Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1901-12-20
brought nome yesterday, and were going

brought home yesterday, and were gong
TO have ii"
But Polly said never n word, only sat
still, so still she might have been carved
out OF stone.
"Open this door, roared the men again
But the beating OF Polly's heart was the
only sound in answer, and they could not
hear that. Then they pounded harder
than ever and kicked the door and shook
It In a rage But it was OF brave oak,
strong and well seasoned, and would not
yield. The robbers were in fury. Once
again they called TO her, cursing her hor-
ribly. They said:
IF you open the door, we will let
you off alive If you don't, Wen get in
anyhow, and then wen shoot you dead
for sure"
Still little Polly would not open.
The noise at the door ceased. What
would the next terror bep Polly soon un-
! derstood. The robbers went to a window.
1t was easy enough TO force the shutter.
Then there was a faint grinding sound.
The burglars were cutting the large, new
fashioned window pane with diamond.
And yet Polly would not open the door.
Indeed ii would have been no good to do
so now. for the robbers would soon be in
the room anyhow. Polly only sat still
and waited for her doom. Her tongue
felt dry In her mouth. She felt so cold
her teeth chartered, and she could not
even hear her heart beat now, for ii
seemed TO almost stop.
Crash went the outer pane. The grind
Ing, cutting sound began on the inner one.
1t was quickly loose on two sides; only a
matter OF FIVE minutes more for Polly,
ond then
And then, in the very nick OF time, Ia
the last moment, there came sound "
sleighbels, merry Ginning, sweet and
clear, tinkle, tinkle, like the fairy bells
she had heard tell in her childhood sound
ed in the air above peoples heads some
times Yes. thank God. il was bells but
real slelghbells and very, very near! Inc
robbers took TO their heels and 10 their
sleigh with the muiiled bells and drove off
as fast as they could lash their horses to
60.
But II was not the family returning
Nobody came into the house. No sleigh
stopped i'm front, neither did any move
rast with its merry tiug-a-ing Of music,
though Polly certainly heard the bells a
moment or two longer Then all quieted
down. But Polly was too shaken up now
TO 90 10 bed M all. she sat there alone
frightened and trembling. three hours
longer till the family came home. She
was only girl, you know, scarcely more
than child.
But whore were the scighbclls that had
saved Polly's life and the Valentines
property? You would never guess. and Il
was some time before they found out for
certain. The story is really a wonderful
one, and, best of ALL it is a true story.
In the harness house a large white cat
was kept to destroy the rats and mice
She seldom LETT the harness house and
had a warm bed made for her in a barrel
OF hay. That afternoon a careless stable
man had thrown n set Of sleghbclls
across the barrel where pussy's bed was.
The noise the robbers made disturbed
her. and she had jumped out to see what
II meant. I'm doing so. being large.
heavy cat. she shook the bells and jan
gled them, and that was what scared the
burglars of
Polly took fine. big, honest husband
few years later and is living in a pretty
country home of her own. with the ra-