Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1905-06-30
BEFCHENDROOK

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Twin say to you right at the outset
| that l was the boy at Beechen-
brook"
Beechenbrook was and is yet great
house a few miles outside OF Manches-
Ter. At the time of my story 1t was
occupied by the man who built 1t,
arge manufacturer of the famous
manufacturing town. 1t stood in the
middle of thirty acres of ground, and
house, barns, lawns and gardens re-
,uired the services of about fifteen SER
rants.
In the bookstore in which l was en-
oloyed in London l was said to nave
excellent taste and Judgment in the
arrangement Of country libraries, even
though l was only a boy Of 10, ana
lew weeks after the owner of Beechen-
brook had given us an order was sent
1p there to put away the Volumes.
On the day l arrived the owners
wife and daughter started for Scotland
IN q visit, while Mr.. Markham MIN
self departed for Paris to attend GER
-atn business. All the servants ABOUT
he place except the head gardener
,vO grooms and two women IN the
Kitchen were given leave from their
employer to go to the station, TWO
niles away. They were not long gone
when passing through the hall L saw
three masked men trying to open the
9late room door l crept back to the
aall, across into the drawing room,
and at the far end of the big room
-aised the window and stepped to the
ground.
Once out l made my way to the sta
oles. but there surprise awaited me.
( found a horse hitched to a cart ana
he gardener and head groom standing
beside the vehicle. Had the two men
not had their backs t0S me and been
so earnestly engaged in conversation
,hev must have seen and heard my APP
proach.
had my lips parted to speak, when
suspected something wrong. The
plumber was to be carried off in the
cart, and the three men servants were
In league with the robbers. It came
to me like flash and in time to save
myself I drew back and wondered
what l should do.
Queerly enough, l was more upset
at the thought of the two mile run in
the rain and darkness to town than in
returning to the house and facing the
robbers. l was out of the house and
could hide in safety till morning. but
that idea never came to me.
was all for preventing the rob-
berry. and pretty soon 1 skulked back
to the open window. In so doing
saw the outside door of the dining
room ajar. Tie groom had let the
robbers in. at that door, and the dis
lance from the door to the open ditch
was only fifteen feet.
When l had re-entered the house
and crept back to the door leading into
the dining room the fellows had given
up trying to open the plate room door
with a key and were working at it
with iron bars. Five minutes later
they had it open. and then the groom
passed out piece after piece, while the
robbers deposited them in their sacks.
Everything was Of solid silver, and
to save space nearly every piece was
bent or broken by hand or foot. The
trio worked in hurry and at the end
Of half an hour the room was empty,
and five sacks were full.
had been watching everything in
helpless way, having no plan and
no hope, and it was only when the
men Shouldered the sacks to carry
Them out that l made q move.
/ determined to try the effect or a
scare. and as the last of them stepped !
outdoors fred the pistol into the SACK