Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1904-11-09
An ATTEMPTED
%. u urSl larry
[Original.1

liz on the scent FOR business, saw negro
wheeling a box along a street In a
| large city. The negro appeared to be
| talking to himself At least there was
no one near for him to talk to, and
since he was talking this was the
natural inference. Sawyer sauntered
| along after him, expecting him to take
| the box to some express office, ware
house or other such place and was sur
prised when he turned into q first class
dwelling street and rolled the case
| into the basement door of a handsome
residence Just before descending a
| few steps leading to the basement Saw
| yer heard the negro say Brace" Then
he lowered the box as carefully as if
it contained bouquet of wax flowers.
Sawyer was in ecstaSieS. las sure
as there is water in the sea-" he said
to himself, there is man in that
case. There is to be burglary in
that house tonight. Just what l have
always claimed, thieves are introduced
into houses by the servants"
During the evening Anthony Sawyer
rang the doorbell and asked for the
gentleman of the house, who appeared
In the person of Edward Frances Ford,
a well to do banker, and the detective
informed him that he had reason to be-
lieve that robbery would be COM
mitted on the premises that night.
Mr.. Ford asked the cause of his sus-
picions, whereupon Sawyer Informed
him that he was a detective and had
followed long chain of events that
had led up to the proposed burglary.
However, he had knowledge of but
one burglar, whom he proposed to take
in the act, allowing time for his con-
federate to be caught in the same trap.
In other words, Mr.. Sawyer proposed
to secure rewards for as many burglars
as possible. So it was arranged that
Sawyer and couple of assistants were
to remain all night in the house.
About 10 o'clock Mr. Ford was sit
ting in his library smoking and waiting
for the burglary when he heard a step
in the hall and going there saw his
daughter Dora, aged seventeen, stand
ing with her hand on the banister
trembling like leaf.
'Why, my child, what are you do
ing here?"
"Oh, papa, I'm afraid of the bur-
glarsl'
'The burglars! We're perfectly pre-
pared for them, if there is anything in
the scare which i very much doubt,
but the proper place for you is your
room, not prowling about the house."
Dora went back to her room, and her
father returned to the library wonder
ing at the strange timidity which led
her toward danger rather than away
from it. Sawyer came in and proposed
that Mr.. Ford should go to his room
and the light be put out in order that
the burglars might have full opportu-
nifty to begin their work. This was
done, and the house was as dark as
a dungeon and as still as a graveyard.
At IL o'clock Sawyer went to Mr..
Ford's bedroom and asked him to fol-
low him to the cellar. They went
there ON tiptoe and stood in a corridor.
A light tapping was heard in the adj
| joining compartment, followed by
what sounded like the removal Of
board. At this juncture Mr.. Ford,
| who kept a dark lantern in the house
for just such purpose and had
brought it to the cellar with him de-
| spite Sawyers efforts to prevent him,
flashed it toward the point whence the
noise proceeded.
| No climax in the third act of melo-
| drama could have been more startling.
| From behind came shrek, and Dora
| Ford threw her arms wildly around her
| fathers neck. The dark lantern il
| Of young man, the lower half being
in big box. No burglar ever looked
SO surprised, SO crestfallen. The pale
| face, the terror stricken eyes of this
one were those of Roger Anterior,
! aged eighteen, and sutton for the
hand of Dora Ford.
what in thunder does this meanY
asked Mr.. Ford.
Hands up.' cried Anthony Sawyer
simultaneously.
| Atherton's hands went up, and he
stood half out of the box, picture Of
terror and despair.
"Spare him, papa" from Dora.
you young fool" exclaimed the
| father to Anterior. Come out of that
Drop your gun, detective; that's no
burglar. He's boy who has been try
ing to marry my little girl before she's
old enough to marry any one. sup
pose, Dora, he's been persuading you
to run away with him, hey?"
81 told him the plan wouldn't sue
ceed.''
"And you were going down to warn
him when found you in the hail."
| Dora hung her head.
"Are you sure about thisY' asked
the detective, almost as crestfallen as
the intercepted lover
Surely" replied the father. would
you take that beardless boy for a