The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-24
BEAUTY AND THE BURGLAR.
For a Kiss the Midnight Pro,vIcr
Surrcndcrs His rIundcr.
(From the New York Sun.

II fancy" said a handsome woman of
fifty or more. that there is as much truth
rs poetry in what has been said and is
being said about the power of woman S
beauty. OF course. it is supposed that
only poets know anything about the mat
ter; but | can bear testimony of a diff
ferent sort and ii is from my own ex-
perience. When | was a girl of twenty
was really very pretty and had no end
Of gay gallants dancing attendance on me
all the time. which was some sign of the
truth of my statement, for | was neither
very rich nor very bright. Just an ordi-
nary, real pretty girl. that was all. But
the power was there, though l was not
conscious of its strength until after my
experience.
Il lived in a Southern city of $4,000
people, and one night | attended a dance
a half dozen blocks from my home. and
did not get back until l o'clock in the
morning, my escort being the gentleman
who is now my husband. He proposed to
me that night, and when l came into the
house l fancy l must have been prettier
than / ever was before. for l never was
SO happy. The house was still. for the
only people in it, except two old servants
away back in the ell, were my father and
mother, who had gone to bed hours be-
fore. l slipped upstairs to my room as
quietly as a mouse and. turning up the
gas. l was confronted by a burglar who
pointed pistol at me and told me .ot
to make any noise or he would kill me-
l didn't faint, because l was SO happy
that it inspired me, / suppose. and 1
stood still, looking at him. He looked
at me, too. dressed in my best gown and
shining with a lot of jewels. for our family
had some fine diamonds and others things
OF ornament that had descended to me,
and. like most Southern girls, liked to
wear them, even when it was not in the
best taste.
II wouldn't hurt as pretty girl as
you are for the world he said with
bow, but I've got to have the sinners.
so just take them off and hand them over.
while l pick up what 1 can find lying
around loose
with trembling fingers I took off my
handsome jewels while he gathered UP all
he could find on my dressing case, and put
them in his pocket. keeping the pistol
pointed at me. He was not q bad looking
man. and as / put out my hand to him
with the jewelry in it, / smiled at him,
as frightened as l was and asked him If
he wouldn't go right away. But he did not
take the jewelry, and he did not go away.
He simply stared at me in undisguised adj
miration and took out OF his pocket the
trinkets he had gathered from the dressing
case.
IF you will excuse me, miss. for i'm
pertinence' he said. III say to you that
YOU are the Drettiest girl l ever saw in
my life. and / always did admire pretty
girls. i hate 10 rob you like this, and if
you will let me kiss you, just on your
cheek where it is pinkest, III leave every
thing else and take only the remembrance
of that as a reward for this nights job
7 4 a., al but I oil
to be strong. and succeeded so well that l
kept my wits. 1t was something dreadful
to be kissed by burglar but he was Sc
respectful, and really did admire me, and
besides, 1 was saving several thousand
dollars worth of jewels, so l didn't say
word, but Just turned my cheek toward
him He took off his cap. bent forward
touched me on the cheek with his lips. land
stood back with his pistol in his hand.
Now. if / may trouble you to go to the
front door with me- he said. so that If
anybody should see me coming out 1t will
rot cause any remarks. l will relieve you
OF my presence. which 1 assure you would
never have occurred had / known as much
as know now
81 thought I never could do it, bu'
did. and / stood in the door till he disap-
peared around the corner: then l collapsed
utterly, and the night Waterman found me
there fifteen or twenty minutes aiterWard
and reused the house. By the time knew
enough TO tell anything the burglar was
far, far away. The story got into the pa
pers. Of course, and in week or two / re-
ceived a note of regret from my burglar.
postmarked Cincinnati. which was the only
clew we ever had of him. But the kissing
part of the story was not printed. l kept
that TO myself, and the first person 20
whom l told it was my husband, and he
was gallant enough to say that the burglar
had got the better part of the bargain"