The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1908-12-24
L0OD00W ASACTIVE
HAD NOT FOR A MOMENT LOST
SIGHT or SMITH.
consequently Young eentleman's
Hopes Of Quiet Day In the House
Of His Aunt Were by No
Means Realized.

Something untoward always han
pened when Smiths aunt commanded
ms presence. On the occasion of his
last visit he recalled that the cook had
appeared in the middle Of the evening
incontinently drunk and he had risen
from the foot of the porch flight down
which they had together fondly relied,
{ rufHed and daZed Then there was
4 the trouble with the water tank when
/ It had burst during dinner and sent a
miniature Niagara roaring down the
attic stairs. And Smith was by way
! OF being a nervous man and such
/ things got on his nerves.
So that when he opened the usual
/ curt invitation, really a royal com
nand &c spend the nigh weekend in
1 the country with his rich aunt. he
made wry face and began to worry.
/ But he knew that he must go-there
was no way ont of 1.-THE aunt was
rich, and he was the heir apparent.
Sunday was quiet day with some
Of the neighbors in to dinner. And
even this usually funereal occasion
was lightened by the presence of a
chap who had just returned from trip
to Korea and was willing to talk
about it,
It was about two o'clock the next
morning Smith was dreaming of a
perfect drive off the sixth tee when
/ there came a knocking at his door His
aunt was without and would hold con
I verse with him.
He had congratulated himself when
he went to bed that on this visit moth
ing unhappy was to happen. But as
he stumbled into his perverse blanket
robe he wondered what it might be-
and decided that the cook had returned
to the bottle.
So that he was not prepared for the
seriousness of the problem. IT'S burg
lars" said his aunt, with conviction
Don't you hear them?"
lie listened and was bound to admi
that there was a noise below stair
that sounded amazingly as If some
one was walking stealthily about i
the dining room. They could even hea
something like the discreet click o
silver, mufaed as if from the depths o
a concealing bag.
Against his desire not to becom
convinced he made, sure that ther
was actually men in the house. VIVA
to do?
Knowing well that she had no fir
arms. he asked bravely: Have yo
got a gun, Aunt Lavina?" (Yes. tina
was her name) Mercy on us, no!
said she. But I've got a burglar alarm
, It's one of these protective things tn;
2 when you ring it a man comes"
From which we deduce that Aul
} Lavinia was a bit incoherent fro
fright.
( IT'S on the wall there along Il
t hall You pull down the little crar
= and let 60"
e Smith crept along the hall stalkiT
o the burglar alarm. He found it al
g pulled down the crank ana let &C
not once. but many times. Then, wi
the consciousness of having risen
the occasion and done the right THU
at the right moment, he chatted wi
his aunt in whispers With an idea
delivering her mind from those pt
. sistent noises below he launched in
> an account teeming with detail of
= yachting party of which he was on
a member
= Then suddenly the doorbell rar
a The suspense was over now. and
u had been brave. Surely there wol
. be an extra $4,000 in the will
that. He could 90 blithely to the do
Il sure that the burglars would not hal
le him now that they realized help W
coming from outside.
y With a sweep he threw the dc
~, open, expecting to see a squad
~ burly men standing on the step.
II looked into black darkness.
l' But from the level of his knees
heard a voice say: Say, mister,
D. youse ring for a messenger?"-Ph
y delphia Public Ledger.