The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-06-26

that and the rasp. rasp of the burglars
saw.
No operator asked where the house
was at which the burglar was re-
ported. No indeed they were not to
be hoaxed in that way!
A minute that seemed to the anxious
and listening boy TO be half an hour
long passed. Then he pressed the key
again and spelled nervously out the
words:
This is no hoax. The burglar is
I3 years old and am alone. Help me
quick, for 1 need help. He Is saving
bolt and viii be in the house very
soon. Please tell the police. I will
stay at the key until
Then there was a break In the mes
sage that came to the ears of the COM
mercial operators. What had hap
pened?
Just as the last word in the unfin-
ished message was sent out by the
brave lad the bolt OF the back door OF
his home was cut in two and the saw
ing noise ceased.
That scared Frank so that he waited
with bated breath to listen.
The burglar opened and shut the door
softly and stepped inside to the
kitchen. He saw good things on the
he cast the light of his dark lantern
about the room. He took a bulldog
pistol from his pocket and went to the
living room and then to the foot of
the stairs. There he ~stood and lis
tened and waited.
He heard no one stirring on the sec
oad floor where the boy was. Indeed,
Frank stood so still and kept so quiet
that he hardly heard himself breathe.
The burglar was hungry and cold and
in no hurry to ransack the house; he
had Swallowed the building a part of
the day and believed there was no one
at home.
He went back into the kitchen.
swinging the heavy door behind him;
pulled down the curtains. lighted the
gas and sat calmly and contentedly
down to eat
The CLEAN of light that was thrown
dimly through the curtain into the back
yard warned the lad what the burglar
was about. He lay carefully down on
the floor and put one ear TO the carpet.
The rafting of dishes below and also
the sound Of water running from
faucet was heard by the boy.
Neck or nothing-neck or nothing
Frank almost cried the words aloud this
time in his excitement.
Then he recovered his wits and gain
took his place at the wireless tele-
graph, sitting almost directly above
the head of the burglar, who was gorg-
ing himself.
The burglar is in the house now"
he telegraphed. II was scared away
from the wire because he sawed the
bolt through the outside door in two.
He is now eating IN the room below me.
Help Oh, help me, and that very
quick"
Then the commercial operators got
into motion. Faithful "P. h" called
the police headquarters on the tele-
phone and told OF the message in the
night for help.
In the police station a bell rang
sharply and men who were in a wait
ing room ran hurriedly in to get in
structions.
Take a patrol wagon and six men
and ride as fast as you can to No.
-, on street. Surround the house
and bring back burglar that is in
there, either dead or alive. II there Is
no burglar, bring back every one in
house IN the patrol wagon, no matter
what is said by any one"
This order was electrical in its effect.
In less than a minute a wagon filled
with armed patrolmen was whisking
through the darkness and up and down
steep grades toward the Western adj
dition, and the driver, with the black
snake whip urged the steaming, gall
Looping horses to their top speed with
reckless disregard of consequences.
Through his receivers the listening
boys heard the words. Have told the
police and help is coming"
Hep is coming,"
The brave lad. despite the risk, could
not help sending back the words in
his thankfulness: THANK you. p H."
But the keen ears of the burglar
caught sounds. faint and mysterious.
above his head. and he started up with
pistol I'm hand TO investigate
He passed from the kitchen once
more into the living room and peered
into every corner, ready to shoot at
the slightest sign of life He glared
under tables and into closets. Then
he began TO climb the stairs to the
floor above.
Frank heard the footballs coming,
for the staiPs creaked; and his young
heart almost stopped with dread In a
few seconds the burglar would reach
his unfsstened door-and then, What
the12 What should he do now?
Neck or nothing" He raised the
window Of his room as gently as he
could. but the burglar heard him. The
villain was surprised. and for a few
seconds stood motionless. fearing a
trap. He waited the hall stairs,
scowling, expecting that some one
would come within range of his deadly
pistol.
While the burglar tarried. the wire
less boy hero managed to crawl out of
his window and to get hold of A stout
drain pipe that ran down the side Of
the house TO the ground. Down this
he slid and once on terra firma, ran
out in his night clothes. through the