t had awakened

heard it-a padding, stealthy, creeping noise that made he

lized that whatever it

d the landing. Her scalp crept and her hair began to stand on end. Her door

bed, and with her limbs trembling under her, ran

for the noise, but it had stopped. Evidently the burg

k her. Chet was sleeping in the nex

into Chet's room-luckily there was a connecting doo

ened the stealthy noise began again and it was

luntary sound, and Chet s

p?" he deman

d and leaning over, she whispered the awful w

Chet, wide awake by th

elf?" cried Billie in a desperate whispe

ful?" queried Chet, seeming not in the le

told him impatiently. "For goodness' sake, Chet, wake up and tell

ing her arm, and in a ten

taken-something was surely

thought Billie, as she began to

shing sound. And then,

ie, clutching her brot

added, as a happy thought struck him, "there's Dad's!" He was out of bed and ac

earer Billie, and he had happened to remember the secret hiding place that his father had

ugly-looking thing out of the hidden drawer and examined it. "

a grim "Come on," from

made their way

for they could hear the stealthy padding at the other e

pressed both hands over her heart to quiet its pounding, Chet flung o

dark shape coming slowly toward them stopp

heir supposed burglar was a very

Chet's hand dropped to his side and he began to laugh. It was a weak laugh at first

hich she seemed undecided whether t

d get his breath. "Come here, old

me forward at Chet's command and stood looking

t lamp shining through

ered an ex

ied. "How in the world did he ever get in? Com

. For Billie had made much of Bruce on her frequent visits to Nellie Bane, and the dog, with the instinct of his k

llow all worked up to catch a burglar, and then y

said Billie sarcastically, as she patted the dog's great head. "W

ing up the pistol from which Billie shrank back. "Don'

earfully over her shoulder, for the effects of her fright had not quite left her yet. "Don't you think we'd better take that along whi

e turned to the stairs nevertheless, "Come on," he said. "If we have left a window open it is high

ugh the empty house at that time of night-and it was espec

ing-room upon the porch was swinging wide open-a wonderful invitat

th a final pat, put Bruce outside

itors to-night," he said, as they started

t," returned B

hey felt too excited for sleep, and sat

tead of a very unfriendly house-breaker, but more than once both of

t to go to bed, "that it was Bruce that happened to