Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-04-25

the front of the house, and then Jim
went round to the garden side. He
came running back in minute or two
in great state of delight Why, Bill
he said, gripping me by the arm. there
never was such bit of luck. They've
been repairing the roof or something.
and they've left the ladder standing.
We went round together, and there,
sure enough, was the ladder towering
above our heads. and one or two labor
ers' hods lying about, which showed
that some work had been going on
during the day. We had n good look
round, to see that every thing was
quiet, and then we climbed up, Jim
first and | after him. We got to the
top, and We're sitting on the states,
having bit of n breather, before be-
ginning business, when you can fancr
our feelings to see the ladder that we
came up by suddenly stand straight up
in the air, and then slowly descend I'M
til it rested in the garden below! AZ
FIRST we hoped it might have slipped,
though that was bad enough; but we
soon had that idea put out of our head.
'Hullo, up therer cried a voice from
below.
1--WE craned our heads over the edge,
and there was man, dressed, as far as
we could make out, in evening dress,
and standing in the middle of the grass
plot. We kept quiet.
'Hullo!' he shouted again. How do
You feel yourself? Pretty comfortable,
Ell? Ia. ha! You London rogues
thought we were green in the country.
what's your opinion now?'
eve both lay still, though feeling
pretty considerably small, as you may
imagine.
Its all right; see YOU he con-
tinued. why, have been waiting be-
hind 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 for you-Joe! Jocr
eyes, sir, said voice, and another
man came from among the bushes
"'Iust you keep your eye on the
roof. will you, while ride down to the
station and fetch UP couple of con-
stables?-Au recoir, gentlemen You
don't mind waiting, l suppose" And
Col. Mcrley-for it was the owner of
the house hinself-strode off; and in a
few minutes we heard the rattle of his
horses hoofs going down the avenue.
"Well, sir, we felt precious silly, as
you may imagine. 1t wasn't SO much
having been nabbed that bothered us,
as the feeling 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 any
thing that might give us a chance of
escape. We had to give it up as bad
job; so we sat down again, and made
up our minds to the worst Suddenly
an idea flashed into my head, and l
CROPPED my way over the roof until l
felt wood under my feet. / 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 shrcwdest and most |
cunning man who falls into the most
absurd mistakes; and this was an OK
ample of it. 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, tore open
the library shutters and were out and |
away before the astonished groom |
could make out what had happened.
There wasn't time enough to take any |
little souvenir with us, worse luck. l |
should have liked to have seen the |
colonel's face when he came back with
the constables and found that the birds
We're flown"
Did you ever come across the
colopel again?" asked.
Yes; we skinned him of every bit of
plate he had, down to the salt spoons,
n few years later. 1t was partly out of |
revenge, you see, that we did it. It |
was very wellmanaged and daring
thing, one of the best | ever saw, and
all done in open daylight, too"
''lIow in the world did you do it?"
asked.
well, there were three of us in it
jim was one; and we set about it in
this way: We wanted to begin by get
ting the colonel out of the way, so
wrote him note purporting to come
from Squire Brotherwick, who lived
about ten miles away, and was not al
ways on the best of terms with the mas
ter of Morley hall. dressed myself up as
a groom and delivered the note myself.
1t was to the effect that the squire
thought he was able to lay his hands
on the scouudrels who had escaped
from the colonel couple of years be-
fore, and that if the colonel would ride
over they would have little difficulty in
securing them. l was sure that this
would have the desired effect; SO, after
handing it in, and rcmarking that /
was the squire's groom, walked off
again, as if on1the way back to my
masters.
after getting out of sight Of the
house, l crouchcd down behind q
hedge; and. as expected, in less than
a quarter of an hour the colonel came
swinging past me on his chestnut mare.