Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-09-13

leap.
1T was close chase in the darkness
through the trees. Mr.. Watkins was
a loosely built man and in good train
ing, and he gained hand-over- hand
upon the hoarsely painting figure in
front.
Neither spoke, but, as Mr.. Watkins
pulled up alongside, qualm of awful
doubt came over him. The other man
turned his head at the same moment
and gave an exclamation of sLrprise.
"tt's not jim, thought Mr.. Watkins,
and simultaneously the stranger flung
himself, as it were. at Watkins's knee,
and they were forthwith graphing on
the ground together. LEND II haud,
Bill" cried the stranger, as the third
man came up. And Bill did-two
hands, in fact, and some accentuated
feet The fourth man, presumably
Jim, had apparently turned aside and
made off i'll II different direction. At
any rate, he did not join the trio.
Mr.. Watkinss memory of the Incl
dents of the next two minutes is ex-
tremely vague. He has dim recol-
lection of having his thumb in the
corner OF the mouth of the first man,
and feeling anxious about its safety,
and for some seconds at least he held
| the head of the gentleman answering
to the name of Bill to the ground by
the hair. He was also kicked in a.
great number of different places, ap-
parently by vast multitude of people
Then the gentleman who was not Bill;
got his knee below Mr.. Watkins's dia-,
it.
When his sensations became less en-
tangled he was sitting upon the turf,
and eight or ten men-the night was
dark, and he WAS rather too confused
to count-standipg round him to re-
cover. He mournfully assumed that
he was captured, and would probably
have made some philosophical rehec-
tions on the tickleness of fortune, had'
not his internal sensations disincliued
him to speech.
He noticed very quickly that his
wrists were not handcuffed, and then
a flask of brandy was put in his hands.
This touched him little--it was such
unexpected kindness.
Hes a-comin' round, said voice
which he fancied he recognized as
belonging to the Hammerpond second
footman.
"We've got EN-, said the Hammer
pond butler, the man who had handed
him the flask. Thanks to you.
No one answered this remark. Yet
he failed to see how it applied to him.
"He's fair dazed," said II strange,
voice; ''she villains half murdered !,
him.
Mr.. Teddy Watkins decided to re-
main fair dazed until lie had better
grasp of the situation. He perceived
that two of the black figures round
him stood side 10y side with detected
air and there was something IN the
cnrriage of their shoulders that sug-
gested to his experienced eye hands
that were bound together. In flash
he rose to his position. He emptied
the little flask and staggered, obsc-
qulous hands assisting him to his feet.
There was n sympathetic murmur.
'Shake hands, sir; shake hands,
snid one of the figures near him. "Per-
NIT me to- introduce myself. | am
very greatly indebted to you. Ii was
the jewels of my wife, Lady Aveling,
which attracted these scouIdrels to
the house"
Every glad to make yovlr lordship's
acquaintance, y SAID Teddy Watkins.
81 presume you saw the rascals
making for the shrubbery,and dropped
down on them?"
"Thats exactly how it happened"
"Nou should have waited till they
got i'll mt the window" said Lord Az
cling. "rhey would get it hotter if
they had actually committed the bur
glary. And it was lucky for you; two
of the policemen were ont by the
gates and followed up the three of
you. / doubt il you could have Sc
cured the two of them though 1t was
plucky of you, all the same"
'Yes, | ought to have thought of
all that said Mr.. Watkins, "but one
cannot think of everything
Certainly not, said Lord Aveling
81 am afraid they have mauled you
little, he added. The party was now
moving toward the house. "You
walk rather lame. May | offer you my
arm"
And instead OF entering Hammer
pond House by the dressing room
window, Mr.. Watkins entored it,
slightly intoxicated, and inclined now
to cheerfulness again-on the arm of
real, live peer, and by the front
door "rhis, thought Mr.. Watkins,
lis burgling in style!"
The ''scoundrels, seen by gnslight,
proved to be mere local amateurs un-
known to Mr.. Watkins, and they were
taken down into the pantry and there
watched over by three policemen, two
gamekeepers with loaded guns, the
butler, an 'ostler, and II carman, until
the dawn allowed of their removal to
Hazlehurst police station. Mr.. Wat
lsins was made much of in the salon.
They devoted a sofa to him, and would
not hear OF II return to the village that