Adventure With A Burglar

VTe livü in a quiot noighboruood in thu quiet city of Brooklyn, and uur iomutio ife hu, with ouö exocption, provud & very uuoventlul one. Tho exception wag, howuver, a deeided adventure, of vuvy unpleatant oharaoter, which uiight havo preved a temblé experience. l'ortnuateiy 1 came out of it uiihftinied, Jiough I hall uot suon forjet the episoUtf. Ürooklyu resident bad boen duriiigho warm weather giuatly alarined oy the unweleomu visita ot' burgl&rs, aud urarly overy duy tüo newspapera I ud tniah tnst&uces of thu daring and adroit operations of this class of thioves. Our neighborhood kad, however, so fitr eseaped the altuiilioiiit ot' ihesu depredaLory gangs, and ui y wife was o vary oarut'ul about her and window fastelinga tbat wo bolieveu our little house to Lo quite safo. To ploaso inothei I bad puiouasou a revolver, whioh wus kopt in a bhíu piacu in our bedroom, though it was never uscd and was out of uy ruach when most needed. I bavu for years devoled au hour or two, ufler tho fumily retired, to perusiug a ittvoiito ttuthur, uud on tbe niglit ia I qufcttujli was bo oounpied. Cusil}' seatod ■ m a buge arm cbair, uoar th open bIióLUg doorg bütwotn tbe two parlois, I was oiokilig rs,pid progresa in my reading. I . b .i.. uso was wrappod in silonoc, and ! tiiough tho luany uoiees of thu nig'ut were ' remark%bly uistinct, yet tiu'y could not disturb nio. The wiudow cmtainsmovnd idly as the night breezos cauio iu at tho opon window at ïny back, tho mice gambol:d uieiiily bchiud tbe wainscotiug, and tbü dook on the luaritlu-jnuee tiokud : loudly, a ii' complainiiig at beiug i pulled to wnrk wLilo (ivciything od. The footütfcps of panen y iu the atvt;et (choeil bli'aigely in the loom, and I could novv aud tiicu hear the faint cry of an infsnt iu tLu ailjoiuing bcube. 8ave tor tLeso tít-.i, all eisu wus eilent obout mo, i.iid 1 oujoyed iuy book h ouo oau oiiiy do undür nuob ciiuuuitancug. Aollio night air played coolly on ïny Li .k I exporienced a sonso oi' üalmuenii uud security, which made the intorruptiou so Boon to occur only appear the uiore btarUing. Ilaving rcad for 8unie time, I camo ut lengtb to a suiking pabsage, wbich led me to lay vbe volume on iuy kuuu to tbink it over. As I did so my eyo caugbt Iho rtifioctiou of BuTgelf in the birge uiirror standing between tho windowa of thp tïOllt pailor. In thu sauie uiirror I oould aUo dXscum the mirror at my buck, aud iu it my arm ohair aud figure were dimly visible. It aeemed oud to tUus viuw my6ülf in two diii'crirut abpucts, and I feil into a rêverie on tüo two piulares thus presen ted. I had forgotten lo say that iho bide door of thu rual pailor was wide opuu, and thu aslight in tin: jjubsago buniing brightly. There was also ut my back, aud ou a lino witb. the hall, u siuii.lliootn, tho door of wbii;b wus wido open. lndted, it was btldom bhut, baving been badly hung, and was constautly ing wide open when uot olotuly latobed. 1 oould sou tho tdgo of tliis white door in the mirror before me, and it formad u distinct feature iu that reflected pioture. iSiUiug thus, I wnssuddenly startlod by the unexpeoted appearance of anothur faoo, peering intoutly over my snoulder, while in tbo inner mirror I could diecem bis back as hu stood bühiud tbe liiithïoom door. Though by no íueans a tiui id uian, this apparition sent a sti auge and paiuful thrill througli my body, and I feit very uncomiortablo indeed. The face ot the intrudex was a sinisior onc, und he was apparuiitly watchiug mo iu uu pleasmt mood. lle was a burglar or snoak-thief, thero could be no questiou of that. But bow could he have eutured the house 'í As I sat thcie lookiug at my visitor for a few Seconds, I remembüibd that my wifc bad been sorely Uoubled about findlOg uiiv of the basoniöut windows open, though I had paid very liltlo attention to the matter at the time. Tlie fellow was ovidont ly rosponsiblo for (bat wiudow. Kvou now 1 cuu rccall thu appoarunco of the sceno beforo me, so vividly is it improssed upou my mind. One o tho slidiug doors bad been partially drawn from its reoeptaclo, tbus throwing a part of the front rooui into sbadow. A ray of light, howevor, illuminated the center of the room. The gilt bindings on soiue books hhonu brightly, and one or two picturus on tho wull were clearly revoukd. But as I saw all of these, tbe iaco of that stiange man continued to peer at ine, and the situation becaxo quito dramatic in its intonsity. i. was apparently utterly Uéipieiss, bei ing alono aud unarmed. Yet my courage toon roso equal to tbe occasion, and I at once sprang to my ieet and faced tbo burglar. " Don't you stir or utter a word, op 111 blow your brains out." As he uttored these startling words, tlio ' ruffiau luveled a revolver at my head, aud '. his face - a most villainous ouo uatuially ■ - deepened in its linoB until' llis' featareti becanio fierce in their inurdorous intont. f " Who are you V What do you waut ': I How canie you here r" 1 Ciclainied, doj spitc his cauticn'. " Never you mind," was tho grutt' response. " You've spüilt my game, but I'm ïjoing to settle you if you hinder my leaving the house. I've got thisshootiug iron, and I nioan to use it, ioo, if you rïon't koop quiet and bhow me the way ouj. of hcre." AU this time the fellow kept his wu&pon aimeil at uiy head, and the sight of tho muzzle, suiail as it was, made me fcel very unconifortnble. It was a singular predicament - to be thus alone in a rooui with h desporate and determined man, wiiu, having prisou staiing him in the faco, evidently preferrod risking the gallows by murdüiing me, if it uouid aid hiê present escape. " You want to'ieavo the house, do yQU?" I remarked. " Well, I cannot stop you, ko put down your pistol nd follow ñio. I'll show you tho door with pleaaure." As I spoke I could not help laughing fftinÜy at the grim oddity of the eituation, but my visitor oould appaiently find notbing tolauph at, for he was ' ly in cntiu'st. He t'ollowed me into the hall-way, still kuepiug the revolver , ed and unpluabantly uuur my head, at the same timo narrowly watehing me as I undid tho fastenings, evidntly íuaring m .iiii.' íiggresivü luovMnont on my part. Durnijrtho í'uw seconds tiiat liad elapsod since we had fairly faced une anothei I had fully maturcd my jjlan of action, for I naturally wished to capturo tlB ruffinu and have liiin properiy junished. Xhis kid nio to acquicsco so quiotly in hi Oool demand. Having carried out the matter so suecessfully, the buiglar believed that I atended to make nu trouble or rusistanoo ; so as I opened the strtjöt door bu (juickiy pas.md out, at the samo unconsuiously lowefjiif; his woapon. The-n camo my turn, and, as ho stopped oft Un: doorsill, I lok thu door gwiug with a crusti, au(i by a desperate bound flunjr mysaif sudduniy upon hiui. Tho uiomnntuui of my spring was so groat thut it sent uu both tuuibling headlong down tho Btono steps, the pistol aocideatally exploding as wo rollou. ovar together. The ruso had provud HUuceebtul, for the buiglar wu taken wholly by surprise, and his revolver haviug fallbii from his grasp, I found ïnyself more than a uiatfth lor him. 'ïhe report of tho pistol sUirtled the echóos of tho uight, and the light t'roiu tho hall gas jet gave audiúonal torce to my loud oallg torthe pólice. Fortunatoly oqo of that mttch abusad cIküc happened to l) withiu cali, and I had thu atisfaotion oi' Rneing iuy uuwolcouie visitor sato withiu hiscubtoily. Xhere is very littlu inore to teil, for the DlisOttOt Was reuonized as au uld aud desporate ütiendur, mui niy evdeuoo provf d suiücicnt to auud hiui lo ísin Sinjí, while I koop t!iu pistol ho diopped (in my dooistep as a tiophy of that eveutlul night. Tha occuiTeiico made no uud of luHMj in the ueighhorhood, so to piuaou my wife we moved to othur quarters. Tuero is a uionil to my utory, however. Alwuys b oiireíul that your tiro all right uinl Becure, eise you may find unwulcome Vibitoii on the pieinibUH, w ho may yiuvo fat more troablësoine than I iouud wy irïuud tho buvglar.