The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-01-16

appointment was il wisest ~ let them
In peaceably, and give them every thing
We had on condition they did not modest
us? or could We give an alarm
At this moment ! remembered the
gamekeeper's cottage. IL we could only
summon him to our aid! But how ~
| escape to do soS All the doors were in
front Of the house, and II was impossible
To get ont that way without being seen
by the burglars. ] peeped out again;
evidently the kitchen door was too
strongly fastened 20 give way readily,
for the men seemed psiled in their
efforts 10 open it. And as I listened l
heard one say, in n grun voice-exsctly
the tones Of an orthodox Tuiiian-
"Taint no good, Jen; better wait half
an hour"
"1ill the rest Of your gang come up
and you have more tools 10 work with"
] thought to myself. "Now, il we could
only let the gsmekeeper know
returned 20 my own room with n
project In my head. There was n stsir.
case window at the back Of the house,
not very high from the ground, and
thought II ! could only get out there
might manage 10 give the alarm.
Luckily the road To the gsmekeeper's
cottage lay behind the house. Nurse
was too stupefi,d with terror 10 be any
Use, but Maria entered into the scheme
ut once.
Maggie still slept, and l trusted to re.
turn with help before she awoke.
don't know how l got out Of that
window and alightsd on bed of wet
garden mould. have often heard that
one never knows what one can do till
one tries. / certainly had no idea that
| or any one else could run NJ fast rs
did rs soon rs ] got ON my feet. Ia n
very short time | was drumming away
ut the gamekeeper's door.
| | found both Of the men up and
dressed; they were just starting ON one
Of those nocturnal expeditions for the
detection of possible poschers in which
conscient iOus gamekeepeIs delight. They
were rather startled 1T my appearance
In toilet that was certainly peculiar,
aud not improved by quantity of mud
IL had gathered during my run. But
they soon comprehended my breathless
tale.
"a tryin' your back door, Miss!" said
iaihOi, " INV, vhV
looked fit To engage q couple Of burglars
in single conflict: "blsss you, we'll soon
settle them gentry. Hand along the
gurs, Bill, and look alive. Pm mis-
tax If they don't sleep in Settlebourne
goal tonight"
The sight of two resolute champions
armed with revolvers was an encouraging
spectacle, and as we hurried back began
To feel myself indeed heroine. The
gamekeeper WAS outspoken in admiration
Of my courage in coming for him, and
thought, with some satisfaction, that
when Maggie awoke and learnt how |
had preserved the household, she would
undo rstand what a valuable thing IL was
TO have nerves aud courage in face of
danger.
"lf had sat down 10 cry, ~ poor
dear Maggie would have done, We should
certainly have been robbed, and perhaps
murdered" reflected as we sped along
the road.
The gsmekeeper checked our pace rs
we neared the honse.
YOU'D BEST keep this eide, miss, out o.
harms way, aud Bill and 'ull slip
round by the hedge, and tackle our men
sfors they see Us. Don't you be afesred;
the burglars is the biggest towards when
they've man to do with" and leaving
me under the very window by which !
had escaped, our two protectors stole
noiselessly round TO the front Of the
house. In another moment there was =
cry, and saw Bill dash across the gar
den, and over the hedge, in hot pursuit
Of one of the burglars, while scuffle and
loud voices told that his father WAS en-
gagged in "tacklipg" the other. CuTiosi-
~ prevailed over fear; ran round the
house and beheld the game.keeper in the
of bearing his antagonist To the ground.
"'Tain't no Use struggling, and you
may Just as well come along quietly"
said the conqueror; "we've fire arms
here, and there's two OF US"
ave nouVht in my pocket hut i've
pence in coppers," quivered the other, in
a voice nearly inaudible with terror;
you may take m without numbering Of
me. Oh, dear, oh, dear! here I've lived
in Settlebourne, man and boy, nigh fifty
years. and To come to this at last"
"Sakes alivew exciSimed the game
keeper, relaxing his hold, YOU'RE never
Tom Bates, the sweep"
"And who else should be!" said the
injured Bates, slowly rising from the
ground. "And I'd like 10 know VINO
you are that comes \ rushing down like
this on an honest man a. Is waiting TO
sweep the kitchen chimney"
al took you for hous. breaker" said
the game keeper, and then proceeded TO
explain matters.
Bates shook his head doggedly. "No
housebreaker has been here this last hour
or more, rs | knows well, having been
awaiting under this blessed window all
the time"
A horrible suspicion began to dawn
upon me-hsd I, the wise, the strong
minded, actually given false alarm?
The ganekeeper was civil man, but
he had u sly twinkle in his eye rs he
turned u me, and said: % think there's
a little mistake here, miss"
al should rather think there was"
grumbled Bates, who by no means for
gave the assault upon him.
"If you came to sweep the chimney"
said /, endeavoring TO assume an air Of
dignity, "why did you not ring the bell
or try to wake the servants instead of
endesvoring to open the door for your.
self"
"Cooks mostly leaves the door on the
latch when the sweep Is ordered early
replied Bates fact, by the way, that
perhaps explained the facility with
which some of onr neighbOrs' houses
have been entered by thieves.
"But when you found the door
bolted why did you not ring the bell,
instead of lingering about in most sus-
picious mannerf"
"Why," said Bates, scratching his
head, "cooks is often short-very short
Mrs. SinclaiI's cook is partickler 80.
She orders me to come at o'clock this
morning; mot before Z, nor yet after
was her words"
"And you came about s."
"Well, ma'am. you see / had another
Job nj Squire Hardy's along the road.
So, knowing as cook here mostly leaves
the door on the latch thought rs ]
J might clip in and do the chimbly, ON my
way. But when found the door
J locked, I daren't ring the bell at FIVE in
the morning-I might ha' tried il an
hour later-so was obliged 10 wait"
understand 1t all now; our exhorta.
} tons to fasten up carefully that night
had been duly rbeyed by our cook, who,
doubtless, intended to rise in time 10
admit thesweep on this occasion. Gray
lands was q rumbling old house, and the
servants slept in quite different quar-.
ter from that occupied by ourselves and
! the nursery establishment; consequently
!, 49, hal axeacad bas r;ng mr. v,.,.t ur.l