Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1901-10-10
4 Midnight Alarm.
BY EDwARD 3. CLARK.

their brother officers.
There are four or five residents along
the lake shore who know the secret Of
the cigars, and one of these residents
has told. One Of Chicago's judges lives
IN Lake View He has a 14-year-old
son who keeps dogs. For the last two
weeks some unknown miscreant has
been going about Lake View streets
throwing poisoned tidbits to every dog
be meets. Some other miscreant has
been going about the streets stealing
every dog Of value he meets. Dog
owners have been alarmed thoroughly
for the safety Of their pets The Judge 5
son owns a setter and three pointer
pups. Up to ten days ago he kept them
in ordinary open kennels. Then, with
the poison and the stealing scare
abroad. the boy put his pets inside
dlsused henhouse. The house was
tight boarded affair with a large door
opening outward from the side Even
after his dogs were housed thus the
/ judges boy feared for their safety. He
resolved to arrange a burglar alarm
that would rouse the household in case
anybody attempted to steal his pup
4 possessions Tie boy rugged up an
alarm that was IN alarm. The door of
/ the kennel, as has been said, opened
outward. TO a staple driven into the
| inside surface of the door a stout but
/ thin wire was attached. This ran
/ through an anger hole, then past the
woodshed and the side of the residence
and found an end in the boys bedroom.
/ There ii was fastened to the back of 4
chair which was nicely balanced with
very slight support upon its hind legs.
An auxiliary wire ran TO great clock
spring, which was wound up and in
/ turn had been attached to 4 bell that
/ had tone about sevenfold that of the
ordinary fire gong. The exercise Of
4 further boyish ingenuity had so fixed
I il that upon the springing of the alarm
/ eight huge out of date volumes of the
4 Edinburgh Encyclopedia would 20
crashing from the top of a desk to tie
floor The working of the alarm was
/ the simplest thing Imaginable, for
/ tug on the wire consequent upon the
/ simple opening of the kennel door
would start a riotlike uproar.
/ All the members of the judges fami-
4 ~ save the judge and his son We're in
Wisconsin. The Judge liked the dogs as
well as did his son. He examined the
alarm and pronounced it good. The boy
explained the mechanism OF. the affair
TO the neighbors and advised those of
them who had dogs to go and do like
wise. The judge likes a light novel.
! Every evening he puts on red dress
! ing gown and lies down on a lounge in
/ room next his boys bedroom and
there reads until after midnight. That
hour had struck from the clock on the
! judges shelf on the night of July 81.
lie was reading while the boy slept
sOundly in his bed in the room beyond.
I Suddenly there was a scraping noise
and then a crash that shook the old
/ frame mansion like an explosion. Sue
/ ceeding there came the sharp alarm
note Of a bell. with the gong strokes
/ beating a brazen tattoo louder and
/ faster than that ever pounded out on
4 drumhcad. Above it all rose a howl
+ from the next room.
/ Dad, they are stealing my dogs
/ Into the room bounced the boy, with
enough white flowing from above his
hastily pulled on trousers 10 make a
goodly sized sail. The bell kept on
ringing.
come. George" said the father as
h. grasped a heavy cane. The boy fol-
lowed his father down the front stairs.
ont the front door and round the corner
of tie house toward the kennel On his
way through the yTrd the youngster
picked up a brick. An electric light
eiimnering through the shade trees
showed the progress Of The march The
5adge strobe sternly ahead gripping
LIS stick. his red dressing gown Hap
ping about wildly III the night wind.
The boy followed bravcly. though all
unconsciously he was flying a white
flag They passed the dining room and
Kitchen ana made their way through
the vegetable garden Just before
rounding TIE corner of the kennel the
formation changed from column into
line, and the judge and his son nd
yanced TO the attack shoulder to shout
der A howl Of welcome from the
Threats Of three pointers and a setter
came from within the kennel at the
faint noise of the approaching foot
steps. The last stroke of the alarm
bell. which had beat time 10 the march
about the house. died away on the
night air. The door Of the kennel was
undisturhed. the paddock and chain
were in place. and the pups within
were joyful III their unbroken security.
The judge looked al his SON in dis
gust "Some enemy hath done this" he
said. TO make a fool IF the old man.
There was rattle and n clatter on
the street. The alarm bell had done its
work and had brought the patrol way
on and a few neighhorS. The judge
made lame explanation ana said
something t. the policemen about e.
CARS and secrecy Then lie went
thouchtfully into tile house
My boy" said the judge To his son.
Swhum have You told about this bur