The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-05-08
Aunt Hannah and
Jack
h, NJ QUAD
Copyright 1913 by Associated Lit
erarN Press

robbers. hut Nou have never read u
Aunt Hannah Day. though she wa,
. Just that sort of person. She was
widow and had passed the middle az,
aud had II little farm near IA village
where she lived and hired IA man Il
work il
Aunt Hannah wasn't q miser, though
she WAS known To he stingy ana 10 b,
suspicious of every one that came
along Her first thought toward Il
stranger was 10 ask herself III he was
after the money. FOR she kept money
In the house While her husband was
still alive bank had failed on them.
aud they had lost $1,000 From that
date on tile woman had looked upon
every banker AZ II rObber
In one way aud another Aunt Han
nah had got together $4,000 in gold.
She had buried il down In the cellar
in Il fruit jar. but she didn't believe
she would ever receive Il visit from
robbers When people warned her That
she WAS running n great risk she re-
piled
"Oh, Ia. Ia. if robbers ever should
come III make 'em n cup OF ginger tea
and ask them 10 please 20 along aud
not bother an old woman. Robbers
| have mothers as well as other folks,
and when they see my gray hair and
! wrinEled face they'll think OF their
own mothers aud not harm me.
one day there came toiIing up the
/ long hill on whose crest stood Aunt
Hannah'S rather gloomy house boy
about fourteen years old lie was rag
ged and hungry. He was II city waif
who had left the city behind aud was
trampiue. He saw Aunt Hannah in
her cucumber patch and opened the
gate.
We'll, bnb?" she queried in her brisk
way.
Il want To live with YOU for awhile"
was the reply
But You have lazy look about
YOU
Gimme something to do and see
how I'll make the dirt fy.'
After Il few more questions aud AN
sWers he was given Il slice of bread
and butter and set To work
Aunt Hannah had always figured
that ii robbers came il would be ut
midnight and that there would he
three Of them aud each wearing
black mask. She had written down
and then committed to memory the
very first words she was going TO
speak when she found them bending
over her bed and flashing the light
from dark lantern in her eyes.
Jack had Il bed in the garnet, which
was not Il had sort of place. While
Aunt Hannah had a bedroom on the
first floor The tired boy was always
in bed at = O'Clock. but the woman
waited an hour longer before winding
tue clock and retiring One evening
at half past =, as she sat sewing, the
door opened aud two men entered.
No masks No dark lantern. They
didn't look bit like robbers
Madam" said one. ana he smiled
when he said It. we have come for
that money"
Aunt Hannah's robbers had come ut
last; but. alas for her. her program
had been all knocked ont She was
SO frightened that she was tongue
tied FOR the next three minutes. She
Just sat and stared M them and won
dered If she had grown deaf and mis-
understood their words.
will YOU hand over the money"
NO. IN he summed II | will she |
exclaimed as she suddenly found her |
voice and at the same time began to |
struggle
In fifteen seconds she had n gag In |
her mouth and one of the men was |
saying
TOO bad isn't it? We thought the |
old lady would see things in the right !
light Guess wen have to hurt her
after ALL
Five minutes after Jack had gore 10
bed he was asleep. That sleep lasted
about twenty minutes. and then a touch
Of collie woke him up He had been eat
ing green apples all the afternoon to
make him grow The hired man had
told him ii WAS II sure thing. He didn't
get ont of bed ut the first twinge. but
at abont the tenth. He would 60 down.
stairs and TESS up 10 Aunt Hannah
and get remedy He got so far on his
way as Ia know thar there were stran-
gers in the sitting room and that one
of them was saying to the widow:
I'VE should hate To burn the soles of
her feet with lighted matches. but we
must have that money!
Jack scuttled back upstairs and from
q back window dropped 10 the roof OF
the kitchen and thence Ia the ground
Half mile away was a farmer who
was cutting his meadows aud had five
or six harvest hands at the house The
distance was covered in short order
and the laborers turned out with guns
and pitchforks
She had just got one blister when the
harvest hands arrived There was a
hot fight for five minutes. and then one
or the robbers was captured and the
other made his escape Jack came In
after the affair was over. and Aunt
Hannah tried to embrace him and tell
him what nice things she was going to
do for him. hut his reply was: I
TITS me for the road again I can't I
stand collie and robbers on the same :
night. and that blister on your foot IL
goin' to keep You yellin' at somebody