shelf
il there anything there, the light fell. at
the same moment, a silver snuff box and a
daguerreotype Of man in uniform that stood right
beside it, and as dropped the snuff box in my
pocket held the light on the picture for minute
and inspected il little bit more closely. II inter
ested me, somehow though there WASH anything
very remarkable about it one way tho other;
just the picture Of youngish, selsatisfled look
ing man in a military uniform.
When turned away from the shelf walked
across the parlor TO the hall OF the house and out
into the hall TO go upstairs but Just as put my
foot on the bottom step heard what sounded like
a faint groan. Well, now you understand, am
not much disturbed by strange sounds because a
man in my business gets, so 10 speak, used 10 the
unexpected but that groan stopped me. l stood
there for minute, with one foot on the floor of the
hall and the other on the lowest step and waited.
didn't hear any more and then I thought might
have been mistaken and l started up, but had
scarcely raised that foot that was on the floor
before heard the groan again this time for sure,
and was glad 10 put that foot down by the other
instead OF putting II up STEP and then waited
again awhile and then started up once more this
time resolute to go ahead. That's what did.
Now. heard the groaning beyond doubt, and
growing louder and louder l went upstairs and
sometimes with sort OF growl mixed in like some
great savage animal and didn't like il bit, can
tell you that As far as that's concerned II had
followed my inclinations | should have turned
round and skipped the ranch when the groaning
first begun. but I thought ought TO 20 ahead
and find out what il was all about, anyway. and
kept till had got pretty TO the top of the
stairs with the groaning growing louder all the
time, With my interest not decreasing by n long
shot, but my desire to investigate the cause of it
decreasing rapidly
when got within step or two of the top there
was sort OF boom that l couldn't understa nd
at all and just stepped up the last step on to
the floor Of that upstairs hall there came sudden
booming burst OF sound that was many times
repeated rapidly, and that made the whole house
shake as though there was thunder rolling through
it, and smashing around in il, and then my son,
] went away | don't shy at things l can under
stand, but have very little Use for the mysterious
Well. never saw that town again for three
years, The next time went there was in the time
of political campaign. They were having a
big meeting there mat nlght ana parade and that
sort Of thing and stood in n good place in the
crowd and watched the procession; and when the
band came along who do you think was playing
the bass drum? My man whose picture I'd seen
on the mantel shelf that night npped the heir
loom snuffbox, and heard the mysterious moan
ing and grooming and thunder attachments
I'D dropped spoon or fork something in
the dining room in his house before struck into
the parlor, and he'd heard 1t, and got up and saw
me and then he headed me of with the drum
He had his eye on me from somewhere, and W hen
set foot that lower step he RULED the big drum
gently the low groan il was easy for him and these
groans grew under his hand as I advanced, till
he hit that whack when was near the top and
then beat 1t with frantic energy when he saw that
that single thunderburst didn't stop me
WAS he scared? Well. now you bet your life
he was, and could imagine him gay and gallus
as he was now walking along, beating away on
tho old bass drum. with the sky rockets soar
ing and the Roman candles a spoutng around
him, standing that night in dark room in his
own house and beating the big drum as he never
beat il before OF since but I'll bet thousand dol
lars TO a cocoanut that was worse scared than he
was; but that wasn't the worst Of il.
AS long as II was mystery why could stand
II very we'll; hut I've never, from that day 10 this
ing sort OF sheepish when the man with the bass
drum went by"