Freddy Goes to Florida by Walter R. Brooks Page A

with this lantern.”
    So Percy hastily stuffed a handful of ten-dollar bills into his pocket and came over to them.
    â€œWhy don’t you light the lamp?” he asked. “We’re perfectly safe. That noise wasn’t anything.”
    â€œMaybe so,” said Bill. “But I’m going to have a look round with the lantern first. Here, see if you can get it open.”
    They were all standing close to the fire-place, and as Percy took the lantern, Jinx, who never could resist a joke, reached out and dug his claws into his shoulder.
    â€œOuch!” yelled Percy, dropping the lantern with a crash. “What d’ye mean, sticking pins in me like that?” And he struck out with his fist in the darkness and hit Bill on the nose.
    Bill had just been going to say: “I didn’t touch you, silly!” but when that hard fist hit him, he changed his mind and flew at Percy, and in a second they were rolling on the floor and clawing and kicking and pulling each other’s hair like wildcats.
    They rolled toward the table, and Ed, who was afraid that they would knock it over and spill all the money and jewelery on the floor, took a match from his pocket and scratched it on the mantelpiece just under where Jinx was sitting, doubled up with laughter at the commotion he had caused. The match flamed up, and by its light Ed saw Jinx.
    Now, if you are a rather timid burglar, and you light a match in a dark room and see a cat that is half black and half red—for Jinx had been dipped in the paint pot, you remember—if you see such a cat grinning at you within an inch of your nose, you will probably do just as Ed did. He dropped his match and let out an awful yell.
    When he yelled, Bill and Percy stopped fighting and sat up. “What’s the matter?” they asked.
    â€œThere’s a red and black cat sitting on the mantelpiece and grinning at me!” said Ed in a scared voice.
    â€œFiddlesticks!” said Percy, and Bill said: “Nonsense!” and then he too lit a match. He was near the window as he did so, and there was Freddy, the pig, with his nose against the glass, staring in for all he was worth to see what was going on inside.
    Then it was Bill’s turn to drop his match and yell. “A pig with spectacles on is looking at us through the window!” For, of course, Freddy still had the circles around his eyes that Jinx had painted there.
    â€œFiddlesticks!” said Percy again, but he didn’t say it quite as loud. And Bill and Ed didn’t say anything.
    There was silence for a few minutes, while the three scared burglars tried to get up enough courage to light another match. Then through the silence came the faint sound of wheels on the road outside.
    â€œListen!” whispered Percy. “Somebody coming. I’m going out to have a look. It won’t be black and red cats, and pigs with glasses on, anyway.” And he slipped silently out of the door.
    The other two burglars tiptoed to the door and peered out after him, but although it was bright moonlight outside, the trees were so thick round the house that they could not see the road. And then, as they waited, came a terrible yell, and it was three times as loud as Ed’s yell and Bill’s yell put together. And they heard footsteps running, and Percy dashed up to the door, his eyes nearly starting out of his head with fright.
    â€œRun! Run for your lives!” he panted. “Out on the road there’s a tiger harnessed to a carriage and behind the carriage there’s a leopard with horns, as big as a cow. Run, or we shall all be eaten up!” And he dashed off into the woods and the two others rushed out of the door after him, and the animals could hear the crash of branches and the thump of heavy feet die away in the distance. And I may say here that they never saw either Ed or Bill or Percy again.
    Of course what had happened was this. Mrs. Wiggins and Hank had got tired