CHAPTER XV.
"What is it, Lu?" Violet asked in trepidation. "Oh what is the meaningof those sounds coming from below? Are burglars trying to break in?"
"No, Mamma Vi," returned Lulu with a little nervous laugh, "they aretrying to break out."
"Break out? what can you mean, child?"
"They are locked into the strong room, Mamma Vi, and papa is calling forhelp to take them to jail. Hark! don't you hear him?"
They sat up in the bed, listening intently.
"Hello!" the captain called: then in another moment, "Capt. Raymond ofWoodburn, wants the sheriff," they heard him say. "Ah are you there Mr.Wright? Burglars in the house. Burglars here. We have them fast, lockedinto the room with the safe they were trying to break open. Send aconstable and several men to help him, as promptly as you can."
The reply was of course inaudible to the listeners in the bedroom, butthe next moment the captain spoke again.
"Yes, I can hold them till you can get here; unless some outsideaccomplice should come to their aid."
He seemed to listen to a response, then a tinkle of his bell told thatthe conversation was at an end.
He turned at once to a private telephone connecting the dwelling housewith the outside cabins in which his men-servants lodged, and called themto come to his assistance.
Then back he went to his bedroom to reassure Violet and send Lulu toGrace, who had waked and was calling in affright to know what was thematter.
"Do not be alarmed, my dear," he said, as he hastily threw on hisclothes: "I really think there is no cause for apprehension, but I musthurry down to admit the servants (whether the burglars have left a dooropen or not, I do not know), see in what condition things are in thelower rooms, and keep guard over my prisoners till the sheriff orconstable and his men arrive."
"What can I do?" asked Violet.
"Stay here out of harm's way, and ready to soothe and quiet the childrenshould they wake in affright," he answered as he again hastened away.
Violet sprang from the bed and went with swift, noiseless steps into thenursery. All was quiet there, children and nurse soundly sleeping. Sheretraced her steps and went on into Grace's room, where the two littlegirls were lying together in the bed, locked in each other's arms.Grace trembling with fear, Lulu bravely struggling with her ownexcitement and trying to calm and soothe her little sister.
"O Mamma Vi, I'm so glad you've come!" she exclaimed, as Violet drewnear, then seated herself on the side of the bed, and bent down to kissfirst the one and then the other, "for Gracie is so frightened."
"I'm so afraid those wicked men will hurt papa," sobbed Grace.
"God will take care of him, dear child," Violet said, repeating hercaress. "Beside your papa just told me he thought there was no cause forapprehension.
"But, Lulu, I have not heard yet how the burglars came to be locked intothe strong room. Tell me about it."
"Something waked me, Mamma Vi, and I heard them, and by listening alittle I made sure where they were. At first I thought I'd run and callpapa; but then I thought there are two of them if not more and papa isonly one, so he would hardly have a chance in trying to fight them; butif I should slip quietly down and slam the door to and lock them in, itwould save risking papa's life; and if they should catch me and kill meit wouldn't be half so bad as if they hurt papa.
"So I asked God to help me and take care of me. Then I ran down theback stairs to the library.
"The door into the back hall was far enough open to let me slip inwithout touching it, so that I did so without making any noise toattract their attention; then seeing by the light coming from the crackat the back of the strong room door, that they were in there, I creptclose up and peeped in, and there they were; one down on his kneesworking at the lock of the safe, the other holding a lantern to give himlight.
"When I had watched them for a minute, I asked God again to help me;then I felt for the bolt and kept my hand on it while I, all of asudden, pushed against the door with all my might and slammed it to, andshot the bolt in.
"I'd hardly done it when I heard the men drop their tools and run to thedoor and try to get it open; saying dreadful words too, that frightenedme. So I only waited to lock the door also before I started to runupstairs and on through the rooms till I got to papa.
"He was asleep and I was so out of breath, and my heart beating so fastI couldn't speak for a minute. But I put my arm round his neck and mycheek on the pillow close to his and he woke."
"And it was you who locked the burglars in?" exclaimed Violet inastonishment. "I've heard before now of women doing such things, butnever of a little girl like you attempting it. You dear, brave,unselfish child! I am very, very proud of you!" and she bent down againand kissed Lulu several times.
The burglars, quite aware that their presence in the house was known,were making desperate efforts to escape, trying to force the lock orbreak down the door, at the same time cursing, and swearing in tones ofconcentrated fury.
The captain drew near and spoke to them.
"Men," he said sternly, "you are caught in a trap you have laid foryourselves, and escape is impossible; both lock and door are strongenough to resist your utmost efforts; therefore you may as well takematters quietly."
"That we won't. Let us out or it'll be the worse for you!" growled one ofthe villians, grinding his teeth with rage.
"Have a little patience," returned the captain; "you shall be taken outpresently, and off the premises; you are by no means desirable inmatesin the home of any honest, law-abiding citizen."
The response to that was a threat of vengeance to be taken sooner orlater, should he dare to deliver them up to justice.
Finding their threats disregarded, they tried persuasion, appeals to hiscompassion--asserting that it was their first attempt to rob, and thatthey were driven to it by necessity--they and their families being insore straits from extreme poverty--and promises to lead honest lives infuture.
One voice the captain recognized as that of the groom he had dismissedsome months before because of his cruelty to Thunderer.
"Ajax," he said sternly, "you are lying to me! I know that your familyare not in distress, and that you can make an honest living if youchoose to be industrious and faithful to your employers. You were wellpaid here but lost your situation by inexcusable cruelty to dumbanimals.
"Since discharging you I have more than once supplied the wants of yourwife and children; and this is your grateful return;--coming to rob me,bringing with you another, and perhaps more desperate villain thanyourself."
The men-servants had followed their master into the library and stoodlistening to the colloquy in open-mouthed astonishment.
"How dey git locked up in dar, cap'in?" asked one.
"Miss Lulu slammed the door to on them and locked and bolted it," hereplied, his eyes shining at thought of the unselfish bravery of hischild.
"Ki, cap'n! you's jokin', fo' shuah, dat little Miss Lu lock up debugglars? how she gwine do dat? she one small chile an' dey two bigmen?"
"She undoubtedly did it," returned the captain, smiling at the man'sevident amazement. "She heard them at work with their tools, on the safedoor, came softly down into this room, peeped at them through the crackbehind the door there, and before they were aware of her vicinity,slammed it to and bolted and locked it on them."
"Hurrah for little Miss Lu!" cried the men; one of them adding, "Deymus' hab her fo' a kunnel in de nex' wah."
"No, sah; higher'n dat; fo' brigandine gineral at de berry leas'!" saidanother.
Seeing no hope of escape, the prisoners had ceased their efforts andawaited their fate in sullen silence.
They did not know who had been their captor, and in telling the story ofLulu's exploit the captain purposely so lowered his tones that scarce aword reached their ears.
At this moment Max appeared at the door opening from the library intothe front hall; only half dressed and asking in much excitement, whatwas the matter? what was the meaning of the
lights and the noises thathad waked him?
His father explained in a few words, and as he finished a loud knockingat the front entrance told of the arrival of the sheriff and his posse.
They were promptly admitted, filed into the library and formed asemi-circle about the door of the strong room--each man with a revolverin his hand, cocked and ready for instant use.
The door was then unfastened and the burglars stepped out only to beimmediately handcuffed and carried away to prison, sullenly submittingto their arrest because they saw that resistance was useless.
But before being taken from the house they were searched and thecaptain's watch found upon Ajax. He had evidently visited thedressing-room of his late master to obtain the key to the strong roomdoor, and appropriated the watch at the same time.
The lock of the safe was also examined and found but little injured. Thescoundrels had not succeeded in getting at the valuables there.
They had collected together some from other parts of the house and madethem into bundles ready to carry away, but they were uninjured and hadonly to be restored to their places.
Max was greatly excited. "Papa," he said, when the sheriff had departedwith his prisoners, and doors and windows were again secured, "we havehad a narrow escape from serious loss; perhaps worse than that; for whoknows but those fellows meant to murder us in our beds?"
"I think not, my son," replied the captain. "I presume their only objectwas plunder, and that if they had succeeded in rifling the safe withoutdiscovery, they would have gone quietly away with their booty.
"Had they desired to kill any of us, they would have been likely toattempt it when upstairs in search of the key to the strong room."
"And it was Lu who spoiled their plans! Just think of it! I'd like tohave had her chance. Papa, I think Lu's splendid!"
"She has certainly shown herself very brave and unselfish on this, andseveral other occasions," the captain said with a happy look in hiseyes.
"But come, we will do well now to go back to our beds, for it isscarcely four o'clock," he added, consulting his recovered watch.
The men servants had returned to their quarters, and father and son werealone.
Violet, in dressing-gown and slippers, met them at the head of thestairway.
"You have not been able to sleep, my love?" the captain said with aglance of concern at her pale, excited face. "But of course that was notto be expected."
"No; we have all been too much excited to close an eye," she answered."They are gone? Do tell me all about it!"
"O papa, please come in here and tell it where Gracie and I can hear,"called Lulu entreatingly, from the inner room, and the bed where theystill lay clasped in each other's arms.
"I will; I think you deserve the indulgence," he said going to them,Violet and Max following, the latter asking, "May I come in too, papa?"
"Yes," replied his father, placing a chair for Violet. "I presume itwill be a relief to you all to talk the matter over together with yourmamma and me, and you will perhaps be more inclined for sleepafterward."
"Papa, won't you sit down and take me on your knee, and hug me up close,while you tell it?" entreated Grace.
"I will," he said, doing as she requested. Then catching a longing lookin Lulu's eyes, "You may come too, daughter," he said. "Slip on yourdressing-gown and stand here by my side. I have an arm for you as wellas one for Gracie."
Lulu promptly and joyfully availed herself of the permission.
"Lu," said Max, "you're a real heroine! brave as a lion! I'm proud toown you for my sister. I'm afraid I mightn't have been half so brave."
"Oh yes, Max, I'm sure you would have done just the same," shereturned, blushing with pleasure. "And you see I preferred to do it,because I thought they might kill papa, and that would have been oh somuch worse than being killed myself!" clinging lovingly to her father,and hiding her face on his shoulder as she spoke.
"Dear child!" he said in moved tones and clasping her close, "you have avery strong and unselfish love for me."
"Papa, it would have broken my heart, and Mamma Vi's, and Max's andGracie's too, if anything dreadful had happened to you."
"And what about papa's heart if he should lose his dear little daughterLulu, or anything dreadful should happen to her?"
"I didn't have time to think about that, papa. I know you love me verymuch, and would be sorry to lose me--naughty as I often am--but you haveother children, and I have only one father; so of course it would be agreat deal worse for me to lose you, and all the rest to lose you too."
"The worst thing that could befall us," said Violet; "but Lulu, dear, weall love you and would feel it a terrible thing to have you killed orbadly injured in any way."
"Indeed we would!" exclaimed Max, with a slight tremble in his voice.
"Oh I couldn't ever, ever bear it!" sobbed Gracie, throwing an armround her sister's neck.
"Well," said the captain cheerfully, hugging both at once, "we haveescaped all the evils we have been talking of; our heavenly Father hastaken care of us and has not suffered us to even lose our worldly goods,much less our lives; and we may well trust Him for the future and notfear what man can do unto us."
"Yes," said Violet, "we know that He has all power in heaven and earthand will never suffer any real evil to befall one of His people.
"'He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; he, that keepth thee will notslumber.'
"Levis, did you know those men?"
"One of them is Ajax."
"Is it possible?" she exclaimed. "What a return for all the kindness youhave shown to him and his!"
"Ajax! There, I was sure I heard Ajax's voice in the hall while thesheriff was here," cried Lulu. "He must have been the one who was downon his knees trying to break the safe lock when I peeped in at thecrack. I didn't see his face; but the other was a white man."
"Yes," said Max; "a man we'd seen before."
"The tramp you saw when out riding?" asked his father.
"Yes, sir."
"I recognized him too," said Lulu. "Papa, what will be done with himand Ajax?"
"They will have to be tried for burglary and if convicted, will be sentto the penitentiary for a term of years."
"Papa, will we have to appear as witnesses on the trial?" asked Max.
"Yes."
"The men did not attempt any resistance to the arrest?" Violet saidinquiringly.
"No; they saw it would be quite useless."
After a little more talk the captain said, "Now I think it will be bestfor us all to go to our beds again and try to sleep till the usual hourfor rising."
"Papa, I feel so afraid," said Grace, holding tight to him as he wouldhave laid her in the bed.
"My darling, try not to feel so," he said, caressing her; "try tobelieve that God will take care of you."
"Please ask him again, papa," she pleaded.
Then they all knelt while the captain asked in a few simple, earnestwords that He who neither slumbers nor sleeps would be their shield,defending them from all evil, and that trusting in His protecting carethey might be able to banish every fear and lay them down in peace andsleep.
"I am not afraid now, papa," Grace said, as they rose from their knees."You may please put me in my bed, and I think I'll go to sleep directly,for I'm very tired."
"You will allow them to sleep past the usual hour, my dear, will younot?" asked Violet.
"Yes," he said, "I wish you, children, to sleep on as long as you can,and if possible make up all you have lost by the visit of the burglars;it will not matter if you take your breakfast later than usual by evenso much as an hour or two."
"But that will make us late for lessons, papa," suggested Max.
"Which I will excuse for once," returned his father with an indulgentsmile.
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