Waterbury Democrat., 1902-12-11
Love Revived
By EDGAR COOLEY.
ssa-~zEsas

D HE stepped into the dark street, H it began to rain disrnally. This pleased him, for it added to the black ness of the night, and had tendency to drive away any late pedestrian.
 He was not harnpered by baggage. Such articles as he needed-a bar of soap, an air-pump, a can of nitro glycerin, some fuses, jimmy, a dark lantern, revolver-he carried in his pockets, and, under his coat, a folded grain sack.
 Without pausing, without hesitat- ing, he glanced searchingly up and down the street. No living creature was stirring.
 A few strides took him to the side window of a building. The sill was on level with his head. He tried to raise the sash, but, as he expected, it was fastened. So he took stout knife from his pocket, and, slipping it's thin edge under the frame, threw all his weight suddenly upon the handle.
 With 8 report like that of a pistol, the lock snapped. For five minutes, perhaps, the burglar crouched in the shadows under the window, watching, listening. But not a sound, save the batter of the rain in the street, did he hear; not moving object did he see.
 Then carefully, noiseless1y, he raised the sash and climbed in. He was in total darkness, but knew ex- actly where he stood. He could have drawn an accurate, detailed plan of I1 1& l. precisely how many feet it was from the window to the safe; from the safe to the front doors.
 So although he could not see his hand before him, he turned confident ly to his left and walked six paces. Then he circled to the right, around the center of the counter, and took four steps more. Pausing, he reached out his hand and touched the safe.
 The burglar moved his hand gleeful- ly over the door and laughed. The bank was not provided with vault. A good vault costs as much as a building, and this was small bank in country town. So the funds were intrusted to the protection of this 'sburglar-proof'' safe. He won dered what the citizens would say about sburglar-proof" safes while gathering up the pieces!
 Without losing moment, he filled the cracks around the door with soap, leaving one small opening. To this opening he attached his pump and exhausted the air on the inside.
 Closing the opening, he cut piece off the bar of soap, and, rolling it between his palms and Inolding it with his fingers, soon fashioned it into the shape of small cup. This he fastened at the bottom of the door and filled with nitroglycerin. Then he attached a fuse.
 Ten feet from the safe a door opened into the rear office of the bank, and in this room the safe breaker had planned to seek refuge work. Not desiring to tarry -unnec- essarily in close proximity to a charge of nitroglycerin about to ex- plode, he concluded, before lighting the fuse, to satisfy himself that the door of this inner room was not locked or bolted.
 He turned the knob, the door opened readily, and he took one step across the threshold. Then he paused. In the intense darkness he could not see an object; in the per- feet silence he could not hear sound.
 But something -premonition, in Etinct, some indefnable sixth sense something sent 9 chill through. him, and he trembled as one who sudden 1y becomes conscious of the pres ence of unseen spirits. Without the power to move he stood staring into the darkness. the precipitation standing in icy drops upon his fore head.
 With the desperation that fear in- spires, he drew his dark lantern, slipped back the slide, and threw the searching glare around the room, lighting first the most distant corner. Slowly he moved the lantern, bring ing the round spot of brilliant light toward him across the carpet.
 Suddenly he uttered low cry, and slirank back as the light fell fiercely- npon an object al5nost at his feet