Year: 1864




The Messrs. P-(G Co., keep a large
jewelry store on Washington street, Bos-
ton, and for the better security of their
store against fire, and other casualties,
they employ one Of their clerks TO sleep
in it at night. The idea of the store be-
ing attacked by robbers was not for mo-
ment entertained but il was for other OBJ
jects that young Loring, the clerk, slept
there, for he was not supplied with any
weapons to repel an attack of theives.-
But one dark, dreary night he was awak-
ened by singular noise which resembled
that which party of ofburglars might pro-
duce in an attempt TO enter the building
and looking towards the back windows,
he soon fully satisfied himself that one
or moro persons were endeavoring to ef-
feet, as quietly as possible, an entrance at
that quarter. They had already remov-
ed part Of the sash and shutters with
their cunning devised instruments, aud
must have been at work some time be-
fore he was awakened.


Now young Loring regretted that he
had no weapon, but not through fear
that was not the character of the young
gentleman-but that he might pepper
the rogues little. At first he was de-
termined to cry out and arouse the watch /;
but rs they had advanced so far before
he awoke he thought he would drive them
off by stratagem. He slipped on his
clothes quietly and approached the spot
where the thieves were busy; he saw the
hand of one of them pass inside of the
shutter into the store, in its owneIs en-
deavors to guide a small handssw, with
which he was cutting an Aperture for
the body to pass through.


Young Loring felt inclined to chop off
the hand with small Matched that lay
hard by, but he refrained, and bethought
himself of a powerful preparation of caus-
tic viLriol, and other penetrating stuffs
that we're used in the testing of silver and
other metals. Que drop of this would
eat instantly into the flesh and produce a
poisonous sore in ten minutes time He
cautiously dropped little upon the bur-
glars hand and awaited the result.


"Bill," at length exclaimed the burglar
10 his comrade, "Tve a cursed burning
on the back of my hand. It's so sore l
can hardly work the saw. Phew how
it smarts. l guess I've cut it with tho
saw. Hold the dark lantern here"


"Fudgep replied his companion
"Change hands, then, put don't STOP"


"Take the saw yourself then. can't
stand this pain"


And while the dicomfitted burglar with
drew to groan over the supposed cut, the
other took his place with the saw, and in
q moment after he received few drops
of the fiery liquid upon the back of his
hand and was groaning with agony.


"Curse this saw, it has cut me toop'
groaned the second thief.


And sundry oaths, mutually exchang-
ed until the worst attack of pain was over,
they renewed the attempt to make an en-
trance.


The clerk permitted them to go OH a
while uninterrupted, knowing that at any
time he could stop their efforts by crying
out, buth hoped to hear some watchman
passing the front of the store, upon whom
he could call TO secure the rogues, and re-
solved to wait for this until it would do
to wait no longer. But soon the burglars
had so much enlarged the hole, that they
would shortly be able TO enter il them
selves.


Seeing that he must do something to
stop them, the clerk crept into the dark
closet at one side of the window, aud ut
tered fierce but low growl in imitation
of dog. Both of the roguos stepped
back at this unexpected interruption.


Hang it, Bill, there's cursed dog in
there l didn't know that P-& Co.
kept one" said one TO the other.


"a dog!-thats bad Curse 'em, il
it was man, why, shot or dirk stroke
would fix him; but dog is quite anoth-
er thing, for if we shoot him, he would
be sure to half kill one Of us"


"Bow, WOW, bow" cried the clerk, as