The Half-back and the Burglar.

Evening Star, Issue 8483, 7 April 1891, Page 3

The Half-back and the Burglar.

" About the most unpleasant experienca I ever had," <:aid a retired burglar, " was in a Etnll village in the western part of the Stale. I looked around the town in the artsrLOon and located a house that seemed p.omi.i~g, and about a quartsr-past two the next morning I went in through the back >loor. The lower part of the house was riesly fuivished, but I didn't want any bric-a-brac, and I went upstairs and turned into the first chamber I came to. 'lnere wa3 a very dim light burning in the rcjm, but it wasn't light enough to see by, aid I tamed on my glim. The light just happened to str'ke the head of the bed, and it woke up a man. Ho sat up and said, a3 <. 00l as could be, ' Well, what is it ?' and I told hi-n I wanted whatever duit he might b&ve there, and I wanted it soon. I had met cool men before, and I wasn't going to Bt.'.nd any bluff. He got out of bed and stalled for tbe bureau in the corner of the room. I kept the light on him all the time. He was a well-built young fellow, not more thai t rfcity-four. He had a manly sort of look about him, and I was almost ashamed to rob him. When he moved up toward the bureau I moved up too, so as not to give him a to open the window and holler, or get any othtr drop on me where I couldn't reach him. He had got about one more step to mcke to reach the bureau, and he was mov'ng along as quiet as a man could, when, quicter'n lighting, he made a jump and butted we iquare off my feet before I knew what he wai doing. My lamp fell one way and my jimmy the other, and the next second he fell on me so heavy that I thought he would grind me through the floor. I had a gun with me, but I d'dn't even have a chance to get hold of it. He grabbed both my wrists when we fell, and then somehow he managed to hold both of them with one hand, and with tbe other he grabbed me by the neck, and he just simply dragged me out and threw me downstairs. I could only hear myself banging all the way down, and I expected to be all broke up when I got there, but I wasn't. I was bruised but all i/jht. When I cot up on my feet I looked up to the head of the stairs where the man was. His face had a serious kind of a look on it, bat when he saw I wasn't much hurt he smiled and said" : < Will you kindly close the door when you go out*?' 'I will,' I said, for I wasn't going to be outdone in politeness; * but,' says I,' will you kindly till me where you got all that business?' 'Oh,' says he, 'you mean the muscle businen ? Why, lam the half-back of the Wyauoke College football team.' That made me mad, and says I: ' Then, why in tharder don't you hang out a sign, and let people know who you are ?' That seemed to make him mad, and he stopped smiling | and started for the stairs, and I just went out and closed the door after me."