The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-03-04

door in IL you didn't open It," the big
tramp cried.
From their talk to each other, Ned saw
that one or both had heard all his father
and mother had said when they were
leaving for Duluth, and In some way,
misconstrued what his father had said
about the tool chest into some reference
to a treasure chest.
"We'l be in there in a mint, and then
il you don't feel like tellin' Us where that
chest OF money is we'll do little persuad-
in, sonny the big tramp threatened.
Ned's face blanched trifie at that.
"There is not dollar in the house" he
answered. "You heard father talking
about the tool chest"
They only laughed roughly. Then seeing
that he would not let them in, they left
the door and began to examine the win
dow-shutters.
"What on earth can / do" thought
Ned. "They will be in here in no time"
"My lamp-telegraphl" he exclaimed.
"Why didn't think OF that before?'
Racing upstairs to his room, he hur-
riedly brought an odd contrivance from
closet, the lamp telegraph. 1t was
wooden box about two feet high by foot
wide and one foot deep. One side OF it
opened on hinges disclosing an ordinary
oil lamp standing inside, about which
some tin rehectors were fastened.
round hole, four inches in circumference,
in one side, level with the lamps wick
which could be easily opened and shut by
horizontally sliding door completed
the apparatus.
He had seen it described in some paper
over year before, and he and Dick
Johnston, his chum, had made two OF
them. The paper had given Morse tele-
graphcrs alphabet of dots and dashes,
and explained how conversation could
be carried on between two points at night
with the simple contrivances, by making
! long and short flashes, by means OF the
small doors on the lamp boxes, to CORES
| pond with the dots and dashes OF the
! Morse alphabet, almost the same as tele-
| graphers send messages over telegraph
| wire.
They had not found the Morse alphabet
hard thing to master, and few months
! after making the new machines they were
! all able to send and receive messages by
them at a very fair speed Then it was
real sport. Many time they would make
an engagement to go fishing or hunting
by means OF flashed message, and thereby
save a walk over from one house To the
other. Sometimes they had sent word
across the fields for their parents, who at
first had made all manner of fun OF the
contrivsnces and condemned them in
credulously.
Lighting the lamp, Ned placed his ma
chine in the window, its signal hole open.
This was a sign used when one of them
wanted to fash something over their line
"His rooms dark as cave" Ned saic
TO himeelf apprehensively, looking over
/ 4, ,s, "a 90 hf,, hn ion
abed."
He could hear the tramps at work on the
shutters OF the dining window, and
knew there was no time TO spare. Shortly
they would be in upon him.
Moments that seemed like hours passed.
Still there was no sign Of an answer to
his signal. The only lights that were
visible over the direction of the john
stons were those of more distant farm
house, and the beacon Of the land light
house still further west, on the bank OF
the lake. The whistle and rumble of the
eight forty train from the east told him
the hour. His parents could not be ex-
pected home for some three or four hours.
"Dick's got to answer soon, or it will
be too late" he said to himself.
1t was trying work waiting for re-
sponse to the signal.
Ned paced up and down in front OF his
window nervously.
1T last Dicks answer came. He had
just come up from downstairs to retire
and had seen Ned's signal.
Bright and clear the signal shone in the
distant window.
Ned sprang to the little shutter by
which the light from his lamp was flashed
into letters and began the messege
| oh 1a,,p nd f-t-S,
short ones-standing for the number two
"A short stop; then one long fiash-the
letter Three short tiashes-R-one short
fash and long one-A--two long flashes
-M-five short fashes-P-and three short
flashes-S.
A slight pause to make the end of the
word, and he continued.
The message he was sending was " Two
tramps breaking in house. Come with
guns. They intend torturing me-"
His hand trembled little as he made
the letters, but he saw that Dick had
understood the message, for the signal in
the distant window was closed off with
out sign for him to repeat any of the
words. Then there was nothing for him
to do but wait.
Some minutes passed, and then there
was the sound of breaking glass down.
stairs.
Seizing ball bat that was in a corner
OF his room Ned went down 10 the lower
hall and looked through the dining room
door.
The men had nearly pried one blind off
its hinges. Had the blinds been lattice
instead OF solid ones the men would have
gained an entrancs into the house by that
time.
AS Ned watched the tramps they tore
the loose blind from its fastening.
"We'll be with you in the shake OF a
lambs tail, sonny" the smaller man sang
out TO Ned, facetiously.
"rve got help coming" Ned warned
them, and besides you won't want to get
hit with this club, so make yourselves
scarce"
His words had no effect upon them.
Another minute and they would have
been in upon the young fellow; but, at
that critical juncturc, Dick Johnston S
shotgun roared like a small cannon over
in the road.