| OCR Text |
Show X Some Recollections of X X a Reformed Burglar X BY F. Rs. BECHDOLT. "How docs a man go through a house? Why, ho docs It In all aoros of ways. What do you mean?" I told him that what I wanted to know-was know-was how a man handled himself when he was robbing somo one else's residence at night; how ho managed lo walk to keep quiet, and how ho moved about. "Ho does It all sorts of ways, just as I ealcl," rollorated Jimmy. "Somo men, I suppose, havo ono way and some another. I used to go on my handri anil knees a 1 great deal whllo in sleeplng-iooms. A man In bed can't sco anything on tho lloor oven If the room Is a llttlo light- Ho can't train his eye- to tho lloor without rising pretty well up. And when you get used to It you can movo mighty quiet that way "Now, this moving quietly Is no easy matter. Nino men out of ten would wake up a whole block getting around when they wanted every ono to stay asloep. You get, a crouch of your own, when you aro on your feet and you keep your ears t open all tho time. You aro continually J stopping to hear somo noise of a man waiting up and rising In bed. Your nerves j aro awfully strung up. "I got sight of myself ono night and that was the first lime" I knew how I really looked when I was at work. And that was tho first tlmo I realised how highly my nerves were keyed up. I was going through a room on tho first floor at that, when all the peoplo were sleeping upstairs. "I was walking across this room, when all of a sudden 1 camo faco to face with a man Ho stood on his toes. His head was close down between his shoulders and bent forward. His hands were raised a little ways like a runner's when he Is racing. rac-ing. Ho was leaning a llttlo forward, and ho looked Just as If ho was going to spring on me. "It gavo me an awful start. I went for my gun at onco and tho man went for his, and by that time I knew it was my reflection I was facing ono of these oval glasses on a sort of oasol that they have in swell houses and had seen myself In It. But it made mo turn cold for a minute or two and weak. 1 had never known how keyed up T was nor how I looked, and I want to tell you that I wasn't a pleasant-looking pleasant-looking man. I don't wonder peoplo aro afraid of burglars when thoy see them. "Now a man has to be on edge. You don't know how a little sound goes in a still hoiiflo at night. I hnd a man working work-ing with mo onco and ho had a nasty hablt of getting nervous when ho was tumbling a placo, Ho used to run his I hands through ono coat pocket after another, an-other, and maybe you don't think you can hear that. Well, you can anil plain. It is a sort of a scraping and If a man wakes up he will know at onco that some onJ H In tho room. ie ones "I had tried every way to brenlr i,i. ? t. and ono night I did. I TjuVSln' i In a sleeplng-ropm and this guv wn2 iS 1 v tho hallway. I . was on my hands JS-' v knees and I thought tho man In hid 2$ i' awnke. I could have sworn that I hf ? him swallow. I stopped and then thb'Sg i begins to feel through hla pockets follow In bed sa-3: i.kcu. Th t ' 'Who's thero?' U, "1 says: 'Oh, that's all right. TW ' ty with' mo has mireed something ?nuJ pockets ho meant to look for In the dw- I time and he's hunting for it now' r- I "Then I shut the door nnd locked U nn1' ?, the man in bed. Well. 1 had plenty 0f tlmo to mako my getaway, but I n& i.tJ this guy in at the front door and ho know about my back window" ao l lammed out and almost ran Into the nrtr. I of a pair of bulls, while tho guy X u35 room was yelling thieves and murder out of tho window. Tho bulls chased Wm t threo blocks and shot at him all the S K and ho was soro enough tho next dav V when ho mot me. Ho suyiv. yji R "'What the did you bawl me. nnf: that way for?1 And I told him I S'Jm ho'd keep his hands where they boloncwi next time. Ho did, too. I had cured hho- H S II |
