Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1908-10-30

ished. Here-Pli put the things In your
coat pocket. Now go on tiptoe. Yor
may leave the lamp burning after YOU
get through robbing downstairs. and
Ill come down after II. HushI Softlyr
Young Archer wanted TO stop and
explain. hut she laid one hand on his
shoulder and urged him along. and the
hrst thing he knew he was at the foo,
or the stairs and white hand was be
ing waved to him from the top. Where
should he go? What should he do
There was an awful mistake. but how
was IL to be recti6ed?
VIII had said that he would be back
on the o O'Clock train. He had missed
II. but might be expected at any min
ute now. The first thought was to 20
outdoors and wait for him. The sec
ond was to turn out the lamp and sit
down In the library and wait for VIII
or daylight or something or somebody
to come along and befriend him.
This second decision was final. He
stood In the hall. turned the light out
and somehow he felt that eyes were
upon his movements. Ensconced I'm a
big leather chair. he had passed away
half an hour In calling himself names
and laundering after his chum's scalp
when he heard faint rustic outside
the window near which he sat.
He cooked his ear toward It. and a
moment later he knew that some one
outside had his hands on the sash
Sixty seconds had not gone past when
the catch was thrust over with a click.
and the sash was carefully and slowly
raised
Young Archer was excited. but he
was game. 1t looked as IL a kind
Providence was sending a Rallies to
help him out Of his fix. He rose and
stood beside the window with his pis-
tol In hand. He meant to shoot the
intruder IL he stepped into the room.
but sudden thought made him
change the weapon end for end. The
report OF the pistol would arouse the
whole house and he had tacitly prom
ised the girl upstairs to keep very
quiet The man who had raised the
sash waited thirty seconds and then
stepped over the sill to meet a blow
that dropped him like a log.
BE had just fallen when Will Hardin
opened the front door and entered. AS
he scratched a match to see his way
upstairs he noticed the lamp on the
hall tree and lighted It, and next in
slant his sister Betty came running
downstairs to gasp out:
"Oh, VIII. we had to come home
and you didn't meet us-nnd mother is
very bad-and Rallies has been here
and robbed the house-and"-
''Rats!' interrupted the brother.
But IL surely was Rallies. I called
him Mr.. Rallies. and he didn't deny his
Identity. l gave him all our jewelry.
and then he came down for the plate.
He acted real nice on mothers ac-
count
The library door stood partly open.
and or course young Archer had heard
all. Now was the dramatic moment.
and he came forward and showed him
self As the girl uttered an exclama-
ton and shrank back he said:
"Will, there has been a comedy of
errors, with something like a tragedy
to end up with. II your sister will go
upstairs and you will come I'm here. /
think that all can be satisfactorily ex-
planned"
And all was. 1t was done In sec
lions and nethodically. As a first
move the ms and legs OF the man
ON the fioo.. who was beginning to re-
yive, were bound When the mask
was torn from his face. they saw that
he was indeed the Rallies who had ter
rorized the manor houses for long
weeks
Then Miss Betty was brought down
and formally introduced to Archer.
BY this time she had exchanged her
wrapper for something more appro-
pirate for receiving company. Then
the stolen Jewelry was restored. Then
the nearest country police station was
telephoned to and Rallies was re-
moved. Then the mother awoke and
said she had had a good nights sleep
and felt well enough to come down to
breakfast. and she didn't faint away
when told or the doings OF the night
Then. as n sort OF closing chapter TO
the events, brother Will beckoned his
sister TO follow him out into the shrub
berry. and when they were hidden from
sight OF the house he turned on her
and said:
ISIS, you are brick-a regular
brick"
"YesY' she smiled.
And Frank is brlck-a regular
brick"
YES"
And by the great horn spoon. II
you two bricks don't fall In love with
each other and give him to ME for q
brother-ln-law Tll-I'lr'-
And then Betty blushed and laughed
and ran away.