Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-26

ladder, towering above our heads, and one
or two laborers' hods lying about, when
| showed that some work had been gong
on during the day. We had good look
round, to see that everything was quiet,
and then we climbed up. Jim first and
| after him. We got to the top and were
| sitting on the states, having a bit of a
| breather before beginning business, when
you can fancy our feelings to see the lad
| der that we came up by suddenly stand
| straight up in the air, and then slowly de-
| scend until it rested in the garden below!
| At first we hoped it might have slipped,
| though that was bad enough; but we soon
| had that idea put cut of our head.
'Hullo, up there! cried voice from be-
low.
1--WE craned our heads over the edge, and
| there was a man, dressed, as Tar as We
| could make out, in evening dress, ana
standing in the middle OF the grass plot
| We kept quiet.
".HuIlo! he shouted again. How do
you feel yourself? Pretty comfortable Ell?
| Ha! ha! You London rogues thought we
were green in the country; what's your
opinion now?'
I'VE both lay still, though feeling pretty
considerably small as you may imagine.
Its all right; see you,' he continued.
Why 1 have been waiting behind that
lilac bush every night for the last week,
expecting to see you. l knew you couldn't
resist going up that ladder, when you
| found the windows were too much Tor you
Joe! ice!
eyes, SIR said a voice, and another
man came from among the bushes.
"'Just you keep your eye on the roof,
will you, while 1 ride down to the station
and fetch up a couple of constabies? Au
revoir gentlemen! You don't mind wait
ing / suppose?' And Col. Morley-for 1t
| was the owner Of the house himself-strode
off; and in a few minutes we heard the rat
tie of his horses hoofs going down the
| avenue.
may imagine. 1t wasn't so much having
been nabbed that bothered us as the feel
ing of being caught in such simple trap.
We looked at each other in blank disgust,
and then, to save our lives. we couldn't
help bursting into laughter at our own fix.
However, it was no laughing matter; SO
we set to work going round the roof. and
seeing if there was likely water pipe or
| anything that might give us chance OF
escape. We had to give it up as a bad job;
so we sat down again, and made up our
minds to the worst. Suddenly an idea
flashed into my head and CROPPED my way
over the roof until I felt wood under my
feet. I bent down and found that the
colonel had actually forgotten to secure
the paddock! You will often notice as you
go through life. that it is the shrewdest
and most cunning man who falls into the
most absurd mistakes; and this was an
example of 1t. You may guess that we did
not lose much time, for we expected to
hear the constables every moment We
dropped through into the lumber room
slipped downstairs, store open the library
shutters, and were dout and away before
the astonished greorfi could make out what
had happened. There wasn't time enough
to take any little souvenir with u.s. worse
luck. should have liked to have seen the
coloneIs face when he came hack with the
constables and found that the birds were
fown.' as"E
Did you ever come across the colonel
again?" I asked. : .
Eyes; we skinned him Of every bit Of
plate he had down to the salt spoons,
few years later. 1t was partly out Of re-
venge, you see, that we did 1t. 1t was a
Of the best I ever saw, and all done in
open daylight, too"
How in the world did you do it7"
asked. III"
''Well, there were three of us in film
was one; and we set about 1t In this way:
We wanted to begin by getting the col
onel out Of the way. so I wrote him note
wick who lived about ten miles away, and
was not always on the best OF terms with
the master Of Morley Hall. 1 dressed my
self up as a groom and delivered the note
myself. It was to the effect that the squire
thought he was able to lay his hands on
colonel couple of years before. and that
If the colonel would ride over they would
have little difficulty In securing them. I
was sure that this would have the desired
effect; so after handing 1t in, and remark
ing that I was the squre's groom, walk
ed off again, as If on the way back to my
masters.
''After getting out of sight of the house
I crouched down behind a hedge; and, as
I expected. in less than a quarter Of an
hour the colonel came swinging past me
on his chestnut mare. Now, there Is an
have not mentioned to you yet, and that
Ia that I can coDy any handwriting that