The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1905-05-18


vote to planning our campaigns |
against the burglar we we're always |
expecting, often slipping out Of bed
and stumbling around in the dark to
change the location OF the gun to
meet conditions changed in our dis
cussions.
Our room was on the second floor OF
an L, and opened out on back porch.
This porch was inclosed below, but
open and surrounded by railing
above. Steps led up from the lower
to the upper floor and about midway
the lower floor opened out on to the
yard.
The other members of the family
were absent from home attending an
entertainyr ent one evening, but my
older sister wss i'll, and was left at
home with her for company, Her
room was also upstairs, and next to
the one we boys occupied. Left to
ourselves, my sister was lying down,
and sat looking at pictures before
the open CRATE fire.
A suspicious noise finally attracted
my attention, and after listening mo-
ment slipped quietly out into my
room to Investigate. Seeing nothing
there, and the noise continuing, | Sc
cured the gun and went out on to the
back porch. had opened the door
very carefully, without making
sound, and when out on the porch
could distinctly hear the noise which
sounded as though it was on the low
er porch.
Holding my breath, in mingled fear
and excitement, tiptoed to the edge
Of the porch and looked over the rail.
ing. The moon was shining brightly,
making objects nearby plainly visible.
Immediately under where | stood
was man, and very large one,
thought. Calmly, yet vigorously, he
was working on the fastening Of the
door that opened on to the steps lead
ing up to where stood, and at once
realized that our long looked for burg
lar had come.
Together with my brother, | had
planned, longed, hoped and looked for
his appearance for days and weeks
, past, and now that he had come, and
was so close-I could all but touch the
top of his hat with the muzzle of my
| gun-I discovered that my feelings had
suddenly undergone a radical change
Instead Of being delighted, | was
| truly sorry. Instead of being calm.
and self-pcssessed, as J had always
felt sure | should be, l was shaking
from lead to foot with abject terror;
so great was my fright it positively
made me sick. | made desperate ef-
fort to cry out, but only choked and
/ gasped, making no sound. tried to
retreat into the house. but my legs
refused to carry me.
With the now forgotten gun IN one
hand, and clinging to the banister !. ith
the other, | stood looking down on
the man as he calmly proceeded to
work at the door fastening, which !
knew to be none too secure Expect.
ing every minute that he would effect
an entrance, l now began earnestly to
wish that | had left the gun in the
house where 1t would not have been so
convenient to his hand when he at
tackled me.
could not say how long / stood
thus, but know 1t seemed a very long
time The man was using some sort
of instrument with which he worked
at the fastening OF the door, twisting
and turning II in the lock, stopping
every little while to push and gently
shake the door to see if his efforts to
force the lock had been successful.
Utterly unconscious of my near pres.
ence he worked away, while watched
him In fascinated silence. Each time
he shook and pushed the door ex.
pected it to open and let him in, but
the fastenings held.
finally began to recover from the
first effects of my dreadful fright, and
to wonder il 1t was not possible for
me to shoot the man as he worked at
the door. He was evidently a real
burglar, and deserving of the most
severe punishment
AS / seriously considered this matter
my courage increased, and | finally
concluded to attempt it. Stepping up
on the lower rail OF the banister.
leaned over and, carefully lifting the
gun over. lowered the muzzle until II
pointed fairly down on the man. and
was only few feet from the top of his
unconscious head. Trembling with ex,
citement, | pressed the stock to my
shoulder as | hung over the railing
Immediately over him and, with two
fingers on the heavy trigger. began to
pull with all my strength. Until fairly
out of breath tugged on the trigger
expecting every instant to hear the
loud report and see the man fall dead
suddenly cut short in his awful caree
OF crime Ceasing my strenuous ef
forts finally, and pausing to get a
better hold on the trigger, it suddenly
occurred to me that the reason the
gun had not gone off was the fact that
in my excitement had forgotten to
cock 1t. My fears were now, for the
time, forgotten, and l was all excite
ment for fear the man would discover
| - .,,o1ro btu acaona h..fo~o