Part 25 (1/2)

But the children loudly objected to this. If Prue and Fairy went, they would go! So down the stairs they trooped, a timorous trembling crowd.

Prudence went at once to the telephone, and called up the residence of the Allans, their neighbors across the street. After a seemingly never-ending wait, the kind-hearted neighbor left his bed to answer the insistent telephone. Falteringly Prudence explained their predicament, and asked him to come and search the house. He promised to be there in five minutes, with his son to help.

”Now,” said Prudence more cheerfully, ”we'll just go out to the kitchen and wait. It's quiet there, and away from the rest of the house, and we'll be perfectly safe.” To the kitchen, then, they hurried, and found real comfort in its smallness and secureness. Prudence raked up the dying embers of the fire, and Fairy drew the blinds to their lowest limits. The twins and Connie trailed them fearfully at every step.

When the fire was burning brightly, Prudence spoke with great a.s.surance. ”I'll just run in to the dungeon and see for sure if the money is there. I do not honestly believe there is a soul in the house, but I can't rest until I know that money is safe.”

”You'll do nothing of the sort,” said Fairy, ”you'll stay right here and wait with us. I do not believe there's any one in the house, either, but if there is, you shan't run into him by yourself. You stay right where you are, and don't be silly. Mr. Allan will do the investigating.”

Every breath of wind against the windows drew startled cries from the younger girls, and both Fairy and Prudence were white with anxiety when they heard the loud voices of the Allans outside the kitchen door.

Prudence began crying nervously the moment the two angels of mercy appeared before her, and Fairy told their tale of woe.

”Well, there now,” Mr. Allan said with rough sympathy, ”you just got scared, that's all. Everything's suspicious when folks get scared. I told my wife the other day I bet you girls would get a good fright some time left here alone. Come on, Jim, and we'll go over the house in a jiffy.”

He was standing near the dining-room door. He lifted his head suddenly, and seemed to sniff a little. There was undoubtedly a faint odor of tobacco in the house.

”Been any men in here to-night?” he asked. ”Or this afternoon? Think, now!”

”No one,” answered Prudence. ”I was alone all afternoon, and there has been no one in this evening.”

He pa.s.sed slowly through the dining-room into the hall, closely followed by his son and the five girls, already much rea.s.sured. As he pa.s.sed the dungeon door he paused for a moment, listening intently, his head bent.

”Oh, Mr. Allan,” cried Prudence, ”let's look in the dungeon first. I want to see if the money is safe.” Her hand was already on the lock, but he shoved her away quickly.

”Is there any way out of that closet besides this door?” he asked.

”No. We call it the dungeon,” laughed Prudence, her self-possession quite recovered. ”It is right under the stairs, and not even a mouse could gnaw its way out, with this door shut.”

”Who shut that door?” he inquired, still holding Prudence's hand from the lock. Then without waiting for an answer, he went on, ”Let's go back in the other room a minute. Come on, all of you.” In the living-room, he hurried to the telephone, and spoke to the operator in a low voice. ”Call the police headquarters, and have them send two or three men to the Methodist parsonage, right away. We've got a burglar locked in a closet, and they'll have to get him out. Please hurry.”

At this, the girls crowded around him again in renewed fear.

”Don't be scared,” he said calmly, ”we're all right. He's in there safe enough and can't get out for a while. Now, tell me about it. How did you get him in the closet? Begin at the beginning, and tell me all about it.”

Carol began the story with keen relish. ”I woke up, and thought I heard some one in the room. I supposed it was Prudence. I said, 'Prudence,' and n.o.body answered, and everything was quiet.' But I felt there was some one in there. I nudged Lark, and she woke up. He moved then, and we both heard him. He was fumbling at the dresser, and our ruby rings are gone. We heard him step across the room and into the closet. He closed the door after him, didn't he, Lark?”

”Yes, he did,” agreed Lark. ”His hand was on the k.n.o.b.”

”So we sneaked out of bed, and went into Prudence's room and woke her and Fairy.” She looked at Connie, and blushed. ”Connie was asleep, and we didn't waken her because we didn't want to frighten her. We woke the girls,--and you tell the rest, Prudence.”

”We didn't believe her, of course. We went back into their room and there was no one there. But the rings were gone. While they were looking at the dresser, I remembered that I forgot to lock the dungeon door, where we keep the money and the silverware, and I ran down-stairs and slammed the door and locked it, and went back up. I didn't hear a sound down-stairs.”

Mr. Allan laughed heartily. ”Well, your burglar was in that closet after the money, no doubt, and he didn't hear you coming, and got locked in. Did you make any noise coming down the stairs?”

”No. I was in my bare feet, and I tried to be quiet because if there was any one in the house, I did not want him coming at me in the dark.

I ran back up-stairs, and we looked in father's room. I thought father had forgotten to take his watch with him, but it wasn't there.--Do you really think it was Sunday he forgot it, Fairy?”

”No,” said Fairy, ”it was there this afternoon. The burglar's got it in the dungeon with him, of course.--I just said it was Sunday to keep from scaring the twins.”

In a few minutes, they heard footsteps around the house and knew the officers had arrived. Mr. Allan let them into the house, four of them, and led them out to the hall. There could be no doubt whatever that the burglar was in the dungeon. He had been busy with his knife, and the lock was nearly removed. If the officers had been two minutes later, the dungeon would have been empty. The girls were sent up-stairs at once, with the Allan boy as guard,--as guard, without regard for the fact that he was probably more frightened than any one of them.

The chief officer rapped briskly on the dungeon door. Then he clicked his revolver.

”There are enough of us to overpower three of you,” he said curtly.