The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-11-07
A BENEFICIAL
BURGLARY
By ALAN HlNSDALE

am especially fond of rowing. and 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
or 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 81
lence Not a dog, not chicken. not
even 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
to force an entrance.
made 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 | lighted a 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.
turned and saw the object of my
dreams looking in through the window
at any rate. a girl was there and evil
IDENTITY 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 burglar" And
explained to her how l 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 bit Of
story. She had been born and lived
near by. She became engaged, and
her flance 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
It since few days before his death
Having seen a light in the window,
she had come from her home to dis
cover what it meant. | apOlogized for
trespassing and offered to vacate i'm
; mediately
mo" she said; 81 wish you would
remain as long as you like. You have
broken a melancholy spell. live
where | can see this house all the
while. and think that 1t has kept me
in an abnormal condition. The mo-
ment saw the light in it 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,
a sister and brother. l passed a
pleasant evening with intelligent and
refined persons, and when bedtime
came was offered room for the
night.
NO" | said, looking at the girl who
had told me her story, II think 1t
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 proposed that the
family come to the other house for
! he har md
left them expecting them to come to
me the next morning.
! | slept in the best bedroom, which
was in readiness, and the next morn
ing arose early to make few neces-
sary preparations. In due time my
1 hosts appeared. and all except the be-
/ reaved girl took on the merriment Of
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:
"If at any time while you are tour
ing you find yourself In this neighbOr-
hood please feel welcome to remain
1 overnight here"
I accepted the offer, intending to
do that very thing The next month
| rode out to the place, called on my
hosts of my first visit, and we all spent
the evening together in the vacant
house asked permission to use the
premises for few friends at Christ
mas time, and it 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
endeavorcd to make her forget her
/ grief. and Que 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 off
her abnormal condition.
When the spring orened | began my
touring and never failed to spend at
least one night in the vacant house.
OF course | always visited the owner
1t was my object to make her the cen.
ter figure of my dreams when sitting
before the fire the night ] had bur.
I glarized her house In this succeed.
ed, though | was a long while about It.
At the end of courtship she consent
ed to be my wife. There was a wed.
ding, and she and | are now occupy