The Arkansaw traveler., 1889-10-19


 keep such valuables in lone country -house. Why, it seems to me almost like holding out an incentive to burglary"
 "Ah, but precautions can be taken against bur- glary," said Tommy.
 "Well, of course they can," replied the stranger, with dubious shake of his head, "but l should not rely on them. No precautions, to my mind, can be sufficient"
 "Oh, yes, they can," said Tommy very positively. "For instance, Sir Charles Noodle says that he defes mouse to enter Darklingbourne at night without his knowledge"
 "What precautions has he taken then2" asked the stranger.
 "Well, he has had electric bells put to every door and window in the house. These all duly set at ten o'clock each night, and after that not door or shutter can be moved without an alarm being given"
 "A very sensible device" said the stranger ap- provingly, "and one which certainly would adopt if were SO fortunate as to own 6 country seat"
 So far the second stranger had taken no part in the conversation. He had, however, been listening to it with some interest. Now at last he spoke.
 "I remember" he said, smiling slightly at the recollection, "I remember once when l was stop ping at a country. house, an amusing practical joke being prayed by clever young fellow who was stopping there too. The house was got up just as you say Sir Charles Noodles is-every win dow and door was secured by alarm bells. Well, one night just before bedtime this young fellow started conversation about burglaries All the men were loud in protesting what they should do if the alarm sounded-they'd dash up stairs into the dark, rush out to the lawn or do some- thing else very brave and reckless. Just in the middle of their boAsting two three alarm bells went of, and you never saw such panic. Not 8 soul of them showed a sign of doing anything except shiveriDg with fear, until the young fellow, bursting into loud laughs, explained how it was all joke. He had bribed the page boy to set off the two bells in his bedroom at eleven o'clock pre- cisely."
 By George!" cried Tommy, roaring with laugh ter, "that's what call rare good ioke-doos good 'Pon my word, should like to try it on tonight"
 "It I were you, I shouldn't" said the first stranger, who seemed to be a very timid man.
 "Whyr asked Tommy. "It could do no harm" Well" said the gentleman, hesitating; "I don't know so much about that-still, it would hardly he fair to the ladies, would it, to give them such fright2"
 "But there not any ladies at DArklingbourne just now," replied Tommy. "Its 8 mans party half dozen of us down for a weeks shooting. Lady Noodles in town"
 The first stranger thought for a moment, and then shook his head.
 "I suppose" he said, "I'm too old and nervous now to appreciate practical jokes such as that. presume, however that to a young fellow like you they're very amusing, but must say that don't like them"
 "Well, said the second stranger, I don't know much about the right and the wrong of the affair, but do know that the young fellow I spoke of gained great deal of kudos by his trick. It was talked of among his friends and acQuaintances tor months after"
 "I suppose, though" said the first stranger, "that the men he made ridiculous resented it1"
 "He didn't take that much to heart, expect" replied the second stranger
 Neither should l." put in Tommy Gin fact l should rather like to make myself disagreeable to one or two of the men who are to be at Darkling- bourne. I'd like awfully to show them up."
 Here the conversation ceased, but Tommy sat for some time in silence, thinking over the pro- ject, and the more he considered 1t the more he liked it. Two three of his fellow guests at Dark lingbourne were superior and superciious persons. Tommy thought what pleasure it would be to him to "take them down 6 peg" and, then, the thing was 30 easily managedl There would be no occa-