Year: 1877

| together with an undue confidence in his
Skill i'll navigation by dead reckoning.
rendered him less careful than when he
had come down. However that may be,
light stand which he had easily avoid
ed then he now blundered fully upon.


Everybody knows that when one stubs
the toe i'll the dark, instead of delivering
the blow when the foot is moving sloWest,
at the beginning or ending of the step, it
| always happens so that the toe strikes
with the maximum momentum. so it
was this time. If Bob had been kicking
football he could not have made a nicer
calculation of force and the shock sent
the stand completely over


1t would have made noise enough any
how, but il must happen that on this
stand the family silver was laid out for
breakfast, and the clangor was similar to
that Of Apollo's silver bow at the time he
let fly at the Grecian host before Troy,


Bob stood paralyzcd with horror Even
the anguish ot a terribly -stubbed toe
was forgotten in an oVerpoWering sense
OF the awful mess he had made, and the
unlmaginabe consequences that would at
once ensue. AS the hdeous cIangor and
clatter rang through the house, shattering
It's sacred silence, he shrank together and
made himself small, as if he could ilnpart
a sympathetic shrnkage to the noise
The racket to his own ears was SPLITTING
enough, but he lelt, in addition, as if he
nealu Wl,h the ears of all the family, and
he Wlltet. before the conception ot the
feelings that were at that moment start
ing up III their minds at the unknown
cause OF 1t.


His first rational idea was to bolt for
his room and cain it before any one was
fairly aroused But the shock had so
scattered his wits that he could not at
once recollect his bearings, and he real
lZed, with indescribable sensations, that
he was lost. He consumed the precious
moments in humping himself all about the
room before he found the right door.


AS he reached the foot Of the staircase,
voices We're audible above, and lights
were cleaning down. His retreat was
cut off; he could not get back to his room
without being discovered. He now dis
tnguished the voice Of Mrs. McLane in
an agltated tone entreatlng somebody to
be careful and not get shot, the gruft
voices OF the brothers responding, and
then then steps rapidly descending the
stairs. Should he go up stairs and take
the risk of a Voley While announcing
himself itWould make a pretty tableau.
Presenting himselfin such guise and un-
der such circumstances what sort of a re
ception could he expect from John, who
treated him with undisgui5cd contempt in
the drawing room, and whose study it
was to place him 1T a disadvantage He
|, N.
lnoment the voice of Angie crying down
to her brothers to be careful decided
him. He could not face her under such
terrible false circumstances, and without
bis Wig,


All this took place far quicker than |
can write it. The glimmer Of the de
scending lamp already shonc dimly in the
hall, and Bob trantcally looked about
for a hiding place. But all the furniture
stood up too high from the floor and the
corners We're distressingly bare. He
splang into the dining room, but III the
dark he could not see how the land lay,
and hurried on into the library The dy-
ing fire still Shed Il dim light around, and
lie eagerly canvassed the various posi-
bllties ot toncealmcnt which the room
offered. Youthful experience in the game
OF hidtanu-seck now stood him in good
stead, and showed him at Il glance the
inutility as refugees of half Il dozen places
that would have deluded one less prac-
tised by the specious but too easily
guessed shelter they afforded


Nainly seeking il safe refuge, he ran
around the apartment like rat in ii trap.
He had already heard the brothers in the
dining room picking up the silver and
wondering to find it all there when, obey
ing a Sudden inspiration, he clambered
upon a lofty bookcase that ran across one
end of the room, archlng above the din
ing room door, and reaching within Il
few feet of the ceiling. In cold blood he
never could have scaled it. Lying at full
length upon the top Of the bookcase
with his back to the wall, the bulge Of
him was still visible from the farther part
of the room, in case it should occur to his
pursueTs to look 50 high.


The latter now entered the library
and, peering over the edge OF the book
case, Bob recognized with singular sen
sations the two gentlemen with whom he
had been quietly conNersng a little ear
lier i'll the evening. Then they were az
raycd in taultleSs evening dress, and their
manner, although supercilious enough,
was calm and polished. Now he saw
them half dressed With dsheveled hair
John carrying u students lamp in his
left hand, and in his right an ugly look
ing cane sword with Il blade painfully
naked, while George held Il revolver at
full cock.


Talking in Il low tone, as they called
one another's attention to the various spots
where possibly the burglar might be con
cealed they went slowly from corner to
corner, probing every recess with the
sword, and in an attitude Of strained at
tention to every sound. Their faces, gro
tosquely lit 10y the mingled fire and lamp
light, showed Il fierce hunters look that
made Bob fairly sick.


He did not dare to look at them long
lest the magnetism of his gaze should at
tract their involuntary attention. Nay,
he even made a frantic effort not to think
of them from the fear that some physical
current might have the same tt1ect-for
he believed strongly, though vaguely, in
the mysteries Of animal magnetism, and
had Il notion that Il person sensitive to
such influence might detect the presence
of his victim by the very terror the latter
had OF him.


He could scarcely believe his fortune,
when Il moment later, the two brothers
passed again beneath him back into the
dining room.


From there they went on through the
rooms beyond, and the sound Of their
footsteps died away entirely.


Perhaps five minutes after, they return
ed that is, as far as the dining room
and Bob gathered from their conversa-
ton that they had found one of the tas-
Jennings in the basement in Il condition
indicating that the burglar might have
escaped there.


Mrs McLane and Angie, having salts
fled themselves that the coast was clear,
descended to the dining room and u
lively discussion of all the aspects of the
problem ensued, which was highly edify-
ing to Bob.


Then the conversation became still