The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-11-14
earned of two other burglaries in our

e~~D@@
Before we finally retired she saw fit to
recount all three affairs mosaically
and to remark dolefully that she was
sure our turn was coming soon.
Nonsense" said I, having left
the door unlatched.
The town clock bell had completed
its dozen peals, and we were lying
costly in our places when there came
a soft creaking on the hallway stairs,
followed by the muf1ed tread of foot
steps outside of our door.
''John," Maria whispered, "did
you hear that?"
"What?" 1 asked, fearlessly.
"Some one is at our door. Go out
and shoot him. Oh-h-hp The door
opened softly and circle. flight was
planted on the opposite wall.
Our visitor made straight for the
bureau and started to fill his pockets.
I rose in my place. Impressively
I demanded, "What are you doing
there, r-r-rascal 2"
For answer he flashed the light
into our faces. My own was unruf-
fed; smiling even. On Maria's
saw such look of frozen terror that
I was sore tempted to abandon our
experiment then and there. 1t was
only my promise to Clarence that i'm
PEELED me to see it through.
"See here, sonny" said he, as he
took my watch. "Get your thinking
apparatus busy locating where you
keep the descent things. This is
junk. The stuff I got down in your
dining room is enough to make any
body mad. You ought to be ashamed
of yourself"
"Out of my house this instant, or,
by Heaven, you perish where you
stand Begone, william. Vanish
Vamoose !''
''Vamoose" was Clarence's cue to
depart. Instead of that he strobe
over to our bedside and dealt me a
smart cuff on the ear. This was no
part of the agreement, and hastened
to voice my demonstration.
''Not do what?" was the answer,
grufly given. "That is funny. Ha,
ha Keep quiet, you fossil, or I'll
runa rapid transit tunnel right through
you." A ball of fire flashed into my
eyes and I felt the impact of cold
steel on my forehead.
"Spare us Spare us!" came in
mufned tremolo from under the blank
ct. "Give him that 500 you have
under your pillow, John"
He did not wait for me to give it.
He pushed my head aside and
thrust his hand under the pillow.
AS the gleam of the lantern was
turned aside for an instant I caught a
glimpse of the pistol as it went by me.
It was a tiny automatic revolver.
A..d Tau UvughI CiaEreuSC hOrsc
pistol
"Give me your diamonds" growl-
ed the intruder, "Quick, or I shoot. +"
My tongue clave to the roof of my
mouth and my teeth ratified. AS
speedily as I could withdrew my
head under the coverlet and kept it
there until the sound of retreating
footsteps made known that the bur-
glar had gone.
It was Maria's voice that I heard
as 1 emerged. Her tones, I confess,
were slightly hysterical. "Grapple
him, throttle him, grapple him; pum-
mel him, throttle him, grapple him. "
She said this over and over again.
1 did not stop long to listen. I
Jumped out of bed and made for the
window. I called for help, and an
answering whistle told me that my
call had been heard. AS I left the
window I spied some one coming ur
on the run. I rushed down the stairs
and ran through the hallway. Or
the porch I ran into policeman
There was another man with him
held tightly.
"Here's your burglar" said the
officer. IT got him as he was com
ing back. Said he came up to help
you; good nerve. eh? His partner
wasn't quite so cool about it; I saw
him running away with bag. HI
was too quick for me so I nabbed thi:
one."
The captive removed his mask and
showed us his startled, white counte
nance. Yes. 1t was Clarence.
We have tried to explain matter:
to Maria. Time and again we have
assured her that it was all a joke per
petrated for her especial benefit. NJ
use. Each time she rewards both o
us with a cool stare and asks icily
"Where, then, are my coffee pot ant
my silver spoons and the soup ladle !?
Besides, she invariably concludes, hat
Clarence been the burglar, she hae
small doubt that I would have crap
pied him, throttled him and pummel
ed him. Cold type does not repro
duce the possibilities lurking in he
tone.-W. y Tribune.
THE incumbent of an old church Ii
Wales asked party of Americans tc
visit his parochial school. After
recitation he invited them to question
the scholars, and one of the party &C
cepted the invitation.
Little boy" said he to a rosyfacet
lad, "can you tell me who Georg
Washington was p
"Iss, surr," was the smiling reply
"'E was 'Merican gen'ral."
"Quite right. And can you tell m
what George Washington was remark
able for 7"
"Iss, surr. e was remarkable
cos e was 'Merican an told tn
trewth." The rest was silence.
The sufix "ous" meaning "ful
of" was being discussed in the spell
ing class.
Mountai nous, full of mountains
dangerous, full of danger porus, ful
r