The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-09-30

gate should be locked and the police be
called to protect the premises. Mr.
Middleton was In the city and not ex-
pected at home for several days. !,
being the only man present. ventured
to suggest to Mrs. Middleton that the
man would not be so gullible as to
trust himself In the hands Of a stran.
ger and nothing would come Of II, but
the lady declared that she believed
many robberies were committed by
connivance of the servants and this
was case In point.
After the matter had been duly dis
cussed by all except its perpetrator.
who had maintained a modest silence,
Georgia as soon as she got me alone
told me that she believed the man was
q jailbird who had escaped or had end
ed his term and that she had completely
deceived him. She asked me to assist
her in carrying out her scheme. told
her that the police would be only too
glad to be interested In 1t with a view
to capturing the man red handed.
volunteered to sound them and learn
I did 80 and was told. after giving
them Georgia's description Of the man.
that he was probably Red Mike. who
had recently been discharged after do
ing term in state prison. They beg
ged me to secure them an opportunity
to trap him. l suggested that they put
a guard around the Middleton grounds
and take him as he entered. but they
said that by this course they would
have no charge to make against him.
whereas If he were permitted to enter
the house and was caught there carry
ing away property he could be sent
back to prison for another term.
When 1 reported these facts to
Georgia she asked me to grant the re-
quest Of the police, but declared that
the matter must be kept from her
mother. did not like to be mixed In
matter Of discrimination, but Georgia
said 1t could be managed with her
mothers knowledge Of It. finally left
her to do as she pleased. She deter
mined to communicate with her father,
who. returning from the city, after
hearing the story and giving his daugh-
ter the usual scolding upon one of her
unusual pranks, decided to give the
police the opportunity, II It occurred.
b get in a criminal who was bent on
making q dishonest living.
On the night Of the expected bur.
glary we amused ourselves a. usual
TN about II o'clock. when we all went
10 our rooms. agreeing that all lights
should be turned OF at II. The rob
berry was TO be committed at /. I
turned OF my light at the appointed
time and sat in the dark in my clothes
Ny room overlooked the clubhouse
where the ladder that the burglar was
to use was kept, and the window
through which he was to enter was ON
the same side Of the house. Shortly
before l o'clock began a watch upon
the clubhouse. but when ten minutes
after the appointed time had elapsed
and all was quiet made up my mind
that It was Georgia who had been
fooled instead of the criminal.
| At seventeen minutes of 2. when I
was about to give up the watch and
20 to bed. 1 saw a figure stealing to the
Clubhouse. The door had been purpose
" left ajar by the police, who were In
room overlooking the Clubhouse. I
saw the figure carrying something
which I presumed to be the ladder.
though It was too dark to discern what
Il was, and by his motions l knew that
b was raising one end against the
house. Then l saw him slowly mount
, the rounds.
had left my door open so that
could look into the hall and now went
to take position at the door. 1t was
not q minute, though 1t seemed longer,
after this change that the electric lights
on that floor were turned ON, the pc.
lice sprang from the room they occu.
pied into the hall and thence into the
room the burglar had entered. ran
to the door Of the room they were In,
reaching 1t just In time to see them
seize the man and take from him a
box, which one Of them opened II
was filed with pebbleA
The household was up and about No
one had gone to bed, and as the burglar
was led out through the hall he passed
Us all When he came to Georgia
saw him start, for he saw her, not In
cooks apparel, but dressed a. q lady
He scowled at her, but with a police.
man on either side Of him and hand.
CufPod ho had m ODnOrtuuitv FOR "a.
prOaches. So he uttered no word.
Georgia. having played her prank
now regretted that she had been instru.
mental In returning a man to prison
and began to urge her father to use
his influence to prevent the rascal
being prosecuted. But Mr.. Middleton
told her that the matter was not in
his hands. The police had caught the
robber red handed and had the neces
sary evidence to convict him.
Nevertheless. Georgia did not give up
She hired a lawyer to defend the man
she had trapped, and the thief got
OF on the ground that he had been per
suaded to rob the person who had per
suaded him. which was conspiracy.
Georgia wound up her summers
amusements by bringing me to a dec
laration and refusing me. l suppose
should have condemned her, but I did
not. l pretended that had also beer
amusing myself. though l took cart
to show this by my bearing and not by
words. The ruse was successful. and ir
time married her