The Monticellonian., 1904-01-07

i darkness. The door into the office Droved 1 to be ajar. Pushing it open. he saw by the rays of a distant street lamp an ob- scure figure knetling in front of the safe.
 Then the door ereaked The burglar sprang up, whirled round. and seeing the boy, rushed at him.
 Roy lodged and ran, with the burglar purs uing. In front of the oven door the boy lodged again. catching hold of a barrel to make a sharp turn. With a quick thought he gave a jerk to the barrel and sent it spinning on edge be- hind him.
 The burglar stumbled over it in the darkness and fell heavily Roy turned in time to see the man shoot over the rolling barrel and half through the doorway. A shadowy pair of legs were still waving wildly in air With forci- ble kick on the barrel, he sent the burg lar forward into the even and down on the swinging shelf
 Immediately the wheel turned under its burden. In another instant it be- came still, and Roy knew that his man was safely immured at the bottom of the vault
 After moment he put his head into the oven and called down:
 You're not hurt, are you?"
 The curses which issued from the depths treasured him The burglar s silence since his rapid descent had evil dentIy been due to amazement and fear.
 Roy could hear him proving cautious ly about inside, feeling the brick wall, and at last rattling the iron bastm door. It was fast, and then the man began to plead for mercy.
 Let me out, young feller!" he begged. Say, I've got whole lot of money I'll give you if you'll only let me out; hon est, will"
 No Roy answered. T guess you can lie over with the crackers. The burglars voice became plaintive:
 An, go on, let me out. You don't want to ruin man for life Say, honest, it's the first time l ever done such a thing. l was drove to it by my wife and babies starvin"
 You said you had lot of money you would. give me, Roy reminded him.
 Then the man broke out eursing again, asd Roy slammed the door The cursing subsided, and before long Roy heard a faint and frightened voice petitioning:
 Let me speak to ycu. young felier. Open the door!"
 The boy obliged his prisoner to this extent. and then the burglar said:
 You ain't cruel enough to keep man down here. I'll be baked alive
 There's 10 fire under the oven" Roy told him. and I'll see tn v don t light up till after the police get you. Don't be uneasy. Now I've got to close the Goor, or the crackers will get spoiled.
 For the remainder Of the night he was deaf To the entreaties that from time to time walled up from the interior Of the vault.
 At last, in the early morning light, the foreman and the other packers came, and Roy announced his capture
 He must have slipped in at the side door and got up the stairs when the bak- CTS weren' | looking. the boy said And l suppose he didn't hear me because 1 had on oVershoes, and the office door "oo PiSNAs hSol is AiC 0iAA 6Sk into the safe.
 The foreman looked at Roy with ad- miration. Roy" he said. you've done good nights work And you got here at half past three, eh? Well. it certainly is'the early bird that catches the burg lar
 One of the other boys was for lighting a small fire under the oven. just to singe him; but the foreman aid no and tele- phoned to police headquarters
 Five minutes later the chief and one of his men arrived; and when the oven door was opened, and the prisoner crawled sulkily forth to have the brace lets. snapped on his wrists, the officers gave cry of delight.
 Slim Jim Mclean" exclaimed the chief
 You'd never have got me- said Slim Jim, Yiciously. Then he took a maleyo- lent look atthe four boys "I don't know which one of you young fellers it was, but when get out I'll make one of you pay for this!'
 The chief laughed "I guess you rs safe for about 20 years, Roy" he said, and by that time you'll be able to raise chin whiskers and disguise your- self. Companion.