Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-04

replied; but no doubt Joe heard him, and
has taken him in
| have kept on hearing queer noises at the
| back of the house; they seemed in Joes
room at first. Come and listen yourself on
| the stairs"
1t is strange, but true. that many per-
| sons, horribly nervous at the thought of
| danger, find all their presence of mind in
full force when actually called upon to face
| IT, so 1t Is with me, and so 1t was on that
| night. l stood on the landing and listened,
| and in a few moments heard muffied sounds
down stairs, like persons moving about
| stealthily.
| There is certainly somebody down there,
Nelly l said to my sister, land they are
down In the basement. If we could creep
| down quietly and get into the drawing
| room, We might open the window and call
the Waterman or policeman; both are on
duty until T."
But think" said my sister, "of the fright
of the girls If they hear US, and find they
| are left alone. The servants, too, will
| scream, and rush about, as they always
do Let us go down and make sure there
are thieves, and then see what is best to be
done. The door at the top of the kitchen
stairs is locked, So they must be down there
and perhaps If we could get the Waterman
| to come in quietly we might catch them in
a trap, by letting him through the drawing
| room and into the conservatory. He could
| get into the garden from there, and as
they must have got in that way from the
| news over the stable wall and through the
! garden, they would try to escape the same
| way, and the Waterman would be waiting
| for Them and cut off their retreat"
| l agreed, and we stole down stairs into
the drawing room, where we locked our
| selves in, then very gently and carefully
| drew up one Of the side blinds Of the bay
window. The morning had begun to break,
| and everything in the wide road dis
| tinctly visible. In the distance l could see
the policeman on duty, but on the opposite
! side. and going away from our house in
| stead Of toward it, He would turn the
|
| the houses parallel with the backs of our
| row, and then appear at the opposite end of
the park, and come along our side; there
| was no intermediate turning-nothing but
| an unbroken row of about forty detached
| houses facing each other.
| What could we do? l dared not wait until
| the policeman came back; quite twenty
minutes must pass before then, and day be-
| ing so near at hand the light was increas-
Ing every moment, ard The burglars would
! surely not leave without visiting the draw
| ing room and dining room, and would per-
haps murder us tc save themselves from de-
| lection.
If could only attract the policeman's
| attention but how?
| My sister was close to the door listening
| and every instant We dreaded hearing them
| coming up the kitchen stairs. l could not
| understand Bogie not barking, and Joe not
| waking, for where l was l could distinctly
| hear the men moving about in the pantry
| and kitchen.
Il wonder" 1 said to my sister. IF 1
|
cony to the stone work by the front steps?
1t seems such little distance, and if 1
| could step across l could open the front
gate in an instant, and run after the police
man. l shall try"
You will fall and kill yourself" my sister
said; the space is much wider than you
| think"
| But 1 was determined to try, for If 1 let
that policeman go out of sight what hor-
| rors might happen in the twenty minutes
| before he would come back.
The idea of one Of the girls waking and
| calling out, or Joe waking and being shot
or stabbed gave me feeling Of despera-
| ton, as though l alone could and must save
| them
| every window sash sliding noiselessly and
| easily in its groove. l opened the one near
| est to the hall door steps, and saw the stone
| ledge abutted to within about two feet of
! the low balcony of the window; but l
| too nervous to trust myself to spring across
| even that distance. At that moment my
| sister whispered:
| Il hear somebody coming up the kitcaen
| stairs"'
Desperately I cast my eyes round the
room for something to bridge the open
| space that would bear the weight, If only
| for a moment. The fender stool caught
my eye; that might do. it was strong, ana
more than long enough. In an instant We
| had 1t across, and l was out of the window
| and down the front steps.
| AS turned the handle Of the heavy iron
| gate l looked down at the front kitchen
| WlNdOW. "A man StOOu IN the kltCnen, ana
| he looked up and saw me-Such a horrible
| looking ruftan, too. Fear lent wings to my
| feet, and flew up the road, the Waterman
| was just entering the park from the OPP
| poste end, he saw me, and sounded his
| whistle; the policeman turned and ran 20
| ward me. was too exhausted to speak,
and he caught me. just as having gasped
| Thieves at 60!' (the number of our house,,
| fell forward in dead swoon.
! When l recovered l was lying on my own
bed. my sister, the scared servants and the
| policeman, all around me. From them 1
heard that directly the man in the kitchen
| caught sight of me he warned his COM
panion, who was busy forcing the lock IT
| the door at the head of the kitchen stairs
and my sister heard them both rushing
| across the garden, where they had ladder
| against the stable wall. They must nave
pulled this UP after them and tossed it into
| the next garden, where it was found, to
delay pursuit. The park keeper had, after
| sounding his whistle, rushed to our house.
got in at the window and ran to the door
at the top of the kitchen stairs, but it was
quite Impossible to open it; the burglars
| had cleverly left something in the lock
when disturbed, and the key would not
turn. He then went through the drawing
room into the conservatory, where glass
door opened on the garden, but by the Zine |
the heavy sliding glass panel was unfds- |
had disappeared: they took with them |
| much less than they hoped to have done. |
for there We're parcels and packets Of |
spoons forks and a case of very handsome |
| gold salt cellars. a marriage gift, always
| kept in baize-lined chest in the panrry,
the key of which l retained, and which |
chest supposed until now 80 be proof
against burglars; the lock had been burnt |
| all round with some Instrument, most likely |
poker heated in the gas, and then forced |
inward from the burnt woodwork.
How was it, asked Joe did not wake |
during al this Boyle bark?"
AS l asked chis question l noticed that |
my sister turned away, and Mrs. Wilson,
after vainly endeavoring to look unconcern- |
| ed, threw her apron suddenly over her |
head and burst out crying.
What is the natter 1 said sitting up: |
| what are you all hiding from me? Send ]
| Joe to me: will learn the truth from him"
At this the policeman came forward, and |
| then l heard that Joe was missing, his |
room was in great disorder and one OF his |
Shoes evidently dropped in his hurry. had |
| been found in the garden near some spoons |
thrown down by the thieves; his clothes |
were gone, he evidently had dressed |
himself after pretending to go to bed as |
isiaSa