The Portland daily press., 1877-08-11

mess be mad made, and the unimaginable
consequences that would at once ensue. AS
the hideous clangor and clatter rang through
the house, shattering its sacred silence, he
shrank together and made himself small, as
II he could impart sympathetic shrinkage
to the noise. The racket to his own ears
was splitting enough, but he felt, in addition,
as If he heard it with the ears of all the
family, and he wilted before the conception
of the feelings that were at that moment
starting up in their minds toward the un-
known cause of it.
His first rational idea was to bolt for his
room and gain it before any one was fairly
aroused. But the shock had so scattered
his wits that he could not at once recollect
his bearings, and he realized, with indescrb-
able sensations, that he was lost. He con-
sumed the precious moments humping him.
self all about the room before he found the
right door.
AS he reached the foot of the staircase
voices were audible above, and lights were
cleaning down. His retreat was cut off; he
could not get back to his room without being
discovered. He now distinguished the voice
OF Mrs. McLane in an agitated tone entreat-
ing somebody to be careful and not get shot,
the gruf voices of the brothers responding,
and then their steps rapidly descending the
stairs. Should he GO up and take the risk of
volley while announcing himself? 1t would
make a pretty tableau. Presenting himself
in such guise and under such circumstances
what sort of reception could he expect
from John, who treated him with undisguised
contempt in the drawing room, and whose
study it was to place him at disadvantage
He might have hestated longer, but at this
moment the voice of Angie crying down to
her brothers to be careful, decided him. He
could not face her under such terrible false
circumstances, and without his wig.
All this took place far quicker than | can
write it. The glimmer of the descending
lamp already shone dlmly in the hall, and
Bob frantically looked about him for hiding
place. But all the furniture stood up too
high from the floor, and the corners were dis
tressingly care. He sprang into the dining
room, but in the dark he could not see how
the land lay, and hurried on into the library.
The dying fire still shed dim light around,
and he eagerly canvassed the various posi-
bilitles of concealment which the room
offered. Youthful experience in the game of
hide and seek-now stood him in good stead,
and showed him at glance the inutility as
refugees OF half dozen places that would
have deluded one less practised by the spe-
cious but too easily guessed shelter they
afforded.
Vainly seeking safe refuge, he ran around
the apartment like a rat in trap. He
had already heard the brothers in the dining
room picking up the silver and wondering to
md it all there, when, obeying sudden in
spiration, he clambered upon lofty book
case that ran across one end of the room,
arcbing above the dining-room door, and
reaching within few feet of the ceiling. In
cold blood he never could have scaled it.
Lying at full length upon the top of the
bookcase, with his back to the wall, the bulge
of him was still visible from the farther part
of the room, in case it should occur to his
pursuers to look SO high.
The latter now entered the library; and,
peering over the edge of the bookcase, Bob
recognized with singular sensations the two
gentlemen with whom he had been quietly
conversing little earlier in the evening.
Then they were arrayed in faultless evening
dress, and their manner, although supercil-
ious enough, was calm and polished. Now
he saw them half dressed, with dishevelled
hair-John carrying Students lamp in his
left hand, and in his right an ugly-looking
cane sword with blade painfully naked,
while George held revolver at full cock.
Talking in a low tone, as they called one
another's attention to various spots where
possibly the burglar might be concealed, they
went slowly from corner to corner, probing
every recess with the sword, and in an atti-
tude of strained attention to every sound
Their faces, grotesquely lit by the mingled
tire and lamplght, showed a fierce hunters
look that made Bob fairly sick.
He did not dare to look at them long lest
the magnetism Of his gaze should attract
their involuntary attention. Nay, he even
made frantic effort not to think of them
from the fear that some physical current
might have the same effsct-for he believed
strongly, though vaguely, in the mysteries
of animal magnetism, and had a notion that
a person sensitive to such influences might
detect the presence of his victim by the very
terror the latter had of him.
He could scarcely believe his fortune, when
a moment later, the two brothers passed
again beneath him back into the dining
room.
From there they went on through the
rooms beyond, and the sound of their foot
steps died away entirely.
Perhaps five minutes after, they returned
that is, as tar as the dining-room-and Bob
gathered from their conversation that they
had found one of the fastenlngs in the base
ment in condition indicating that the bur-
glsr might have escaped there.
Mrs. McLane and Angie, having satisfied
themselves that the coast was clear, descended
to the dining room, and lively discussion of
all the aspects of the problem ensued, which
was highly ediiying to Bob.
Then the conversation became still more
Interesting, as it turned ON himself. He
heard Mrs. McLane saying:
HE must be hard sleeper. for knocked
several times on his door,"
Then one of the brothers grunted some
thing contemptuously, and he heard Angles
voice excusing him on the ground that he
must be tired after his long journey.
Are you sure yon looked everywhere in
the library?' was Mrs. McLane's next ques-
ton, at which cold sweat started out on
Bob's face. He had just begun to feel quite
comfortable.
they had looked everywhere.
''Did you look under the sofa?"
"Behind the window curtains?''
I'm that dark corner by the bookcase? ?"
asked the ladies in succession.
Ingenious cruelty of fate! Even Angie
was racking her brain to guess his hiding
place, What if it should be she who hit
upon it!
Bob drew breath of relief as John re-
piled. with some asperity, to all these ques-
tions, that he had told them once that they
had looked everywhere.
This silenced them, but Angie said, mo-
ment after:
"Just let me ask one more questionable
you look on the top of the bookcase?"
1t seemed to Bob that he died then, and
came TO life again to hear John reply, con-
temptuously:
"Over the bookcase? There's no room
there, and if there were, nobody but mon
key could get up.'
'"There's room enough" persisted Angie,
"and I've often noticed, when sitting in the
library, what nice hiding-place it would be.
What II he should be up there now and hear
what I'm saying~ she added, in an agtated
whisper.
'Nonsensep said John.
"Welly, there's no harm in looking, any
way," said Mrs. McLane.
"Come along, then," grumbled John.
You shall see for yourselves"
AT this Bob shut his eyes, and turned his
face to the wall. The ostrich instinct is the
human instinct of despair. He tried to fly
away from himself, and leave ghis body there
as a derelct. The effort was desperate, and
seemed almost successful. But he could not
quite sever the connection, though his soul
appeared to be lowering over his body, only
attached by single thread-but thread
which, alas would not break.
A moment after they all passed through
the door directly beneath him. and going