The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-11-02
THE BURGLARS.

It was much too fine night to think of
going to bed at once, and so, although the
witching hour of 9p. m. had struck, Ed
ward and were still leaning out Of the
open window in our nightshirts, watching
the play of the cedar branch shadows on
the moonlit lawn, and planning schemes OF
fresh deviltry for the sunshiny morrow.
From below, strains of the jocund piano
declared that the Olympians were enjoying
themselves in their listless impotent way,
for the new curate had been hidden to din
ner that night and was at the moment un-
clerically proclaiming to all the world that
he feared no foe. His discordant vocifera-
tions doubtless started a train of thought
in Edwards mind, for the youth presently
remarked, apropos of nothing that had
been said before, "Ibelieve the new curate's
rather gone on Aunt Maria"
secuted the notion. why, she's quite
oldp' l said. She must have seen some
five and twenty summers.
"Of course she is" replied Edward scorn-
fully. "It's not her, it's her money he's
after, you bet"
Didn't know she had any money" OBJ
served timidly.
Quiz W hoNCi Sdlb DlOOhOlS WIN
confidence. Heaps and heaps"
Silence ensued, both our minds being
busy on the same problem-how this con-
dition of things, if it existed, could be
turned to advantage.
Bobby Ferris told me-" began Edward
in due course, that when fellow was
spooning his sister once they used to en-
ploy him to carry notes and messages and
things between them, and he got a shillisg
almost every timer
what, from each of themi" innocently
inquired.
Edward looked at me with scornful pity
Girls never have any money" he briefly
explained. But she did his exercises and
got him out of rows and told stories for
him when he needed it-and much better
ones than he could have made up for him
self. Girls are useful in some ways. So he
was living in clover when unfortunately the
two quarreled about something Bobby
was fairly cornered, for he had bought two
ferrets on tick and promised to pay a shil-
ling week, thinking this happy state of
things would last forever. Something had
to be done, of course; so when the week was
up, and he was being dunned for the shil-
ling, he went off to the fellow and said:
Your heartbroken Bella implores you to
meet her this evening at shutdown, by the
hollow oak as of old, be it only for n
moment. Do not failp He got all
that out of book Of course. The fellow
looked puzzled and said, What hollow
oak? don't know any hollow oak Per
haps it was the Royal Oak" said Bobby
promptly, seeing he had made a slip
through trusting too much to the book,
but this didn't seem to make the fellow
any happier, for the Royal Oak, you know,
is rather a low sort of house, as pubs go.
At last the fellow said, We'll, think
know where she means, the hollow tree in
your fathers paddock. 1t happens to be
an elm, but she wouldn't know the differ
ence All right; say I'll be there Bobby
hung about bit, for he hadn't got his
money She was crying awfully,' he said.
Then he got his shilling"
"And wasn't the fellow riled, F" inquired,
when he got to the place and found moth
ing'"
HE found Bobby" said Edward indig-
nantly. young Ferris was gentleman,
every inch of him. He brought the fellow
another message from Bella: L dare not
leave the house. My cruel parents immune
me closely. If you only knew what suf-
fer! Your broken hearted BellaP Out of
the same book. This made the fellow a
little suspicious, for it was the old Ferrises
who had been keen about the match all
through. The fellow, you see, had tin.
However, he couldn't exactly call Bella's
brother young liar, so Bobby escaped for
the time. But when he was in a hole next
week over a stiff French exercise, and
tried the same sort Of game on his sister,
Ehe was too sharp for him, and he was
Faught out. Somehow women seem more
mistrustful than men. They're so beastly
suspicious by nature, you knowp
II know" said l. "But did the two-the
fellow and the sister-make it up after
wardY"
II don't remember about that, replied
Edward indifferently, "but Bobby got
packed Off to school whole year earlier
than his people had meant to send him,
which was just what he wanted. So you
see it all came right in the endp'
was trying to puzzle out the moral OF
this story-it was evidently meant to con
tain one somewhere-when a flood of gold
en- lamplight mingled with the moon rays
on the lawn, and Aunt Maria and the new
curate strolled out on the grass below us
and took the direction of garden seat that
was backed by a dense laurel shrubbery
reaching round in a half circle to the
house. Edward meditated modify "It
we only knew what they were talking
shout" said he, you'd soon see whether
was right or not. Look herel Let's send
the kid down by the porch to reconnoiterp'
'Harold's asleep" said; sit seems rather
a shame"-
''Oh, rotp said my brother; ''he's the
youngest, and he's got to do as he's toldl'
So the luckless Harold was hauled out OF
bed and given his sailing orders. He was
naturally rather vexed at being stood up
suddenly on the cold floor, and the job had
no particular interest for him, but he was