Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-01-09
THE SENTIMENTAL BURGLAR.

@~S~SA Al a WI g u6 UdQ. kSttIH
US In every feature" he admitted.
They looked round the drawing
room appreciatively. like prospective
tenants come to view" But they
had no intention of taking the house.
on long lease or a short one; thew
merely meant to take some of the
things that were in it-for they we're.
frankly, BURGLARS
Not quite ordinary burgulase, per
maps lif BURGLARS ever are ordinary
for they did not carry on their CONVEX
sation entirely in slang They were
simply couple of young men sprung
from the middle classes, with respect
able antecedents, who had "got into
trouble as clerks, had met coming
out of prison after doing time" had
chummed, and gone, Unto business"
together. They were still in the first
year of this association, but had
brought of several successful little
coups, and now they had been lodging
in the neighborhood of Woodbury.
,ostensibly as photographers engaged
IN Illustrating an article for a new
sporting magazine) with the view of
bringing of another.
There was little fear of interruption.
for the place they were watching was
rambling old house with few people
IN 1t. There was the mistress, a
young unmarried girl; her aunt COM
panion, four servants, all women, and
the two partners knew we'll that the
bedrooms were at a good distance
from the drawing room, where
through a long French window
they had carefully chosen to make
their entrance
it Was midnight, and the members
Of the household would be in their
first sleep. There was plenty of
time to work, and no danger in light
ening the task before them with
pleasant chat.
Merry Christmas eve," said Jim,
as the tall grandfather clock in the
dim corner of the room finished strik-
ing IL.
by Jove 1t ought to be merry for
us. Just cast your eye around" ex-
claimed Dick, waving his lantern,
which was turned on to give all its
light, now that they had drawn the
curtains extra closely. Good idea
of mine to choose tonight, Ell? Tomor-
row morning a lot of these nice things
would have gone off to friends, who'll
never get them now"
I'D have proposed it, if you hadn't"
said Jim, not to be outdone
They were right; it was a salts
factory room, not only from their
point of view but from. a more pur v
artistic one. The fire in the gr {
old fashioned fireplace was not dead,
but sent Pickering red lights chasing
stealthy shadows over the ceiling,
wainscoated walls, and pictures drap-
ed for Christmas with coral jeweled
holly, fragrant pine branches, and
dim pearls of misteltoe.
The long rosy fingers of freight
touched and struck out CLEANS also
from other h'-cts, more beautiful in
the eyes g The present beholders than
mere Christmas decoration of nat
ures coral and pearls There were
two small tables crowded with old
silver and pretty quaint things of
gold, such as antique watches, snuff
boxes studded with brilliants, quizz-
ing glasses, and other curios such cs
women with faster or money or an
cestors love to collect. The mistress
of the house, Rosamund Dering, had
all three, and not only was she gen.
erous in surrounding herself with
what was rare and beautiful but
there were evidences (such as the
partners had hoped to find) that she
way equally generous in thinking OF
others at this happy season.
They had not planned to visit for
the night before Christmas eve by &C
cident, these two clever ones. They
had not only deduced what was likely
to happen in such household at such
time of the year but they had watch
ed, and had reason to believe that
their deductions were not mistaken.
The jewelry shops in town were
not precisely Alladin's caves of splen-
dor, but they contained some good
things, and the business partners
had seen Miss Dering and her aunt
on the morning of the day just pass
ed driving from one to another, and
coming out with parcels, large and
small, to be tucked away in their
brougham.
Not only this, but a respectable
middle aged man had arrived from
the city in the afternoon, bringing
with him travelling bag which he
carried jealousy. Evidently his visit
was by appointment, because a car
riage met him, and it was in that
way that the watchers learned of his
coming. He had been driven to the
house, hHc re NAMED for more than an
hour, anu has, taken another train
back to town.
Dick was sure that he had come
from q = ? jeweler In answer to a
summon rom Miss Dering, and Jim
thought it more than likely that Dick
was right. There was something
about the face of a jewelers. confiden-
tial man that you could hardly mis-
take, once you got to know it; and
these two flattered themselves that
there were few useful articles of
knowledge of this sort that they had
not picked up
The rudy violations of the fire.
light caused ,nem to concentrate the
whole eye of their lantern upon a
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