ich would be unintelligible to
the general reader.

"There's no use," said the burglar, "for me to try and make any of you
believe that I'm a pious gentleman under a cloud, for I know I don't
look like it, and wouldn't be likely to make out a case."

At this the tall man looked at him very severely.

"I don't mean to say," he continued, "that my friend here tried anything
like that. Every word he said was perfectly true, as I could personally
testify if I was called upon the stand, and what I'm goin' to tell you
is likewise solid fact.

"My father was a cracksman, and a first-rate one, too; he brought me up
to the business, beginning when I was very small. I don't remember
havin' any mother, so I'll leave her out. My old man was very
particular; he liked to see things done right. One day I was with him,
and we saw a tinner nailing a new leader or tin water-spout to the side
of a house.

"'Look here, young man,' says Dad, 'you're makin' a pretty poor job of
that. You don't put in enough nails, and they ain't half drove in.
Supposin' there was a fire in that house some night, and the family had
to come down by the spout, and your nails would give way, and they'd
break their necks. What would you think then? And I can tell you what it
is, young man, I can appear ag'in you for doing poor work.'

"The tinner grumbled, but he used more nails and drove 'em tight, Dad
and me standin' by, an' looking at him. One rainy night not long after
this Dad took me out with him and we stopped in front of this house.
'Now, Bobbie,' said he, 'I want you to climb into that open second-story
window, and then slip down stairs and open the front door for me; the
family's at dinner.'

"'How am I to get up, Dad?' said I.

"'Oh, you can go up the spout,' says he; 'I'll warrant that it will hold
you. I've seen to it that it was put on good and strong.'

"I tried it, and as far as I can remember I never went up a safer
spout."

"And you opened the front door?" asked Aunt Martha.

"Indeed I did, ma'am," said the burglar, "you wouldn't catch me makin'
no mistakes in that line.

"After a while I got too heavy to climb spouts, and I took to the
regular business, and did well at it, too."

"Do you mean to say," asked Aunt Martha, "that you willingly and
premeditatedly became a thief and midnight robber?"

"That's what I am, ma'am," said he; "I don't make no bones about it. I'm
a number one, double-extra, back-springed, copper-fastened b