NOISES IN THE NIGHT.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 58, 9 March 1935, Page 3 (Supplement)

NOISES IN THE NIGHT.

(By Eileen; McConnlck, Jelllcoe ATeaue, Tnakau.) During the last Christmae holidays, •while 'staying with a friend, I had a very .amusing experience, though I must confess it was frightening at the time. On the second day or my stay my friend's parents had to go to Auckland on business, and they would not be able to return until the following day. That meant a night alone in a two-storeyed building for Mary and myself. As neither of us had ever spent a night alone before, we were rather scared at the prospect of it, but we made up our minds not to be frightened, and Mary's mother and father left for the city with their minds at rest. All went perfectly well up to bedtime, and when talking in the dark Mary and I found we could even laugh at our previous fears. We talked until we went to sleep, but our slumber proved very light, however, for about half an hour after we had dozed off Mary was pulling my hair, a favourite device of hers to awaken me. I was going to tell her to stop, but just as I opened my mouth she clapped her hand over it. "Sh!" she said, "there's a man downstairs. I heard him pass the door." By this time I was wide awake, and visions of armed men, rugged of face and burly of form, flitted through my mind. I .shuddered at the thought, but when I asked Mary what she intended doing I shuddered still more, for she said, "Go after him, of course." Very gingerly I ,got out of bed, donned ' my dressing gown, and took one of the candles we had brought up to our room, just in case we should need them.

Each armed with a poker wo stepped into the corridor and began to tiptoe along it. When we were nearing the first corner we heard a slight rustle just round the other side of it. Mary, who was bravely leading the way, nearly knocked me over in her endeavour to get back to the shelter of the bedroom. Strange to eay, I "was not as frightened as I imagined" I should be, so I scoffed, softly at Mary and commenced to lead the way. Every now and then a rustle or bang could be heard coming from Mr. Jonee' study, where he kept all his valuables in a safe. I would have very much liked to turn back, but when I thought of Mr. Jones' valuables I could not.

On arriving at the door of the .etudy we clutched our pokers tightly and cautiously opened the door and slipped inside. We were greeted by a bang from behind the safe. Ah! so the rascal must have been trying to open it from the back. Rushing for the switch Mary turned it on and flooded the room with light. Immediately the sounds ceased, then Mary bracing herself, pointed the poker at the safe and cried, "Hands up, or I fire." Whether she intended to fire Ihe poker at the burglar had he appeared I could not. say, but instead of a big, burly burglar exposing himself there came a thin, pitiful little "mc-ow, meow," from behind the sale. Mary and I looked at each other anO then we burst out laughing. Fancy coining all that way for nothing, other than to chase; the old cat Tommy. When Mary's parents returned we told them wo had a fairly good night, as we thought :t wiser to be quiet about our cat-bmglar, as Mr. Jones is an expert tease.