The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-11-28
THU TRANSFORMED BURGLAR,
BY HOWARD

hlCteQ WIN q serious impairment Oh
vision IN the last years of her service.
l remember how she used to take u big
pinch of salt and wave it over a roast
of meat with the mistaken notion that
she was dropping a little here and
there. Then she wonld suddenly open
her hand and all the salt would fall in
one place. 1t IS thus that blind fate
seasons our lives with the condlment
Of adventure. AS a rule we get it IN
o lump!
This philosophical reflection is sug-
gested by the recent remarkable expe-
rience of a young friend Of mine. She
Is q charming girl, blond, petite and
graceful and possessed of a very prom
ising voice, for the cultivation of which
she came to the city. She took up her
abode in a genteel boarding house
where some friends of hers were living,
and everything was very ordinary and
commonplace. Her early life had run
as quiet as the brooks mentioned by
Spart2cus, the gladiator, and there MAS
no reason to suppose that it would not
continue to dc 80.
She had been to the theater with her
friends and had had a bit of supper
and was home again q little after mid
night. AS she entered the dark room
the moon peeped in through the win
dow at her. 1t was a thin, silver cres-
cent and 1T looked very nice up there
in the sky. Edith threw a couple of
cushions on the floor by the window
and sat there gazing out at the heavens.
There was nothing especially romantic
about 1.-THE moor and the stars were
pretty; that was all.
How long she sat there she does not
know. She was suddenly startled by
the opening ana closing of q door.
The key turned in the lock, and then
she heard the ring of it as it fell to the
floor.
Facing about she saw the dark fig
ure of a man by the door. The form
was barely distlnguishable IN the
gloom. Edith tried to scream, but,
greatly to her surprise, her voice
wouldn't serve her; 1T seemed to be
cogged like ones limbs in a nightmare.
This was surprise, not fear.
The intruder heard her, however.
He had been standing in a stooping
position, with his ear against the door,
but he sprang away from it and faced
her at the sound of her choked cry.
"You keep stilll' he said in a voice
so monstrously hoarse and rough that
she knew it must be assumed. Ell
you make a noise, I'l kill you'll"
There was just light enough for her tc
see a shining object in the hand tina
was outstretched toward her.
Edith was brave; most people are
who have been guarded from alarm.
during their youth. What she lacked
was not courage, but experience
Courage said: "Keep cool. Dom
make a fuss. He won't hurt you.'
Experience would have said: "Yell -
Yell like a scared elephant It's tn,
only chance you've got ~
"What do you want 2" she demand
cd. "What are you dong here 3'
"keep still ~ he said IN a growlln!
whisper.
Edith kept still. 1t seemed to he
that there had never been an,
such stiffness before. The house wa
like a tomb, and the whole city out
side was listening and forgot to mur
I'LL
81 must think, 1 must Think tb,
girl was saying to herself, but sh,
couldn't think. She knew that thi
man was a burglar, but all her othe,
ideas went whirling round and rourt
IN absurd confusion.
There was a sound of steps in th,
hall. The door of the large O a
the rear end on the same floor wa.
opened. Edith had never seen th,
ledger there, but she knew the room
was occupied by a man. She opened
her mouth to scream.
Now, the burglar, being an expe
rienced person, knew perfectly wei
that this impulse would seize her al
that moment. He knew also that il
he sprang upon her her voice woulc
be released from her throat. Instead
he merely thrust his revolver close tc
her face. The sudden clear view OF
this object has almost a hypnotic in.
iuence. Instead of screaming she
started back with a gasp and threw ur
her hands as if to ward off a bullet,
81 amt goin' to hurt YOU" growled
the man. "I'm goin' to stay here
about Two minutes, and then Pm goin'
to skip. Don't you yell after Pm
gone, because if you do Ill come back
money!
81 have only a few cents" she said,
and, greatly to her surprise, he SEEM
ed to know that she was telling the
truth.
"Gimme that watch" he continued,
and, with wild rage in her heart, min
gled with contempt of herself for Weld
ing, she gave him the diamond stud
ded trlhket that was her most cherished
possession.
How he knew that she had a watch
was o mystery to her, even in that
moment. Poor child SIZE had clutch.
ed at it in the bosom of her dress the
instant he had asked her for her money.
He took it in his hand, and then
some sudden change seemed to come
over him. He sprang back to the
door and put his head against it for a
moment. Then, with frantic haste.
he began to feel around on the floor
Tor the key. He seemed not to paw
any attention to her, and this was 50
surprising that she forgot to cry out,
though she could have done it in safety.
She saw that he was fumbling in his
pockets. Then he tried the door with
out any attempt to do 80 quietly. II
ratified under his hand, but It was
heavy and strong.
sect matches !" he called over his
shoulder to her. "Light a match and
hold IL lNuyn hoso 80 II