Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1918-07-04
Terry's
Burglar
IN
By JANE OSBORN
Copyright. 19lS. by the Mcclure Eewspa.
per eyndicate.l


Copyright. 1sls. by the Mcclure N~ewspa.
per syndicate,l Q
When Terry Brewster took q four. !.
Dom apartment - the Harrington ,
Arms apartment house she described /,
herself as a business woman" by !.
which she meant to indicate that she
Used her apartTsnN~6r little 1nta
han a comfortable ~rOosting place, a
place to eat breakfast and to keep her
She did not take the trouble
TO indicate to the real estate agent
that she was not q business woman in
the sense that she earned her own
daily bread. Her business was that of
drinking in as much of city life In one
short year as she could-going to as
many concerts and theuters, attending
many exhibitions and as many
"shOws" Of various sorts, lunching at
us many Interesting places" and in
general seeing as many of the sights
of the city us she conveniently could
without knowing many persons in the
city or wishing to know more. She
seldom went about in the evening. She |
felt somehow that her security in liv- |
ing alone at her age - for Terry, |
though adequate to the task Of tax
ing care Of herself In almost any cir
cumstances, was only twenty-four-de-
pended In a measure on her not being
seen out after dark. The evenings
in her little apartment she spent either
in mending and "pottering" over the
clothes that she wore In the day time
or in reading accounts Of things that
were to be seer or books of descrip-
ton of the great city. Terry's life in
the small southern town where she
was brought up had been decidedly
| circumscribed. She had gradually
slipped into the position Of being
housewife for her older brother In the
old homestead, and the only reason
she was excused from those duties
now was because of her brothers
years volunteer work in Washington.
Terry kept no maid but, like the
other business women in the apart
ment, she was "taken care Of" by Mrs.
Gray, who had the key to the apart
ments In her care and with lightning
like rapidly tidied them and washed
the breakfast dishes and made then
ready for the return Of their tenants
Terry had met Mrs. Gray the day SHE
negotiated with her for her services
and she needed no further guarantee
Of her perfect honesty than her small
pale face. She knew, too, that sh'
could dust the dainties Of her bric-a
hrac and wash the filmlest Of lace
that she left for that purpose In he
apartment when she went out In tn
morning because 1t was quite clear t
! anyone who saw Mrs. Gray that sh
! was a woman who, had circumstance
! been different from what they actual
{ were, might have been wearing tn
dainty laces and treading the mos
/ delicate Of Oriental rugs herself.
Surely Terry trusted her - that
until the day that she came home III
3 %expectedly at noon In order to get SON
! matinee tickets that she had forgotte
: to take with her in the morning. q
! that day she CHANGED to be looking u
\ toward the windows Of her own room
when she saw there In her own be-
8 room, not the figure Of Mrs. Gray, b.
the figure Of a man. Terry was NJ
& terrified at the idea Of having a bu
. glar in her house, but she did n
. relish the idea of entering that apar
ment when she might encounter hi
y Her first thought was to report the
& cident to the nearest policeman, al
n It was with this Idea In mind that 81
& turned about and started around Il
y block In search Of such Il dignitar
She thought better Of her idea and d
~ cided to 20 alone to her apartment
4 but by the time she reached home t
- burglar vas gone. The apartment h
& apparently been visited by Mrs. CIR
= earlier In the day, for 1t was immae
1 late and there was a fresh scent
+ O and water about and the flo
4 looked as IL the oil had just been wip
Z up from 1t.
Terry made a thorough search OF h
Z possessions, she counted her SLY
spoons and knives and forks and &
{ counted the butter %spreaders, but I
narently nothing was taken, nor
she miss anything as time went
She looked under her bed ana lour
~ and in each Of the closets, but no
did she Gnd. A strange burglar,
deed, that would take nothing W
ID. him.
II. Then came the day when she
NJ tually ran into the strange young n
- when she was coming unexpectedly
change her hat because what g
promise Of being q rainy day had tu
- ed out to be fair. She let herself
're1 with her latch key and there ret
at. was no way for him to escape save
ar. the front door. Being at bay the yo'
m man looked a. II nothing ut all
to traordlnary had happened and bis
cuse was believable enough.
II came in to examine the radlato
Ivy be said. "That-that's my special
.u' and then going to get his hut an
couple Of books that lay with 1t q
,ca q chair in the living room he mud