The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1916-11-03
A BENEFICIAL
BURGLARY
By ALAN HINSDAIE

am especially fond Of rowing. and I can
rove to better advantage in a car than
in any other way. Touring in the au.
tumn. when the leaves are turning.
find delightful.
One evening In October about sunset
1 passed a cozy place a short distance
of the road and determined to ask to
be housed for the night. Finding the
gates locked. left my auto In the road
and. climbing the fence, walked up to
the house. There was an ominous al.
lence. Not a dog, not a chicken, not
even a cat. gave evidence Of life. The
nearer view showed me that the win
dow shades were drawn. One shade
had not been entirely pulled down, and
could look into the living room. What
gives some rooms an air Of comfort
that others do not possess. unless it is
the taste Of the furnisher, don't know.
This room was especially inviting, so
inviting that yielded to a temptation
to force an entrance.
l made n burglar Of myself and with
an iron bar found on the place jimmied
the window and went inside. There
was well filed wood basket beside
the fireplace, and l lighted fire and
sat down In big easy chair before 1t.
l dreamed all sorts of dreams about
the place, but they all connected me
with 1t, and they were all dependent
upon lovely imaginary girl who was
to make me happy in 1t. After awhile.
hearing a step on the porch without.
l turned and saw the object of my
dreams looking in through the window.
At any rate, II girl was there and evi-
IDENTIFY interested in the person with.
In. / arose and went to the window.
the girl retreating before my advance.
Don't be frightened" | said reas-
suringly. I'm not a burglar" And
L explained to her how happened to
be there. She heard me through, then
told me that the place belonged to her.
She would not come inside. but after
some hesitancy told me q bit of q
story. She had been born and lived
near by. She became engaged, and
her fiance had built the house with the
intention Of their making a nest to-
gether In 1t when they were married
1t was all ready for their occupancy,
and they were to have been married
In few days. when her lover sick
ened and died. She had never been in
1T since few days before his death
Having seen light in the window.
she had come from her home to dis
cover what it meant. I apologized for
trespassing and offered to vacate Inn
mediately.
NO." she said; II wish you, would.
remain as long as you like. You a ~
broken a melancholy spell. II NE
where I can see this house jalI the
while. and l think that it has kept me
In an abnormal condition. The mo-
ment saw the light in 1t that spell
seemed to snap"
She asked me to go to her home
with her for the evening. did so.
and she introduced me to her mother,
sister and a brother passed a
pleasant evening with intelligent and
refined persons. and when bedtime
came I was offered room for the
night
NO" 1 said, looking at the girl who
had told me her story. IL think il
would be better for you that some one
should sleep in your house,
She made no reply to this. but asked
me to come to her home for breakfast
the next morning. l proposed that the |
FAMILY come to the other house for |
breakfast. Her mother urged this, and |
l left them expecting them to come to |
me the next morning.
l slept in the best bedroom, which |
was in readiness. and the next morn |
Ing arose early to make a few ncces.
sary preparations. In due time my |
hOQfQ oII
reaved girl took OH the merriment OF |
a picnic. But | was happy to find that !
before the meal was over she had lost |
much OF her sadness. Before | left |
my newly made friends she said to me.
'lf at any time while you are tour |
ing you find yourself in this neighbor. |
hood please feel welcome to remain
overnight here"
! accepted the offer. intending TO |
do that very thing. The next month
| rode out to the place. called on nv |
hosts OF my first visit, and we all spent |
the evening together in the vacant |
house. | asked permission to use the |
premises for ii few friends at Christ. |
mas time and 1t was granted. | had |
a special object in this, which was TO |
get the bereaved girl used to merry- |
making there. | told my friends her
story and that ! proposed to make her |
one Of the party If possible They all |
endeavored to make her forget her
grief. and one night we persuaded her |
to sleep in the house.
This did more than anything else to |
break the ice. and before the party |
broke up she had entirely thrown of |
her abnormal condition.
When the spring opened / began nv
touring and never failed to spend at |