The Negro world., 1900-03-17
THE RETIRED BURGLAR.
ue Tells of a Disturbing Experience
with n Restless and Nervous
Blind Man.


II have told you" said the retired
burglar, 'of one little experience with
blind man-this is another. had
gone into not very big but com
fortable-looking farmhouse and looked
around below without finding any.
thing, and got upstairs. / hadn't
more'n struck the upper floor before
realized that there wasn't many peo-
pie in the house; funny about that
but when there's n lot of people il
fills IL upwith kind of electricity that
You can feel, and when there isn't it
feels dull and dead.
We'll, / got into n front room on
one side of this house and found no.
body there, and | might remark, moth
ing besides; in the back room on that
side. big room, with big bed,
found a small boy, fast asleep l
didn't dare put the bullseye on him,
but | could see well enough by dim
light that was burning on a table iB
n little alcove in one side of this room
to guess that he was, maybe, nine or
ten years old, and of course / could
see that he was sleeping in his moth
er's bed; mother away somewhere.
and he sleeping there because he'd
feel easier and safer there while she
was gone.
Nothing In that room, and | went
out and across the hall into "A room
on the other side opposite the room
the boy was In. The first step | took
into that room made the floor creak,
just the least little bit in the world,
but / halted, right where | stood; and
the next instant heard bed in this
room snap little and l knew there
was somebody sitting upon IL and
listening IL was still for half min
ute and then heard whoever 1t was
In the bed, and IL was u mans voice,
saying:
"Willie?"
"Of course there wasn't any answer
20 this. because Willie was fast asleep
I'd just seen him in bed a minute be-
sitting up in bed and listening called
again:
"Williei"
"When he got no answer this time
he started to get up, as | expected he
would, and when he made the bed
ereak In getting out of it | stepped
back step and around the door jamb
and hugged the wall in the hall, and
in minute the man came through
the doorway. He was as blind as a
bat. couldn't see that, in the light
| in his eyes, but | could see It in his
manner and way of moving, in the
way he carried his head and his
hands; but he made straight for Will
lies room, just as well as though he
could see perfectly; the blind man
was going to look after Willie.
And he got in there all right and
found the boy all right don't know
how he told 1t. l couldn't see from
where l was, hut maybe he touched
the boys head. or stood and listened
to his breathing, but anyhow he sat
ished himself that the boy was all
right-and then he started back for
his room. | suppose J might have got
out when he was in the youngsters
room, but IL would have been a sort
of clumsy thing TO do, he'd have been
almost certain 10 hear me, and,
| though | could have got away all
right. didn't like to 60 in that
bungling way, and thought I'd let him
come out and get back into his own
room and go to sleep before / started;
but he gave me a great shake up be-
fore he did that.
THE door TO his own room was al.
most directly opposite the door of the
room where the boy was. A little to-
ward the front of the house from his
own door was the head Of the stairs
| leading To the floor below. When he
/ came out OF the boys room he didn't
make straight across to his own door,
but he took a diagonal course toward
the head of the stairs and | thought
he'd lost his way, but the distance
was short and he was there before
could realize II.
"It made my heart go down to think
OF being found there in the house
| with a blind man with a broken neck,
or broken leg. or something of that
sort, but he didn't 20 over. He went
plumb TO the verge of the stairs and
halted there as though II had been
bread daylight and he could see. and
stood there for minute and listened
II wasn't willie-~hat could IL have
beens He didn't hear anything: and
he turned and went back iato his owu
room and gut into bed and sat up in
II again for minute as he had done
before he get up. end then lay down
.Ana / waited Cor him, and wher
he'd got 20 sleep again, l skipped
very gently; going down the stairs
30 az not TO make 'em ereak under my
weight, and got ont and glad 20 gri
away. don't want amy raR'in with