Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-01-17
not a-burgling he loves to lie a-baskine


81 think you are both of you absurd
said his wife. "If he had been burglar
why wouldn't he have stolen some.
thing while he was in the house? An
other thing: lie wouldn't have spoken
about the broken fastening on the
pantry window and said he would
bring new one"
THAT'S easily explained" remarked
Langley. "IIe probably thought there
was a chance that we would put on a
new fastening ourselves if he didn't say
that he would. lie wanted to make
sure of an opening"
IAN opening for person of expert.
ence," added Plummer.
"That's the idea exactly. I think
we can make up our minds that we are
| going to have what they call noe.
turnal visitor. I distrust these philan.
thropic persons with silvery whskers"
"Were there any valuables in sight
Mrs. Langley?" asked Plummer.
"There was my watch on the dress.
ing table and my bracelet and things,
and there was baby's little silver mug
|
the things on the sideboard. ! couldn'
go round and gather up everything be.
fore / brought him in. l wouldn't have
let him in at all if hadn't known he
j was all right"
"How did you come to know he was
all right?" asked Langley.
"Because," answered his wife, con-
clusively.
Langley, however, refused to be con.
vinced. He felt rather nervous about
leaving his wife alone the next morning,
and borrowed Plummer's little 22-cal-
iber revolver, which he wanted her to
carry in her pocket His own pistol
was a widemuzzled, stubby affair, that
held fiat, squat cartridges calculated
to stop an elephant in his rush. Mrs.
Langley said she guessed she would
manage to get along without any OF
those horrible things.
Later in the day Langley was in
spired by the recollection that he paid
taxes and was entitled to police pro-
lection. He thereupon called up his
precinct police station and informed
the captain of his fears. The line was
working unusually well, and he could
hear the captain quite plainly. That
functionary seemed to take the same
view of the matter as Langley did. He
said he thought he recognized the de.
scription of the self-styled carpenter
whom he believed to be the leader of a
dangerous gang. He assured Langley
that he would have the house watched
When Langley returned home that
evening he saw a man strolling along
on the other side of the street and
looking so supernaturally unconcerned
known he was a plain-clothes man on
guard. This gave Langley certain
sense of security, but at the same time
rendered him decidedly nervous
Plummer was not around or Langley
would have asked him to stay al
night.
Langley told his wife what the po
lice captain had said. He was unwill
ing to alarm her, but he felt that
what he called her "cock-sureness'
needed some rebuke. For some rea
son, however, she did not seem to be
impressed, and she laughed at him il
a particularly aggravating way wher
he balanced a tea tray and couple
of flatirons against the pantry win
dow.
1t was about midnight when the
trap was sprung. 1t went off with {
crash, clatter and bang that brought
Langley sitting bolt upright in bed
with his heart beating like a trip ham
mer, before he perfectly realized what
had happened. There was an irstan,
of awful and profound stiffness. Ther
Langley heard his wife's voice. She
said:
81 thought that would happen. The
cat has knocked down that arrange
ment of yours, William"
Langley deigned no reply, but lifted
himself cautiously out of bed, and
CROPPING for his revolver, found it ant
stole softly and fearfully down the
noisily creaking stairs.
He reached the. pantry at last ani
found his tray and the hatirons Oh
the floor. A cold current of air thai
instantly communicated it's chill Il
his spinal column told him that the
window was open. Slowly and eau
tiously he peered out.
a subdued cough came from the
back yard, and Langley drew his heat
back with a suddenness that brought
it into violent contact with one of the
pantry shelves. He felt the bumJ
later, but hardly noticed the shock a,
the time.
Representing himself for cowardice
he nerved himself for the effort, and
again looking out of the window, ht
called: "Who's there?" the pulsation.
in his throat imparting tremor Il
his voice.
"We're police officers" came the re
ply, and two shadowy forms doomed
up from the darkness. "Sorry we dis
turbed you, but we We're trying toe
windows and knocked something
over"
II believe you did," said Langley
bitterly.
ut wasn't anybody" said Langley
returning to his room.
"What is it?" asked his wife, sleep
lily. II wish you'd go to bed and qui
spooking around, William. OF course
there wasn't anybody; 1 knew thai
perfectly WE'LL"
''I'd like to know how you knew it,
said Langley, covering beneath the
bed clothes and shivering.
"I'd have told you before if yo,