The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-21
TIE RETIRED BURGL4R.
He Does n Man n Good Turn, as In Simple
Duty Bound, but Geta No Favor Himself.

He Does n NAN n GOOd Iurn, as IN simple
Duty Bound, but Geta No Favor Himself.
Going along a hall In the second story OF q
house one night" said the retired burglar. II
stepped in something wet. But II wasn't
blood. indicating some terrible murder or sui
eide. or something of that sort II was just
plain. simple. common. ordinary water. and
when I throwed my lamp on It and followed 1t
up why ] saw that It was coming out into the
hall over the doorsill OF a room that | knew
must be the bathroom. and so n was.
The floor OF the bathroom was afloat and
the water was Just flowing silently in q very
thin sheet over the edge Of the OVERLOOKING tub.
Somebody had left tho plug in the bottom. and
then turned on the water and gone away. this
being. | have no doubt. exactly the reverse OF
what the person thai did 1t had intended to do.
Ever henr a guard on the elevated road. hero
In this city. when the train was leaving a sta
tion. call. as the next station. the one back OF
the one the train had Just left. instead Of the
one ahead? l have. Tho mental machinery
seems to turn backward sometimes when
You start it, instead OF going ahead. and when
ever I hear that on the elevated, 1t always
m R%d eiu Rs shi Ink 81 ins n AND I. s, tnls hq 1Ss w shSf
ins:'BBH St I Il . pS5linf IT, the PI nail s9d ah s,q pPaE fr It. and
the water In the tub dropped below the level Of
the rim and stopped running over; 40, what
Won wenldn''t DO any aVI moreEi'd iH stcppe% that; 'Fbsut'ff
didn't w@k r. ANY, a6yoG %Ss gp to "a, ask XIV 'em ,h I" thank
looked around the house and gathercdin what
could find. which was ppoty slim. suppose
cost S59. but I didn't, get nys for i; aId
that's about the usual proportion tt OF proht
S9-and-so was entered last night BY burglars.
Mavho tho owner Of en- did value the things
at $3.50. and maybe they cost him that. but
don't for one minute lot yovrsSii think that the
must have said 10 you before, that when you
'he Irregular hours. AND the general
often small returns from dangerous work and
the necessity Of taking what you can get for
tfb5"nnn. t amoyy 1t NO f ma;yb snI TO u WARS .T at a n stTet uah
time devoted to labor, why. bless US! burglary
| cent wages at it, There's a fascination about
tho work. of course. same as there is in any
YOU II newsTaper work. Tor insane; ono:
thing different and stranger a'd Gnexne"tcd
III had my life to live over again never'd go
( x nd 2 ~ Ta ,HlS T%n Of Tsto ANS I fs gsd es gsH pea, q 2S
thai. house with the Overlooking bathtuh.
"You, know. IN ,stopring that water and
dda aEmI%asse' Pd i1" only i t the simnicnt sort Of duty, as
J told you. what one man owes to another. but
in this case hRd, given them much greater &C;
tual value than had got myself; Nn1 w thos !
folks to thhuk me. even. | think | must have
sort OF felt that they owed me something after
could, because ! always kind a. felt TINT that
was n reserve that | could druw on when !
wanteito. And the next time | was in that
town | went 10 the house expecting to walk
right in with perfect ease. I'D been there be-
fore. and ! knew the way. but do you know they
| had a burglar alarm on every door and win
| dow? They did for a fact, and I couldn't get
within a rod Of EN- anywhere. and that always
| seemed TO me to be kind o uugratciul."