Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-06
CHAPTER IL

she had called his adorable family gang"
CHAPTER IL
As the dog days dragged on Zenas' hammock
under the trees became more and more at
tractive as q lounging place, until finally the
little man, who had often slept out of doors in
the woods when he was Q country boy, ven-
tured to be young again and spend An occa-
sional night in his hammock. The first effort
was quite successful, but during the second
night he was reused by an awful dream Of an
anaconda gliding through the grass near him
and causing q rustic such as any meandering
anaconda could be depended upon to make.
Starting up in alright, beneath his low hang
ing covert Of boughs he saw what at first
seemed really huge serpent about to cross
Through well-rubbed eyes, however, the mon
ster resolved itself into ladder, evidently
brought from house in course Of building not
far away. OF course the ladder was not NOV
ing of its own volition-a man was under it.
Zenas was at once as wide awake as If no
such condition as sleep had ever existed: he
also was in abject terror and was conscious Of
the outbreak of the cold sweat Of which he
often had heard but never before experienced
What should he do? What could he do?
Pshaw! Perhaps the man was q carpenter,
who had been after q bit Of his own property
to have it ready for use somewhere else. But
no, the clock Of one Of the village churches
struck two just then: ii was impossible that
any honest mechanic could be going to work at
that time OF night, brightly though the moon
shone. Maybe the fellow was q fruit-tree
plunderer. Zenas had been warned to gather
his own early pears if he did not wish the tree
to be denuded some moonlight night by un-
hidden gatherers. Well, if the man were bent
on stealing fruit from the Maytham place let
him steal; it was a shame that such things
49, - k..N
lages's three policemen, and as he would rather
have his own single pear tree stripped than
attack midnight prowler. he could not be ex-
pected to protect his neighbor's property, the
property Of a neighbor who had called his
family q gang"
for he had taken the ladder toward the May
than house-piaced it in the shadow cast by
the moon and stood motionless a moment, as If
to rest. Evidently he was a burglar and knew
his business, for it was town talk that the May
than house was extensively furnished and con-
tanned much solid silver ware, besides q great
deal OF bric-a-brac worth its weight In gold
Probably the windows inside the blinds we're
wide open-an country windows we're during
the dog days. Let that ladder once be raised
and the thief at its top and Zenas was sure that
the fran blind: would prove no obstacle to the
fellows wicked designs
But, what could the unsuspected observer do?
He could not move toward his own house within
without being seen or heard; even were he in
his doors he had no firearms, no telephone, no
burglar alarm. He might slip out through the
shadows to his gate and thence to the local
police station, nearly mile away, but before an
officer could come the robbery would be ac-
complished. Worse still. the fellow, flushed by
success, might move the ladder across the fence
and enter the Bortley home. True, Zenas
owned no valuables except his wife and chit
dren, but the thought of rufian proving
about his sanctuary was not to be endured for
an instant. Could he scare the fellow away by
making noise? Perhaps, but he had heard
Of burglars who ran right at q noise
instead Of away from it. Should the burglar
give up the ghost at once, for his heart was
was already In his throat and he felt unable to
move hand or foot. And his life was insured
for only thousand dollars.
Terror and excitement had made him so wild
that exhaustion speedily followed with it's con-
sequent apathy. Even his conscience followed
the lead Of his will and became utterly de-
moralized. 1t was too bad on general princi-
Piles that house should be robbed but that
particular house, probably furnished with the
wages of Maytham's crime-weii the little man
recalled without a bit Of shame and to his
great satisfaction, the infamous old saying that
the second thief is the best owner" And
reaiiy-thls as his conscience attempted to
rally-might interpolation be judgment upon
the woman who had been SO blind, insensate
and brutal as to call the Bortley family-the
larger and better part of ia '.gang?"
But why all this worry and terror Probably
the man was after all. only a common fruit
thief. Only few feet from where the ladder
had been dropped was great tree Of ''straw-
berry" apples, which the Bortley children had
been cycling wistfully for q fortnight as the
blush On the fruit had deepened to crimson.
Such apples commanded a high price, as Bort
lev had learned to his sorrow Well, il the
tree were robbed his children would be deliv-
cred from further temptation Such trees
were not safe when he was q boy he recalled.
with a wicked chuckle which was almost audi
BILE, how he once had braved bulldog and shot,
gun to despoil just such tree. Perhaps
tree Of apples might not seem worth much to
that proud woman.
Just then the man began to raise the ladder
not TO the apple tree, but against the side Of
the house. At the same instant Bortley's heart
and head began to throb as if they would burst
He feared heart disease and apopiexy. He
closed his eyes and tried to think of something
else. What was in his mind moment before?
oh. yes; that proud NORTHUMBERLAND
In an instant the little fellow slipped out Of
the hammock, and, with jaws tightly set and
nerves and muscles like bundles Of steel wires,
had bounded across the fence and toward his
neighbours house. Short though the distance
was. he had time, as he ran, to realize that his
wits had never before been SO clear since the
night he proposed to the angelic girl who az
terward became his wife. The ladder had
touched the wall, making considerable noise,
but the burglar did not seem to mind this for
he already had foot on the lowest round when
Lenas, springing in front Of him, gave the lad
DER push and shake that threw it backward
The unknown man sprang OF quickly. but in
an instant Zenas had him by the throat,
and, bearing him backward, got him upon the
ground