Dodge City times., 1884-07-10

money IS.
Rob was white, but his voice didn',
tremble bit.
There is no money in the house." he
said.
| 1t was true, but the man wouldn't be-
I lieve him, and he had his pistol to his
head, and threatened to shoot Rob
didn't finch bit. You ought to have
seen him just stand there! The man
believed after awhile.
'Well, show me the silver" he said.
''It's all in the sideboard and the
china closet" said, pointing toward
the dining room.
wasn't going to have him shoot Rob
for the sake of silyer-ware. if it was
grandmother tea-service and spoons,
and all the silver Aunt Penelope had
when she was married. He tossed it
all into his pack, and his pockets,
grumbling because it was SO little. 1t
SCENE as if l couldn't stand by and
see him do it, knowing what a treasure
it was to Aunt Penelope, and l saw Rob
clench his fists. But what could we
do?
He took Oft his coat, and sat down at
the table, and began to eat, but he COM
planned that there was nothing to drink.
and ordered us to bring him some cider.
was going to say that there WASH t
any. for it was true; Uncle Rufe hadn't
made any. But Rob mOtioned to me to
keep quiet.
''The barrel isn't opened. and there
isn't any bung-hole to it,, said Rob.
"Give me a hammer or hatchet. or
something, and I'll open it pretty
quick said the man.
Rob got him hammer
Here, you come and hold. the light
for me,' he said.
He started down cellar, and Rob fol-
lowed with the light. What in the
world Rob meant l couldn't think, for
l knew there wasn't drop of cider in
that cellar. followed to find out.
Rob led the way to the long closet in
the corner, where the barrels of apes
and potatoes were, and pointed to the
last barrel. The man went by Rob,
and raised the hammer to open the bar
rel. In an instant Rob stepped back,
and closed and locked the closet door.
don't suppose the man had ever no
ticed that there was a door there, and
anyway, he thought we were too fright
ened to think of such thing. ! was,
but Rob, as it happened, wasn't. Such
swearing as came out of that closet
never want to hear again, and the way
he pounded that door; and it was only
lock and no bolt.
Hell open it just as he did the
other" said to Rob.
II thought of that as soon as he
asked for the cider,'' said Rob. Il
think that the tools that he picks locks
with are in his pack, but he may have
them in his pocket. It's lucky for us
that the pistol is in his coat-pocket up
stairs. The lock is old. anyway and he
may break it. I'm going to put the
bolt on it that 'Lisha bought for the
carr.age-house."
And while that man was in there
pounding and raging away, Rob fast
ened the new bolt onto the door.
We went up stairs, then, and Rob
climbed up to the barn chamber and
loaded that gun.
elf he should get out 1 want to be
ready for him." he said.
But he couldn't pound that door
down! When grandfather built White
Oak farmhouse he had doors that would
stand something.
ROB and drew two good long breaths.
and hunted for the children. Dolly had
taken Beelzebub in her apron and gone
into the dark closet in the hall, where
she was afraid to 60 usually, and Philly
had lighted the lantern and gone out to
the barn to take care of his Guinea pigs.
He "wasn't going to let the thief have
those anyway he said.
suppose 1t was only an hour or two
afterward that 'Lisha came, but it
seemed to me half as long as all the
rest of my life. That man kept pound.
ing and pounding, and we didn't know
any minute but he might get out. l
tell you it was awful! We thought of
going for help; but we didn' like. either
of us, to leave the children, and the
snow was so deep it would take long
time.
l don't think I shall ever hear, in this
world, any sounds SO joyful as 'Lisha
stamping the snow off his feet, and
whistling to us.
Elisha is an awfully big fellow, but
he grew as white as could be when we
told him what had happened. and he
heard that man pounding and swearing
away down cellar. He opened the pack,
and it was full of burglars tools, and,
fastened in the canvas covering, he
found a package of papers-bonds and
such things-and some of them had the
name of our bank on them.
''Jehoshaphat! you've caught one of
the bank robbers, and the reward is
five hundred dollars, Rob-" said 'Lisha.
THAT will help Uncle Rufe out of all
his trouble" said Rob; and then, brave
and splendid as he had been in the dan
ger, he burst right out crying, just like
a girl, at that. He was so glad he
couldn't help it.
'Lisha went after the officers, and
they came and hand-cuffcd the man
they didn't have very easy time doing
it-and carried him away.
And Rob got the reward The cap.
ture of this burglar led to the capture
OF the whole gang to which he belonged,
and weren't people glad, and didn't
they praise Rob? But nobody need be
afraid that Rob's head will be turned.
He is too sensible
The farm is safe, and Uncle Rufe
says. he shall pay the money back to
Rob, and every cent shall 60 for his ed
ucation.
If you ever should hear of very dis
man from our town you'll
know-but Rob says the story is DONE
Elizabeth BigeloW, in Ballou's Monthly.
We have already in this country a
large number of clubs devoted to pig.
eon-aying or pigeon-racing; but it is in
Brussels that the sport is carried out to
the fullest extent. In Belgium alone |