Midsummer Night Alarms 



and those who thus avariciously look 

 for trouble frequently have little diffi- 

 culty in finding it or that which 

 serves the same purpose. 



For what seemed an eternity of time 

 naught but the ticking of the clock, the 

 chirping of crickets, the distant bark- 

 ing of a dog or the drowsy call of some 

 restless chanticleer on a neighboring 

 farm broke the deep silence of this our 

 first midsummer night in the depths 

 of the real country. When the solitude 

 was disturbed, however, it was broken 

 properly. Suddenly, and without 

 warning of any kind, there was a rush 

 and a roar, followed by a desperate 

 crash on the floor below! The shock 

 upon nerves already over-strained may 

 be better imagined than described. 

 All hands or rather feet hit the 

 floor at the same instant. What was 

 it? What dreadful thing had hap- 

 pened squarely within the cottage 

 walls ? Probably the burglar had fallen 

 headlong over a piece of furniture! 



[591 



