Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-02-23
AN OBtlGING BURGLAR

They were telling ghost stories and burg
lar stories and other pleasing narratives
when pretty Kentucky girl. with the soft
est voice and gentlest manners imaginable.
whispered that a burglar had come into her
room once and she had not only ordered
him out. but he had obeyed her.
you must have been armed with one of
those deadly Kentucky shooting irons"
ventured a facetious young man who would
start at the popping of a match.
Really. now did your" came q chorus
from the ineredulous.
YES, indeed mean," corrected the fair
burglar exterminafor. that I met a burg
lar and drove him out, but I was not
armed at all. would be more afraid Of
gun than would be OF burglar.
And she is from Kentucky" Knocked the
facetious young man. However" he add
is the one we want to hear" which sug-
gestton was seconded unanimously, and the
young woman proceeded.
TT was-a summer night she said. and
there were four girls of us sleeping In the
L of big. old house in town that might
better be called, city, for 1t was one OF
the biggest Kentucky possesses. My sister
and l occupied adjoining rooms, and the
all of which opened out on the long porch
facing the L. 1t was easy enough for any
one to climb upon this porch from the
ground. but as nobody ever had, and l had
member, didn't suppose anybody ever
would. The other girls had shut their
doors, but mine was open, and some time
In the night l awoke with queer FEELING
that some one was in my room or had been
there. There was just enough light from
clouded moon to show things indistinctly
In the room, and sat up in bed and looked
around. L thought my sister, who was not
lph mi
come IN for something, and called to her,
but received no answer. l lay down again,
but the feeling persisted so strongly that l
sat up again and peered around the room
to see II l could see what | certainly did
not want to see. Finally, after letting my
eyes go all around into every nook and cor
ner. they tnvoluntarlly went to the floor,
and there, stretching from the foot of my
bed almost to my sisters door, was some
thing long and black. l sat perfectly still
trying to make out what 1t was, or to con-
vince myself that l was mistaken, but the
longer l watched 1t the more assured was
L that 1t was man lying there, and he had
probably dropped to the floor at my first
movement, thinking he might escape obser-
walton.
When 1 was at last sure it was a man
L knew what kind of a man it was, but in
stead of being frightened into helplessness
L began to feel quite brave, and the danger
and the horror of the situation did not i'm
press me. What / feared most was the
shock to my sister, and forgot myself in
thinking of her. 1 wondered what to do.
as the black thing on the floor kept per-
fectly still, and l remember l felt a kind
or eXultatlon in thinking that at last l had
found burglar in my room, because, you
know, girls are always talking about that
and what they would do if one should ap-
pear But couldn't waste much time, and
l soon concluded that the thing for me to
do was to make jump for the door and get
outside on the porch, the burglar being far
enough in the room for me to do that
easily. Once out there | would have bet
ter chance to either run or scream. No
sooner had | made up my mind what to
do than l did it, and l stood on the porch
at the door, looking In on the burglar, who
had made no movement. / was tremen-
dously excited, of course, but l didn't lose
my head, and l was determined to get the
burglar out without disturbing my sister or
any of the other people in the house. So
bending down to get a better view of him
| called out in a stage whisper: Get up
from there and go out, but don't speak
If you do I'll scream and alarm the house
L said it as emphatically as l could and
without tremor, too, but the burglar did
not move. Get up l said again, and go
out, but do not speak. or III scream i
might have made a different speech on the
second occasio ion. suppose, but | was work.
ing mechanically as the sequel proved
This time the burglar moved. and gradually
drew himself up on his hands and knees
and began aWfing toward the door and
me, but / stood there and kept my eye on
till he craWled past me and got out on the
porch. Then he rose to his feet and stood
a moment as if uncertain what he would
do, and l felt my heart begin to thump like
an engine, but stood fast Now go down
those stairs there l said, pointing to the
door off the porch leading to the front hall
down stairs. and go out of the front door
as fast as you can, but If you make move
in any other direction I'll scream with all
my might
HE kept his face turned away so 1 could
not see 1t, but he did not wait for second
command, and as l kept on pointing out his
direction, he moved off that way, dsap-
peared through the door at the end of the
porch and a minute later l heard the front
door slam, and a patter of running feet on
the street leading past a wide side yard we
had The slamming of the front door, at
that hour Of the night, reused the people in
front of the house and they came out to see
what the matter was. but 1 went at once to
my sisters room to see II she had been
disturbed She was asleep when I touched
her, but she opened her eyes on the instant
and said There's been a burglar in the
ROOM 1 told her he had gone without do
ing any harm, and as the Others hearing
and came very near having Mysteries, but
from shock. either. though l did lock my
the burglar thought of the whole proceeding
hope he won't ever come back to tell me-
| Short on Memory. but Long on Tact.