The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1917-04-21
THE BOLD BURGLAR.

Doctor Gilhooley, rough and ready,
his Scotch tongue sharp as a razor
and his heart as big as all outdoors,
threw his outfit into his black bag and
with some last words of direction to
the good neighbor who was in charge
of the sick woman, left the house. He
looked at his watch. 1t was two in
the morning. He had been three
hours on the case, ever since II
o'clock. He was glad that the call
had come before he retired, as it was
much easier to start off at II at night
than to tumble out of bed at one in
the morning. The night was brisk
and cold and a good stiff breeze was
blowing. The doctor dropped his bag
for minute and buttoned his fur coat
tighter around the collar No one was
abroad, but passing policeman who
stopped and looked at the doctor
suspiciously for a minute, till the doc
tor laughed.
What do you take me for, Jim, a
burglar?"
Hello, doctor, IT'S you is it? How
are your"
I'm fine, Jim. Happy New Year!
You must have known I'm an honest
man by the cut of my coat, for if you
had suspected l was a desperate high
wayman, you wouldn't have stopped
so long looking at me. You'd be run
ming to the other end of the town as
fast as your legs could carry YOU
The officer laughed. He was accus-
toned to the doctors sharp sallies.
You'd run pretty fast yourself, doc
tor. if you saw a highwayman."
Il would not" answered the doctor
testify. I've read a lot in stories
about them, and I'm anxious to meet
one in real life just to have a talk
with him."
at would cost you something"
Not much" answered the DOCTOR
Il haven't much to lose. To have
money nowadays you must be on the
police force or in the fire department
or be a member of the carpenters
union. A professional man never has
| have in my pockets and to my InSer
soil in the bargain and cheerfully, but
respectable and honorable burglar
such as l want to meet, instead OF
taking my tin watch, would probably
give me a good one from the eight or
ten such a gentleman would be likely
to possess"
The officer who had been walking
along with the doctor stopped to make
his report at the box, while the doctor
ton of his own home. Whether his
chat with the policeman had excited
his apprehension about burglars, OF
whether it was a mere chance or the
result of an unconscious habit, he
did not know; but as he pushed oper
the little wooden gate to go up the
path across the lawn to the from
door, he paused for a moment anC
looked about. To his surprise he saw
that the grating over one of the cellar
windows had been removed.
He hesitated an instant and looked
up and down the street. No one was
in sight. His first impulse was to &C
back for the policeman he had JUS
left, but somehow after his raillery
at the officer, and his expressed wish
to meet a gentleman versed in the art
of stealing, he was reluctant. i
would be hard perhaps to find the
officer just now. And suppose his
fears were mistaken. Suppose there
was no burglar. He would be the
laughing stock of the neighborhood
If this were the work of a gentleman
of the profession, certainly he must
be an amateur to do such a crude job
and leave outside the house such evi
dence of his presence. Perhaps, after
all, the grating had been left Off
through the carelessness of old Els
peth, the housekeeper. Gin his heart
he knew this was not, and could not
be the case.) The doctor was really
as brave as a lion and fond of ad
venture, SO he crossed the path, took
out his keys, unlocked and quietly
pushed open the front door.
Just inside the door was his office
The door of the Office was closed, but
as he looked a bright flash of light
swept for an instant across the tran
som. This light cleaning through the
frosted glass revealed beyond al
doubt the presence of the burglar in
side the Office. There was another
door to the office, opening from cor
ridor which led from the doctors
study. This door was seldom closed
and was concealed from view by
heavy portieres. The doctor tiptoed
to the kitchen, where he removed his
shoes, and thence to the study where
he armed himself with heavy stick
for he had distaste for firearms, anG
never kept them.
Down the corridor the doctor crept
cautiously till he stood at the por
there's and peered into the room. II
the dim moonlight he saw the Sigh
figure of the burglar bent over the
desk in the middle of the room. AS
the doctor watched, the intruder de
sisted from his search among the
papers on the desk. and went toward