The bee. (Earlington, Ky.) 1889-19??, 1908-10-29
BRAVE Mr..
BLIFKIN
His wife Heard q Noise Like
a Burglar.


burglar or course, you've told your
wife a hundred times just what you'd
10 II burglar got into your house.
haven't you? In the FIRST year OF your
married life you kept your revolver I'M
Ter the pillow, ready for instant use II
'ou could get at it first. Your wife
Used to tell you how safe she felt with
such big, brave protector, didn't she2
And all the time she was vowlng that
she'd never awaken you II a burglar .
lid come. because she wouldn't want
Ter big brown-eyed boy to get shot and
all mussed up. And you used to tell
Ter how you'd pile out OF bed and
Jump some one full OF 3S's II they
entered that house without ringing.
lidu't you? Go on. now. you know
'ou did. But after a while you put
he revolver in the bureau drawer
and finally In the medicine closet In
he bathroom, on the top shelf, where
busy little hands couldn't reach H. So
lid Bllfkiu.
/ II happened last Sunday night or
rather Sunday morning. Blifkin had
worked late, as he always does at the
weeks end, 80 that he was sleeping
soundly at three o'clock when his wife
gently pushed him in the side.
I Jim. Mrs. Blifkin whispered. TN
quite sure that some ones down
stairs. I've been listening for ave min
utes and can't so to sleep"
Blifkin was awake in an instant
Nearly seven years they'd been mar.
/ fled. and in all that time his wife
, never had awakened him in that way
Where's my gum" he whispered
In the medicine closet" was the 70,
ply. ~ - - ~ /
Wonder you didn't put it UP In The
attic or down in the ice box" BlifkinN
rasped. trying not 10 show impatience
"A burglar might steal the piano or,
assasslnate the whole family while
sick that gun out Of the bottles"
Don't go. jim" Mrs Blifkin plead,
I'd. almost In tears. You might get
hurt"
"What'd you wake me for?" Blifxin
snapped. Don't expect ME to wrIte
to that burglar, do you. and ask him
to please so away?'
BY this time Blifldn was angry. lie
rose and. followed by his wife, went
TO the medicine closet and got the re-
volver. The stairs creaked loudly as
he walked down them and for once no
blessed the careless carpenters be-
cause he thought that any sensible.
self-respecting burglar would escape
hearing that noise At that instant
Mrs. Blifkln pressed a button that
turned on four electric lights In the
reception hall. Blifkin nearly fell
downstairs.
Fine" he gasped. You must'vs
feared this burglar couldn't see nae.
Better get q match and light the gas,
too. What was THAR"
Enthusiastically some one was moving
In the dining room or the den. beyond
Mrs Blifkin. In white, stood trem-
bling on the first stair landing. BIZ
kin passed braVely into the parlOr
and, thinking 20 give the nan time to
get away. he stepped into . corner and
pressed q switch that flooded the
dining room win uSnt.
Thank goodness, there was NO one
there anyway, but Blifkin's heart al
most stopped beating when he noticed
that for the FIRST time In his memory
the curtains that huhg at the entrance
TO the den were pulled together In the
alcOVe and, yes, he was not mistaken.
one curtain moved. The heavy burlap
extended a few inches toward him as
II some one were holding something
pointed against 1t.
II was a terrible moment for Blifkln.
lie was SO fascinated by the spectacle
Of that curtain moving-lt did move
again-that he almost forgot that no
had a weapon in his right hand The
thoughts that flashed through his mind
hen. in a brief period Of lucidity, were
thoughts that made Mrs. Blifkin weep
later on. He knew that II he pulled
those curtains apart the burglar would
shoot him.
In q cold and passionless sort OF
way. the way men are said to feel
after the FIRST few shots In a battle. he
found himself wondering where the
bullet would enter and whether he
would be killed outright or only
wounded, TO die afterward, in a hes
pital. He thought about his life Ia
surance. He even thought about Where
he probably would fall when struck;
very likely he would crash against the
china closet and the crash would
bring Margery, Mrs. BIifkins scream
Ing into the room. He liked that word
crash"
After the worst was over and the
burglar had escaped, Blifkin thought.
his wife would call up the police sta
ton and in 20 or 30 minutes the police
ambulance would come ringing It's belll
as a warning to the burglar to go
away II be still fingered in the yard
II doesn't take long 10 think that
many thoughts. II took Blifkin only
moment and then, forgetting every.
thing except that man was hiding
in the den, he strobe across the room
and pulled the curtains apart!