Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-03-23

| manu- anu lDlS SeHlleuldn WIFI MIN, SO
perhaps he can tell us what happened
neXt?'
Il wish / could" l cried, with all
| their eyes upon me, for had had time
to think.
''Some of you must have heard me
say I'd fetch my friend in from the
| road?"
Yes. did" piped an innocent from
within.
well. and when / came back with
| him things We're exactly as you see
| them now. Evidently the mans
| strength was too much for the boys,
but whether he ran upstairs or outside
| | know no more than you do"
ut wasn't like that boy to run either
way" said the crammer, cooking q
| clear blue eye on me.
But if he gave chaser
at wasn't like him even to let GO"
Il don't believe Beefy ever would"
put in Olphert. That's why we gave
him the billet"
HE may have followed him through
the pantry window" l suggested
wildly
But the doors Shut put in a boy
"I'Il have a look at it, said the cram
mer.
And the key no longer in the lock
and the insensible youth within, The
key would be missed, the door kicked
in. Nay, with the mans eye still upon
me, l thought l could smell the chlorO-
form, L thought L could hear a moan
and prepared for either any moment.
And how he did stare, / have detest-
ed blue eyes ever since, and blond mus
taches and the whole stout easy going
type that is not such a fool as it looks
1 had brazened it out with the boys,
but the first grown man was too many
for me, and the blood ran out OF my
heart as though there was no Raffies
at my back. Indeed, l had forgotten
him. 1 had so longed to put this thing
through by myself! Even in my eX
tremity it was almost a disappoint-
ment to me when his dear cool voice
fell like delicious draft upon my ears
but its effect upon the others is more
interesting to recall. Until now the
crammer had the center of the stage,
but at this point Raffies usurped 4
place which was always his at will.
People would wait for what he had to
say, as these people waited now for
the simplest and most natural thing in
the world.
Zone momentr' he had begun.
"Well?" said the crammer, relieving
me of his eyes at last.
Il don't want to lose any of the
fun
Nor must you," said the crammer.
with emphasis.
'But we've left our bikes outside.
and mines a valuable one," contin-
ued Rallies. ''If you don't mind. We'll
bring 'em in before these fellows get
away on them
And out he went without look to
see the effect of his words, after him
with q determined imitation of his self
control. But / would have given some
thing to turn round. l believe that for
one moment the shrewd instructor was
taken in, but as l reached the steps l !
heard him asking his pupils whether |
any of them had seen any bicycles out |
side
That moment however, made the
difference. We were in the shrubbery, |
Rafiies with his electric torch drawn |
and blazing, when we heard them kick
ing at the pantry door, and in the drive
with our bicycles before man and boys |
poured pellmell down the steps.
We rushed our machines to the near
er gate, for both were shut, and we got
through and swung it home behind us
in the nick of time. Even | could |
mount before they could reopen the
gate, which Raffies held against them
for half an instant with unnecessary |
gallantry But he would see me in
front of him, and so it fell to me TO lead
the way.
Now, have said that it was n very |
misty night (hence the whole thing |
and also that these houses were ON Il |
hill, but they were not nearly on the |
top of the hill, and | did what l firmly |
believe that almost everybody would !
have done in my place. Rallies, indeed,
said he would have done it himself. but
that was his generosity, and he was the
one man who would not. What L did |
was to turn in the opposite direction to
the other gate, where we might 50 cas-
lily have been cut off, and TO pedal for
my life-uphill,
out
''Can you turn in your own length"
asked Rallies. following Loyalty.
Not certain"
''Then stick to it. You couldn't help
it. But it's the devil of hillr'
"And here they Gomez
"I.et 'em" said Rallies and BRAN
dished his electric torch, our only light
as yet
A hill seems endless in the dark, for
you cannot see the end. and with the
patter of bare feet gaining on us
thought this one could have no end at
all. OF course the boys could charge
up it quicker than we could pedal. but
/ even heard the voice of their stout
instructor growing louder through the
mist.