The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-12-28
raE CHRISTMAS BURGLAR.

Miss Lucy Adams poked her sister. Miss
Della. in the shoulder blade with the
bail OF her right thumb.
At the same moment she gasped the
one terrifying word. Burglars,
NNhereupon the Misses Adams sat bolt
upright in bed. Then. with the neatness
ana weil-timed unity of motion OF
well trained vaudeville sketch team. they
got cut OF bed. one or each side. and
proceeded to put on their long. gray bath
robes and their swansdown slippers.
Each of them wore the gray hair. which
projected from tne front OF her white
night cap. done Up in curl papers, which
had been carefully cut from the pink
sporting section OF the Sunday Blast Of
Freedom.
Then they proceeded to look for wea-
pons.
wen tie them with this said Miss
Della, as she picked up ten yards of
ground pine. wrapped on copper wire.
It was Christmas eve, but the delivery
wagon from the city florists had only
got through the snowdrifts TO the Adams
house late that night, and there had
been no time 20 arrange the Christmas
Creenery.
Miss Lucy picked up half a dozen huge
holly wreatfls, which she wore on her
left arm ike gigantic BRACELETS. With
her right hand she took down from the
wall the rusty sword which Captain Joe.
elder brother Of the Misses Adams, had
borne with honor from Atlanta 10 the
sea.
Thus armed and equipped. the ladies
crept noiselessly into the diningrOom.
There was the burglar. There was only
one OF him. He stood with his back TO
them, facing the sideboard. Il was
big, old-fashioned sideboard and had no
mirror, 50 that he got no warning Of the
silent approach OF Nemesis in pink curl
papers and gray flannel bath robes.
He was a tall. thin burglar in a short.
blue coat. with holes in its elbows. Also
he was in his stocking feet.
As the Misses Adams crePt up behind
him the burglar dropped down on his
knees, with the evident intention Of ex-
pioring the lower recesses of the side
board. For the moment the mans arms
hung straight down close TO his sides. and
with a quick burst of inspiration Miss
Lucy took instant advantage Of it. She
dropped down over his head and shOul-
ders, tightly pinioning his arms TO his
sides with two OF the huge holly wreaths.
Al the same time. clutching the heavy
sword in both hands, she raised it high
over her head and cried in a frightened
yet heroic falsetto, BE quiet or I'll
strike"
The man struggled for moment in
stinctively. but one of the heavy wire
pouhU WredIhS ndQ dropped down below
his elbows and his hands were practi-
cally useless. Also the appraised sword
was formidable.
Tie his lower limbs, Della" said Miss
Adams in a commanding tone.
Miss Della knelt down and wrapped the
ground pine rope three times around his
fegs below the knees. Then she tied 1t
firmly in double knot.
Then the two young women pushed and
pulled him to a standing position, as If
he had been a log of wood, and finally
got him leaning up against the sideboard
for support.
Up to this time the sisters had been too
much excited to take q good look at their
captive. Now, to their establishment,
they saw that he was grinning broadly.
Il can sec my finish" said the bur-
glar. The next thing you'll put a piece
Of mistletoe in my hair, and then I'll De
slowly tortured to death
Go and telephone for the police" said
Miss Lucy, who was flushing angrily.
7 can save you the trouble, madam"
the burglar broke in. Il cut the tele-
phone wire before broke into the
house,