The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1911-07-21

None OF us had ever seen him be
ia
Mr.. Lawrence McGuirk. better
fully. "A celebrity in his particular
line. which is second-story man and
all-round rascal. victim OF the
quarantine. like ourselves"
We've missed him for a week"
one OF the guards said with grin.
We've been real anxious about you.
| Tubby. Amt week goes by. when
you're in health. that We don't hear
something OF you"
Mr.. McGuirk muttered something
under his breath. and the men chuck
| led
Aunt Selma rose suddenly and
| cleared her throat.
Am ! 10 understand" she asked Sc
/ verely. that from now on We will
have 10 add two newspaper reporters,
/ three policemen and burglar 10 the
/ occupants OF this quarantined house!
/ Because, II that is the case. abso-
I lutely refuse 20 feed them"
But one OF the reporters stepped
\ forward and bowed tremendously.
Madam" he said. Il thank you for
/ your kind invitation, butt will be
/ impossible for us 10 accept had in
| tended TO break the good news earlier.
| but this little game or burglar-in-a.
| corner prevented me, The fact Is.
| your Jap has been discovered 10 have
nothing more serious than chicken.
! pox. and-if you will forgive poul.
| try yard joke, there is no longer any
! necessity for your being cooped up"
Then he retired. quite pleased with
| himself
One would have thought we had ex.
| hausted our capacity for emotion, but
Jim said n joyful emotion was SO new
that we hardly knew how To receive
/ IL.
Then we all sat down and had some
| champagne. and while they were walt.
/ ing for the police wagon, they gave
/ some TO poor McGuirk He was stlll
/ quite shaken from his experience
| when the dumbwaiter stuck, The
/ wine cheered him little, and he told
/ his story, In voice that was creaky
/ from disuse. while Tom held my hand
/ under the table.
He had had dreadful week. he
said, he spent his days In closet In
! one OF the maids rooms-the one
/ where we had put jim II was jim
| waking out OF nap and declaring
/ that the closet door had moved by
! itself and that something had crawl.
cd under his bed and out of the door.
! that had reused the suspicious of the
men In the house-and he slept at
night on the coal In the cellar He
was actually fearful when he rubbed
! his hand over his scrubby chin, and
said he hadn't had n shave for week.
! lie took somebody's razor, he said,
! but he couldn't get hold of a portable
mirror, and every time he lathered up
and stood in front OF the glass In
the dining room sideboard, some one
came and he had had 20 run and hide.
He told, too, OF his attempts to es'
cape. OF the board on the roof, OF the
| homemade rope and the hole In the
cellar, and he spoke feelingly OF the
pearl collar and the struggle he had
made TO hide It, He said that for
three days II was concealed In the
! pocket Of Jim's old smoking coat In
the studio.
We were all rather sorry for him,
! but II we had made him uncomfort.
| able. think OF what he had done TO as.
! And for him 20 tell. as he did later
! I'm court. that If that was high so-
! ciety he would rather be a burglar,
! and that we starved him, and that the
women had 20 dress each other be.
| cause they had no ladys maids, and
| that the whole lot Of us we're In love
/ with one man, It was downright ma
! licious
The wagon came for him Just as he
! finished his story, and We all went TO
! the door In the vestibule Aunt Selma
suddenly remembered something, and
she stepped forward and caught the
poor fellow by the arm.
Young man." she said grimly. I'll
thank you 10 return what you took
from me last Tuesday night"
McGuirk started, then shuddered
and turned suddenly pale.
Good Lord" be calculated "On
the stairs to the roof, You"
They led him away then. quite brok-
en-, with Aunt Selma staring after
him. She never did understand. I
could have explained, but IL was too
awful
On the steps McGuirk turned and
took a farewell glance al Us. Then
ne waved his hand 90 the policemen
and reporters who had gathered
around
"Good.by. fellows he called feebly.
Il amt sorry ! amt jain be a par
adise after this"
And then We went 10 pack our
trunks.