Year: 1866

lie OoOT was lOCkeu Wnen got
home," said Tom, "and how to get in
without waking the governor, was the
difficulty. l knew he'd give me partic-
ular fits if he knew 1 was out after ten,
and the clock had just struck one. The
back yard was an impossibility and but
one choice remained. There was a
porch over the front door, the roof of
which was few feet below two win
dows. One of them knew was fasten-
ed down, and the other opened from a
bedroom, which might or might not
be occupied. An old maiden sister of
the governors wife had arrived on the
same day, and it was very probable that
she was in that room; but l knew the
bed was in the conner fartherest from
the window, and l hoped ! should be
able to get in and through the room
without awakening her, and then had
a comparatively easy thing Of it. So
getting plank from neighborirg
board pile, 1 rested it against the caves
of the the shed, pulled of my shoes put
them in my pocket, and 'cooned.' All
right so far, but thought it necessary,
i'm order not to arouse suspicion in the
morning, to remove the plank; so drag
ging 1t up / threw it off the end, and
down it went with an awful clattcr on
stray dog that had followed me two or
three squares, and who Immediately set
up the most awful whine hound ever
gave tongue to. That started half n
dozen dogs i'm the ncighborhood bark
ing; mocking bird in the window
above commenced as If he intended to
split his throat at it, and an old woman
in her night clothes, with a candle in
her had, appeared at window across
the street. l knew that | was safe as
e. Oh, 1,,t q
came to our windows, the candle gave
enough light to very probably have dis
covered me. Nobody did come, howev-
eli, and the old lady, after peering up
and down the street for q minutebOr two,
popped in her head and retired. The
mocking bird still kept up his eternal
whistle, and it was full half an hour be-
fore it and the dog settled down and
gave me a chance to move. Creeping
slowly along the wall till | reached the
window, l put my hands Oh the sill,
sprang in, and with my legs hanging
out, stopping to listen. Yes, she was
in that room, for l was sure | could
hear her breathing. After waiting for
q minute, | cautiously drew up one leg
and then the other, drew them around
and putting them down to the floor was
just conscious that had stepped on
something soft and yielding, and was
withdrawing them, when another yell
broke out at my feet; the old maid
jumped from her bed, crying murder!'
and the mocking bird started again. A
little darkey was laying on her back
under the window, and i had stepped
OH her face, and, of course, woke her up
l decided i'm a moment what to do. The
house would be aroused, and ] was
caught to certainty, unless l could get
in my room before the governor was up;
but | hadn't a moment to lose, for the
little negro was screaming; SO started
for the door. made three steps, struck
chair, tumbling over, of course, making
the awfullest racket you ever heard in
the dead hour of the night, in peace
able house. The niger and old maid
scream ed louder than ever, the mock
ing bird whistlcd louder than steam
whistle, and they fairly made a chorus
as loud rs Julian's.


o. reached the door, however, and
quietly and swiftly opened it, and just
got into the hall in time to see the old
gentleman open his door, with can
die in his hand, and come hurrying up
the stairs. Not a moment was to be
lost. There was wardrobe near where
/ stood, and l sprang behind ii. Up





opened it and went III, and in the mean
time there was all sorts of confusion and
inquiry down stairs as to what was the
matter. OF course they could not make
much out of it. The little darkey was
too frightened and too sound asleep at
the time to understand the truth, and
the upshOt of the business was that they
concluded she had been dreaming, and
the governor, after giving her IA sound
shaking, and explaining the matter to
aroused neighbors from the window,
went down to his room again.


$50 far, SO good. had now to go
down stairs, reach the back door, unbar
it, get into the yard, make for my room
which was in the second story of brick
building that stood unconnected with,
and about dozen yards from the main
one. After giving everybody half All
hour to have settled down again, start
ed.


"Boys, did you ever try to 90 up or
down pair of stairs at midnight with
out making noise? You may try it
all sorts of ways, but every step Is sure
tn creal, each with peculiar noise of
its own, and loud enough, you are sure,
to wake everybody. / had gotten near
ly to the bottom when little dog came
trotting up the entry towards me, yell
ing furiously. A suppressed come
here, Zip silenced him, for he recog-
nized me; but the little fellow started
the mocking bird, and all the neighbor-
hood having learned to take the cue, of
course joined the chorus for the third
time.


81 ran along the passage, reached the
door, unlocked it just as the governor
reused the second time, opened his door,
and seeing man escaping from the
house by the back way, Of course cried
thieves! thieves = and made rush for
me. was too quick for him though, L
opened the door that opened in the
went brick and q voice that knew
l,olcx.exoI a.