ugly dog. “If it hadn’t been for that cur, I’d never a
been caught. Why—,” and he staggered back and uttered a bad word, “it’s me own
dog.”
“More
shame to you,” said one of the policemen, sternly; “what have you been up to at
this time of night, to have your own dog and a quiet minister’s spaniel dog a-chasing
you through the street?”
Jenkins
began to swear and would not tell them anything. There was a house in the
garden, and just at this minute someone opened a window and called out: “Hallo,
there, what are you doing?”
“We’re
catching a thief, sir,” said one of the policemen, “leastwise I think that’s what
he’s been up to. Could you throw us down a bit of rope? We’ve no handcuffs
here, and one of us has to go to the lock-up and the other to Washington Street,
where there’s a woman yelling blue murder; and hurry up, please, sir.”
The
gentleman threw down a rope, and in two minutes Jenkins’ wrists were tied
together, and he was walked through the gate, saying bad words as fast as he
could to the policeman who was leading him. “Good dogs,” said the other
policeman to Jim and me. Then he ran up the street and we followed him.
As we
hurried along Washington Street, and came near our house, we saw lights
gleaming through the darkness, and heard people running to and fro. The nurse’s
shrieking had alarmed the neighborhood. The Morris boys were all out in the street
only half clad and shivering with cold, and the Drurys’ coachman, with no hat
on, and his hair sticking up all over his head, was running about with a
lantern.
The
neighbors’ houses were all lighted up, and a good many people were hanging out
of their windows and opening their doors, and calling to each other to know
what all this noise meant.
When the
policeman appeared with Jim and me at his heels, quite a crowd gathered around
him to hear his part of the story. Jim and I dropped on the ground panting as
hard as we could, and with little streams of water running from our tongues. We
were both pretty well used up. Jim’s back was bleeding in several places from
the stones that Jenkins had thrown at him, and I was a mass of bruises.
Presently
we were discovered, and then what a fuss was made over us. “Brave dogs! noble
dogs!” everybody said, and patted and praised us. We were very proud and happy,
and stood up and wagged our tails, at least Jim did, and I wagged what I could.
Then they found what a state we were in. Mrs. Morris cried, and catching me up
in her arms, ran in the house with me, and Jack followed with old Jim.
We all
went into the parlour. There was a good fire there, and Miss Laura and Miss
Bessie were sitting over it. They sprang up when they saw us, and right there
in the parlour washed our wounds, and made us lie down by the fire.
“You saved
our silver, brave Joe,” said Miss Bessie; “just wait till my papa and mamma
come home, and see what they will say. Well, Jack, what is the latest?” as the
Morris boys came trooping into the room.
“The
policeman has been questioning your nurse, and examining the dining room, and
has gone down to the station to make his report, and do you know what he has
found out?” said Jack, excitedly.
“No—what?”
asked Miss Bessie.
“Why that
villain was going to burn your house.”
Miss
Bessie gave a little shriek. “Why, what do you mean?”
“Well,”
said Jack, “they think by what they discovered, that he planned to pack his bag
with silver, and carry it off; but just before he did so he would pour oil
around the room, and set fire to it, so people would not find out that he had
been robbing you.”
“Why we
might have all been burned to death,” said Miss Bessie. “He couldn’t burn the
dining room without setting fire to the rest of the house.
“Certainly
not,” said Jack, “that shows what a villain he is.”
“Do they
know this for certain, Jack?” asked Miss Laura.
“Well,
they suppose so; they found some
been caught. Why—,” and he staggered back and uttered a bad word, “it’s me own
dog.”
“More
shame to you,” said one of the policemen, sternly; “what have you been up to at
this time of night, to have your own dog and a quiet minister’s spaniel dog a-chasing
you through the street?”
Jenkins
began to swear and would not tell them anything. There was a house in the
garden, and just at this minute someone opened a window and called out: “Hallo,
there, what are you doing?”
“We’re
catching a thief, sir,” said one of the policemen, “leastwise I think that’s what
he’s been up to. Could you throw us down a bit of rope? We’ve no handcuffs
here, and one of us has to go to the lock-up and the other to Washington Street,
where there’s a woman yelling blue murder; and hurry up, please, sir.”
The
gentleman threw down a rope, and in two minutes Jenkins’ wrists were tied
together, and he was walked through the gate, saying bad words as fast as he
could to the policeman who was leading him. “Good dogs,” said the other
policeman to Jim and me. Then he ran up the street and we followed him.
As we
hurried along Washington Street, and came near our house, we saw lights
gleaming through the darkness, and heard people running to and fro. The nurse’s
shrieking had alarmed the neighborhood. The Morris boys were all out in the street
only half clad and shivering with cold, and the Drurys’ coachman, with no hat
on, and his hair sticking up all over his head, was running about with a
lantern.
The
neighbors’ houses were all lighted up, and a good many people were hanging out
of their windows and opening their doors, and calling to each other to know
what all this noise meant.
When the
policeman appeared with Jim and me at his heels, quite a crowd gathered around
him to hear his part of the story. Jim and I dropped on the ground panting as
hard as we could, and with little streams of water running from our tongues. We
were both pretty well used up. Jim’s back was bleeding in several places from
the stones that Jenkins had thrown at him, and I was a mass of bruises.
Presently
we were discovered, and then what a fuss was made over us. “Brave dogs! noble
dogs!” everybody said, and patted and praised us. We were very proud and happy,
and stood up and wagged our tails, at least Jim did, and I wagged what I could.
Then they found what a state we were in. Mrs. Morris cried, and catching me up
in her arms, ran in the house with me, and Jack followed with old Jim.
We all
went into the parlour. There was a good fire there, and Miss Laura and Miss
Bessie were sitting over it. They sprang up when they saw us, and right there
in the parlour washed our wounds, and made us lie down by the fire.
“You saved
our silver, brave Joe,” said Miss Bessie; “just wait till my papa and mamma
come home, and see what they will say. Well, Jack, what is the latest?” as the
Morris boys came trooping into the room.
“The
policeman has been questioning your nurse, and examining the dining room, and
has gone down to the station to make his report, and do you know what he has
found out?” said Jack, excitedly.
“No—what?”
asked Miss Bessie.
“Why that
villain was going to burn your house.”
Miss
Bessie gave a little shriek. “Why, what do you mean?”
“Well,”
said Jack, “they think by what they discovered, that he planned to pack his bag
with silver, and carry it off; but just before he did so he would pour oil
around the room, and set fire to it, so people would not find out that he had
been robbing you.”
“Why we
might have all been burned to death,” said Miss Bessie. “He couldn’t burn the
dining room without setting fire to the rest of the house.
“Certainly
not,” said Jack, “that shows what a villain he is.”
“Do they
know this for certain, Jack?” asked Miss Laura.
“Well,
they suppose so; they found some
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