Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-11-12
heEvening Story
Burglars
B, NELLIE D. SWIFT

By NELLIE D. SWIFT
whats thatY" Mrs. Blunt sat mp In
bed, at the same time clutchlng her
husbands arm in viselike grip.
"Whats whaty' gruuted Mr.. Blunt
trying to wake himself up.
Burglars! Didn't you hear 'em7"
''No. where?'
Downstairs. They've run against
some glassware and smashed it."
'I'm going down." said Mr.. Blunt, at.
tempting to rise. but his wife held
him. He broke away from her and.
going to a bureau. took revolver.
then, taking an electric light In his
left hand. pressed his thumb on the
button and descended the staircase.
He passed from the lower hall to the
drawing room and from the drawing
room to the dining room, whore he
found the fragments on the door Of
cut glass dish that had been knocked
on the sideboard. He looked In q
drawer In the sideboard where the
silver In daily use was kept, expect
ing to nnd It gone. 1t was all there
and he concluded that the burglar,
feeling In the dark. had knocked on
the dish and, fearing to have awakened
the household, had taken himself away
a. soon a. possible.
Mr.. Blunt opened a door that led
into the pantry. through which he
passed into the kitchen. All was silent
and empty. He tried the door leading
out on to back stoop and found 1t
locked. But be found q window sash
unlocked and made up his mind that
the burglar had found an entrance and
an exist through that window. He lock-
ed It and, having satisfied himself that
the burglar had left the premises with
out having had time TO take any
booty. went back to his room. where
he found his wife standing shivering
in the middle of the room. She had
expected every moment to hear a report
and that her husband would be killed.
"Are they gomez" she cried.
Eyes"
"How did they get in?'
HE or they must have entered and
gone out by the kitchen window.
Please caution Susan to be more care
full about locking the sashes."
Mrs. Blunt had lighted the gas. and
her husband. who was facing a mirror.
was somewhat startled Mt his appear
ance ms reflected In 1t. He was In his
nightshirt. with revolver in one hand
and a tubular electric lamp in the
other. both the lamp and the revolver
looking equally terrible. The expecta-
ton of facing burglar had been
somewhat trying to him, and his usu-
ally norid face was pale. Nevertheless
he assured his wife that the burglar
had gone and there was no need for
her to feel frightened. They returned
to bed. but Mrs. Blunt would not con-
sent to the gas being turned of. To-
ward morning they fell into a doze.
The episode unhinged Mrs. Blunt's
nerves. and Mr.. Blunt, though be pooh
poohed Mt her fears. never went to bed
without thinking how reckless he had
been in going down to face burglar
with a light in his hand that would
show the villain just where he was.
He would not be so foolish again. He
would carry the lamp. but would not
flash until occasion required. Mrs.
Blunt declared that II there was again
evidence of burglars in the house she
would lock her husband in their bed
room. But Mr.. Blunt declared that his
manliness would not permit him to
leave any man to roam about his house
and carry away his property.
One night when he was wakeful and
his wife was sound asleep Mr.. Blunt
was sure he heard sounds downstairs.
Getting cautiously out of bed he slip
ped on his coat, for the house was cold,
tiptoed to the bureau. where he found
the revolver. then to the mantel. where
he found the electric lamp. and taking
a. before one in each hand he stealthily
unlocked the bedroom door and felt his
way by the banister downstairs.
In the hall below he felt something
Jar against his leg. At the Same time
street lamp throwing 4 faint light
into the drawing room showed him the
Of the room. II occurred to Mr.. Blunt
that he was standing in the dark and
while he could see the man indistinctly
the man couldn't see him at all. His
first impulse was to run upstairs and
lock himself In his bedroom; his second
was to shoot the intruder before the
fellow was aware Of his presence: 9TH
erwise he might DO murdered BY des-
perate man. Raising his revolver. he
shut his eyes and let drive.
He heard a shrek upstairs and sounds
made by something running away. The
drst came from Mrs. Blunt: the second
was like the hight Of an animal and
came from the cat. Hearing nothing
further. Mr.. Blunt crouched behind a
navel post and flashed bis lamp Into
the drawing room. he cav NO one,
but hole with radiant cracks had
been made In corner OF . mirror rest.
ing on the mantel.
Don't b. frightened. my dear. Come