Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-09-03

RosBiNG A HAUNTED HOUSE.
IOriginaI.1


was new at the business, and it came
pretty near making an honest man OF
me. At the time we were doing q
| suburb of big city. Every few nights
some house would be entered, and
| every one in the place was badly
| frightened. One night | was on the
way to join my pals for bit of work
when L passed Il house that struck me
as being we'll located for business.
| There was not another house near
enough to afford any protection, and
there We're porcheS with trelliseS that
would enable a man to climb to the
second story. / saw one such ladder
that led right up to Il back window, and
as the night was very hot the window
was wide open. 1t was too dead easy
a game to be left out and l had time to
make Il haul before joining the gang.
II took the precaution TO walk around
the house TO look out for anything that
might balk me. There wasn't a light
anywhere On the front porch short
board leaned against the front door on
which something had been painted in
rough black letters. brought my bulls
eye to bear on it, and when i saw what
it was L laughed. Ii read: This
house is haunted! Keep off,
IF ever there was Il woman's bluff
that was. No man would have been
stupid enough to try to fool Il burglar
in that way. l made UP hmy mind
there were only women in the house
and 1 had nothing to fear. Going
straight 10 the trellis l climbed it and
entered by the open window. About
this time l felt Il trifle uncertain. 1t
occurred to me that any one so fright
ened as 10 put up such n warning to
burglars would be timid enough to
shut and lock all the windows. But
there was Il heat wave on and no one
could have stood it without outside air.
This led me TO believe that the sign had
been put up in place of locking the win
dows l laughed again at the device
and proceeded down q hall from which
the window opened At the other end
of the hall was mirror The night was
not so dark but that l could see my
reflection and l stood for moment
looking at it.
Il don't know anything I'd not
rather run up against in my work than
a mirror If It was day and / could see
distinctly l wouldn't mind 'em. But
L have never done day work. which no
gentleman will do. for it Is really COM
mon sneak thief work. To make sure
the reflection was mine, | made differ
ent motions, noticing that the reflection
followed them. 1t did and l was salts
fed.
Il tried several bedroom doors and
they were locked. Not caring to dis
tIIrb any one-tlds, mind you, was Il
side issue before joining the gang-I
concluded to go downstairs and see
what had been done with the silver
The places where silver are usually
kept We're empty. and knew they had
put it in safe place. Then l con-
cluded TO go on the third story and il
1 didn't find anything I'd have. to
either leave without plumber or break
into some of the best bedrooms on the
second floor.
Reaching the second floor on my
way up there was the mirror and my
dim reflection. l raised an arm-most-
ly out of nervousness, for 1 had made
the test beforehand L shivered all over
when 1 didn't see the arm OF the re-
Election go up. Grasping my revolver,
l stepped back and aside. The figure
stepped aside too. / raised my revolv-
err SO did~fhe figure Then 1 felt
easier and advancing found that from
where l had stood the mirror wasn't
high enough TO take in my arm raised
above my head.
There's n bit of superstition in all
of us, and the incident ratified me.
When l got on the third floor l felt I'M
comfortable. l saw something at the
end of the hall that might be mirror,
but it was darker than below and 1
couldn't see my reflection. 1 entered
n bedroom and found fine haul of
jewels on II bureau. BY this time l
was quite ready to get away and step
ping into the hall was about to so
downstairs when l thought l saw
something in what 1 supposed was the
mirror. My hair stood on end. 1t was
white and my clothes were dark.
looked at it a moment, then as a test
put up both my arms. Both arms of
the reflection went up. l put mine
down, but those of the reflection re-
manned up. My heart began to thump.
Then the figure stepped out of the |
mirror and came toward me. / gave
a yell and fell in a faint
when | came to myself L was locked |
in 4 closet, and few minutes later |
the police arrived. The closet door |
was unlocked, and a policeman's bulls |
eye was thrust in my face.
Hello. Andy. Caught again? Why, |
/ didn't know you was out And he |
dragged me from the closet.
THE gas was turned on, and there |
were several women in the hall. al |
were in double gowns except one girl, |
who had sheet around her The first |
thing did was to look at the end of /
the hall. where | supposed there was
a mirror. and there wasn't any mir
ror there. Then | knew the girl in
white had fooled me.
s.'rhe DOkcpm0n CONGRATULATED tho