Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-01-29
A SKIRMISH In THE DARK.
James Raymond Perry in National Magazine. !

>~.A~%%>>>~%


7, footsteps of the burglars outside the
door
"There, did you hear that, Fred?' she
will exclaim in hushed and frightened
| whisper.
YES, my dear, that was the hall win
dow curtain Tapping" I will answer
| soothingly.
| THE curtain!" Daisy repeats in
scorn and then, after moment OF mid
night silence: There! do you think
that was the curtain?" with terr1hed
clutch at me in the darkness.
No, Tommy Briggs has fallen out of
bed again." l ill say, at venture. OF
course it isn't Tommy falling out OF
bed Any one who has laid awake at
night knows that many unexpected and
at the moment unexplainable noises oc-
cur which are not necessarily attrib-
utable to burglars. In fact, have often
| tried to tell Daisy that burglars are
really more to be feared when the
house is absolutely quiet than when
noises are abroad, inasmuch as the ex-
| pierenced burglar - the determined
kind, who carries, artillery around with
| him and will use it if necessary-neVer
makes noise himself, and is chary
about exploring noisy houses So, IL
there occurs a rather loud noise, as
sometimes happens, which 1 can find
no other ready explanation for, throw
1 the responsibility on Tommy. He often
does fall out of bed-his mother has
| told Daisy so-and in summer, when
the windows are open, the sound may
be heard quite distinctly in our room.
| But tonight Daisy was tired, and in
all probability would sleep soundly. A
| few nights before she had had a rather
severe attack of burglars. She was
wakeful, and the house seemed so still,
she said. She knew there must be
| burglars around, or it never would keep
so quiet. So you see my words to Daisy
| had helped to defeat the very purpose
| for which they were uttered. In the
deepest of the stiffness. that night, a
noise occurred with startling sudden
ness. I suppose a rat in the wall had
miscalculated the distance from one
| joist to the next and had taken an un-
expected tumble. Daisy screamed, and
for fifteen minutes afterward was all
| in cold tremble. But the attack
passed and for two or three nights now
she had been quite free from burglars.
I suppose she had gradually been get
| ting more tired with her kitchen work
and so could not keep awake to listen
to mysterious providers.
| For two reasons, then I was glad to
| hear my wife's regular breathing; first,
because it argued that on the morrow
she would feel rested after a good
nights sleep, and second, because she
was likely to pass another night undis-
| turbed by any Daisy burglar.
| Soothed and lulled by these grati-
| flying reflections, and by the further
pleasing knowledge that this was Sat
urday night. and tomorrow would be
| labQrless, sank softly into sweet and
| peaceful slumbers.
| I awakened very suddenly, to find
Daisy sitting up in bed. In fact. for
some reason. / sat up in bed myself,
which is something / seldom do, when
Daisy has one of her attacks.
ooh, Fred" my wife cried in a
Mortified whisper, Did you hear that
awful noise? There are burglars down
stairs!"
Now I was not sure whether had
heard a noise or not. Something had
awakened me from very sound sleep,
but wasn't sure whether it had been a
noise or Daisy suddenly sitting UP in
bed. / had a confused notion that there
really had been noise, but was not at
| all certain.
1T must have been Tommy falling
out of bed again." I said, applying the
| first remedy that my mind could seize
| hold of. If there had really been noise
it was as likely to have been Tommy
as anything, thought.
i My wife did not answer, and while
we both sat there, straining our ears
| in the darkness, the silence was sud-
denly broken by shot. At least Daisy
vlared that it was shot. did not feel
quite certain about it myself, for the
| reason that did not know just how a
revolver. if discharged in the house.
might sound. But had to admit to
myself that the noise was very much
| like what should expect revolver to
| make. The shock of the first shot had
| not passed before second one startled
us.
There! do you think that was Tommy
| falling out of bed?" demanded Daisy,
without, however, putting any inten-
tional humor into the question.
NO." said, getting out of bed quick
~. I knew there We're not Tommies
enough for that, and that the noise they
made were quite different from this.
"Fred!''-in low, intense whisper
what are you doing?"
Slipping on my trousers" Even as
answered another shot rang thru the
house. This was not a case of Daisy
burglars. That was evident enough.
ooh, oh, we shall both be killed."
moaned Daisy.
Two more shots rang out almost sim
ultaneously. The house is full of
them!" walled my wife. "Oh,oh!"
BY this time had got my trousers
had scarcely touched the key when
Daisy seized my arm.
Don't stir a step from this room,
Fred!" she implored. Are you crazy?
Do you want to get shot?" she cried in
truthful, didn't want to get shot And
agonized whispers. To be perfectly
to be perfectly truthful again, was
rather glad Daisy had put staying
hand upon me. So many shots in the
dead of night were calculated to rather
disturb ones nerves. I suppose am to
be classed somewhere between brave
man and coward. Like most men in
that class I wanted to appear brave
even if / wasn't. That was why had
gone to the door and started to unlock
it, don't know to this day whether I
should have gone ahead and hunted for