The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-06-13
of the poplar outside the window.


glanced carelessly into the room,
with my hand on the handle of the
door, and was about to continue my
journey to the dining-room when 1
felt a current of air from an open
window, and saw something white
cleaning in the moonlight for an in.
slant and then disappear.
"What is that? 1t looked like a
hand," thought, as an indescribable
feeling of terror passed over me and
left me shivering.
There was not sound to be heard
in the room save the rustling of the
curtains as the light wintry breeze
blew them from the window; but /
was certain some one was there.
He was inside the room by this
time, and I noticed that his footsteps
were noiseless, as if he had no shoes
on as he moved across the bar of
moonlight toward the bureau where
my mother always kept her jewelry.
saw a round patch of bright yellow
fall on the key hole of the top draw
er, and then heard a metallic rattling.
The thief was picking the lock.
If / could only scream or call Will !
The drawer opened; the man was
fumbling at its contents, when
crash The yellow fash of light
disappeared and, with fearful word,
saw the man fall, another man hold
ing him Then a pistol shot rang
through the room and echoed up and
down the stairs, and the room was
flooded in light. Somebody had
switched on the light.
For few seconds my eyes were so
dazzled that l could not see anything.
Then saw two men rolling on the
floor in desperate struggle, while a
pistol lay just outside of their reach.
The man underneath, with his closely
fitting plush cap, was scowling at me,
as he tried to release himself, and |
thought could see murder written
on this thin lips and short, turned up
nose so plainly that I should have
been in favor of hanging him on the
spot.
In the battle, just as Will and my
father reached the room and rushed
past me, the combatants rolled over
a very red face, which, however, was
anything but sheepish now, was turn
ed toward me. The face of-John
Benton
Will had the thief by the arm in a
moment, while John Benton lay pant
ing on the floor. Then it was I saw a
great red stain on the white shirt
front. 1t was blood.
Somehow, 1 forgot all about the
thief. Will, my father-everything,
as threw myself down by the side
of John Benton and pressed my hand
kercheif over the red stain.
"John, John ! What isit9 7 Where
are you hurt? Oh, father, he is kill
ed z, I screamed. ..What shall I
l will never believe again that John
Benton was ever bashful, for he just
put one of his hands on the back of
my head, pulled my face down to his
and whispered:
"Do just what you are doing now,
and as you have commenced to call me
John do it all the rest of your life and
let me call you LOU"
There was a sudden disturbance.
The thief had broken away.
cit is not serious" said John, sit
ting up. "That fellow cut his hand
in some way while opening the bu-
reau and he rubbed the blood all over
my shirt, that's ALL"
1 bit my lip aud gave John look
that should have frozen him. 1t did
not have the proper effect, however,
for he followed me upstairs to the
nursery, where the racket of play had
rendered the children oblivious to the
disturbance below.
AS he took Stella on his knee he
said.
''You must sing Birdie on Tree
for us again, will your"
"Ess, 1 will sing it for you, you
mus tiss Lou for me now. She has
diven me lots and lots of tandy."
"Yes, 1 think So" said John. "And
I'll tiss her for you."
And he actually did it.-Amesfcan
CuItivato,.