330 



THE AMERICAN BEE-KEEPER. 



Noveuihcr 



"Nonsense, Edith. Look how the 

 English girls walk, and they have the 

 finest complexions in the world. " 



"Bnt they are not v;alking now. 

 Most of them ride a bicycle. I read 

 about it the other day. " 



And so on. The fact is Edith had set 

 her heart on one, and, for the first time 

 in her life, she resolved to persevere in 

 her attexnpts to persuade the old gentle- 

 man in spite of (he annoyance and ob- 

 stinacy he showed. 



So she learned to ride on a friend's 

 wheel and called her grandfather's at- 

 tention to the great pleasure it gave 

 her. Then she would tell him how 

 quickly she could coast down to War- 

 wick, and how easily she could climb 

 the hill back again, but it was of nc 

 use. 



One day her friend went away for 2 

 ■week, and with great generosity loaned 

 her bicycle toEdith while she was gone. 



Edith was intensely delighted and 

 spent all that afternoon riding around 

 the castle grounds. Considerably tired, 

 she went to bed very early and was 

 Boon asleep. 



In the middle of the night Bhe was 

 awakened by the rolling of thunder. 

 Quite a storm seemed to be brewing, 

 and she arose to put down her windows. 



Then suddenly she recollected a sin- 

 gular piece of carelessness on her part. 

 She had left her friend's bicycle stand- 

 ing against a pillar of the front porch, 

 and the wind or rain might ruin it. 



"What luck!" she thought. "Fll 

 have to dress and get it. I expect I'll 

 have to put quite a little on, too, or I 

 will catch my death of cold. " 



So she dressed herself and started 

 down stairs. To her surprise, she noticed 

 that the library was lit up. 



"I wonder what grandfather is doing 

 up at this hour of the night. I'll peep 

 in and scare him. " 



It was a thoughtless idea, but a lucky 

 one, as it turned out, for, looking 

 through a chink in the door, she saw 

 the old man lying on his side by the 

 fireplace, 'yhe wafi about to shriek out 

 in her terror, when the door opposite 

 opened and two men walked into the 

 room. 



They wore masks, and Edith knew at 

 once that they were burglars. One of 

 them was tall and stout, the other very 

 small and slender. Both were meanly 



dressed and carried dark lanterns. 



She then looked again at her grand- 

 father a}id saw that his hands and feet 

 were tied. He was not gagged. 



"Oh, why doesn't he shout for help!" 

 she wonder'?d, Then she remembered 

 the isolation of the castle, and that he 

 was the only man living there. 



"We couldn't find uothin, " said the 

 big burglar savagely, "so you've got to 

 tell us wliere you keep your cash." 



"That's what you have," chimed in 

 the little fellow. 



"If you don't," continued the big 

 one, "if you don't, why, we'll smash 

 you to pieces. See?" 



"See?" asked his companion. 



"I have no money here, " said Mr. 

 Boulden. "I am not fool enough to keep 

 much of it in so lonely a place as this. 

 And the fact is I have not much of it 

 elsewhere either." 



Edith listened breathlessly to what 

 would follow. 



"You are lyin, and you know it," 

 growled the big burglar. "Don't you 

 think we've been a-watchin you? Why, 

 my pardner here has followed you 

 around town for a week. He seen you 

 get a big wad of bills at the bank this 

 morn in. " 



"Ye.s, but are you aware that I paid 

 off some interest on a mortgage with 

 it?" 



"You are lyin again, and I knows 

 it. You came straight home from the 

 bank." 



Mr. Boulden groaned. It was too true. 



"You can't fool us," said the little 

 man exultingly. 



"No, you can't. That's a fact, "went 

 on his big confederate. "And what's 

 more, if yen don't tell us where it is, 

 and that purty qui^k, we'll have to try 

 a little piaster of fire on yer feet. It's 

 a powerful persuader." 



"Oh, whit can I do? What can I do?" 

 thought Edith as she slipped away from 

 the door. 



She must get help, but where? From 

 Warwick, cf course. But how? Why, 

 on that dear, blessed bicycle peacefully 

 stabled by the frcnt porch. The thought 

 was inspiring, and, bracing up her cour- 

 age, she stole down stairs. Carefully 

 opening the door a little bit, she noticed 

 a team hitched near by which evidently 

 belonged to the burglars. Her first idea 

 was to get in the burglars' wayon and 



