| Show aidi sure vou wont bo afraid kaev 0 no but tilly is so deaf added mr dillingham pausing with hi fool on alic carriage step Sli iut I 1 stop and ask aunt to ho s arb come upp no indeed father I 1 wont bo a bit frightened well theres nothing to liburt aou und I 1 shall he back irith your mother timo tu if its a possible thin goodby good by lr gillinham linham Dil seated himself in the vehicle the old gray lightly and drove away katy stood in the door and glicr father kofl she was just thirteen years of nac and she feel a bit afraid and when tho carriage was out of abe bounded off tho doorstep door step and aarom tho road to tho barn whence she re with full of eggs tilly she screamed going into tho kitchen oh tilly let ino make a all for dinner to arvo sonic eggs ami I 1 want to make a sponge cake 0 yes said tilly quite with lie clr of one who can hear as well as another one but who like to play sonic nt being deaf buike half a doan of sponge cake if you want to il carie so haty beat the eggs winter aej belks separately for ten she put in the sugar and beat fire minutes and the hour and beat three minutes more exactly by rule and when all this was done and tho cako browned to delicious perfection in the big oven the short november afternoon was already halfway half way through im going to put my cako in tho preserve clot tilly tilly offer any objection and katy carried her sponge cako through the pantry into tho little dark closet be canil there acro rows upon rowa vt preserve jars and above them on the upper shelf katy caught a white gleam from the silver tho and bowl and cako basket and teapot balides bolides a quantity of spoons that biad belonged to her great grandmother they acro very heavy and all of pure and suddenly as katy stood gazing up at them she remembered with a little shiver of dread the a tramp who had looked in at the door the day before while tilly was cleaning the balver at tho table lie asked for a drink of water and when he had got it he went away but it amed to katy at this minute that iio looked at the silver a great deal longer ind sharper than was at all necessary what if lie came back ho a vicious looking tramp indeed tilly had thought and said what a pity it was aliat lie should bo a tramp at all lucli n bright face ho had anil such a pretty way of speaking but you cant tell much by looks said kaev to herself 1 I believe mother would almost rather loo alic farm than that silver anyway ill put on the padlock before I 1 go to bed I 1 suppose its foolish though that was alic reason sho forgot all about ft she sat at alic window fur a long time busy her knitting and with thinking of how glad sho would be to mccu her mother again two weeks is so long i time and mrs Dilling liam had been a day nore than that with a faick sister in wakefield almot twenty idilea from home the clouds had shut down heavy and gray and it would be dark early hut by the time katy was ready for led eho had forgotten all about jhc thc padlock though she was really a little nervous and frightened an d wished more than once mat billys cot bed in the little room over alic kitchen would leold her with tilly hut alic felt better when jhc had gone up stairs into her owa little chamber and had fastened ahr smirk glicr prayer she crept into bed and fell farl asleep when she awoke tho cloud j biad cleared away and the moon waa daining full in at her window she ajoku suddenly with thoughts of tho in her and presently f ho hoard alio of the old clock ring through tho house liko a bell twelve 1 I declare said sho to herself then flitting upright in bed 1 I think to lock that closet door isitt its safo enough mother norca thinks of locking it sho lay down and tried to go to bleed bleep again but it n bit of ue though diio counted moro than two hundred jumping over a gate alic could not help thinking of how badly her mother would that silver by any chance bo stolen it seemed to her that there acro strange noises all about the house and once a sound ai of a window being moved softly up set her heart to thumping iu a very lively way what a booso I 1 ami ahu aard at length aloud and jumping out of bed iia elic spoke its nothing but a rat hut ill go down aud lock that door I 1 cant go to sleep till I 1 do she slipped into a wrapper laughing at all the while and went softly downstairs down stairs so softly eliat she could scarcely hear tho sound of her own feet aa alio walked she look down the padlock and key which acro seldom used from a nail in the and went bravely into tho pantry the moon shining in nt tho window lighted her way but it was avirt not the moonlight which shone la that dreadful preserve closet out at he door which stood wide open anty s heart stood still willi horror there in alio closet on alio wide lower shelf wai wa i lighted lamp anil libido il glistened the heavy cake dish that biad belonged to italis great grandmother and before katy na suret lio ramp alio could hardly keep from screaming and her hands shook as with alio ague but quick dart she slammed tho closet door put the heay hasp in place and sprung alio padlock airro ans a startled from her prisoner as she did 0 o it was all katy heard before sho lied from alio pantry to aliu outer door unlocked il and sped away through the moonlighted night toward ni milo distaulo di he cant tilly aho panted auld she wont wake up and lio cant pet out but maybe hell buni the house up 0 why cant father conic and what jakc it so far to aunt Pris sho pet to aunt Priscil laa just nt that moment camo the sound of carriage wheels and before kaev had time to do moro thau recognize the alil gray she heard a startled cry from fiur mother why anty child alive what bringa yon here then poor little katy liow sho trembled when her father picked her up ind placed her in the carriage and loar almost ulbina willi tho cur of it stio told her satorv and how by the time they reached home sho was ns nearly in hysterics ai it was po for a well ordered little girl with no nerves to speak of lu be there there and in bour wrapper loo said glicr mother anxiously yon might have put on a katy catch your death you must have dreamed it all daughter said her fatlich atut ins lost no timo in entering the house ami ho provided himself a huge pistol which been for a doyan vears before lie unlocked the closet door and began to open it cautiously tiou sly then katy anil her mother waiting by thu kitchen door which they took the to hold wide open aicard an exclamation of surprise ah i you d belter como out sir and give yourself up peaceably with the greatest plea lire it was a laughing voice and it wib 1 ing remarkably good looking faco that showed itself over mr uil ginghams ing hams shoulder iu the pantry katys mother took an eager slop forward 1 I believe it w frank sho why frank frank sawyer where alid you fall from alic minute katy saw her mother halt clingon the mans i boulder with her arm around liis neck shu anuw eliat aliis was the alio never remembered to leavo seen who biad been abroad for veara poor little anty once more allow and ashamed sho was to think sho hid locked her mothers only brother up in tho closet for 1 thief how dreadful it was italy with burning checks drew back in ane schadow of tho opu door but how I 1 declare laughed aars Dillin ghani 1 I dont much blame katy it without idling said katys uncle laughing too acamo on the teno ten o clock tram and made tip my mind to walk over from alio station when I 1 got diore 1 knocked at the door but nobody woke up so I 1 just made my way in through the window I 1 win hungrier than a cannibal and thought id pet something to cat without waking anybody up I 1 was after preserves you know I 1 have i sweet tooth when I 1 saw grandmothers grandm othera silver and I 1 was taking a look nt it for abo sake of old times when prestol I 1 found a prisoner it was katy said mrs dillingham laughing until she cried katy why what aro you hiding for child como here anil kaly reluctantly obeyed now liow was it daughter her father when this strange undo biad shaken hands with katy and knice her halt a dozen times on each check so katy told tho story over again this time with a good many laughing interruptions anil you were kind of a burglar sho said slyly glancing up because you were after tho preserves you know 1 I got in through a window too katr and I 1 ate i whole sponge cake while I 1 was locked up it was mine said kaly laughing again mr Uil lingham sal down and took hh daughter on his anco well said he aoud have dono juat tho same if he d been 1 genuine tramp as ho ought to leavo been poking around folks houses in that fashion im proud of you katydid katy did so am I 1 said undo frank sawyer and be rolled up liis eyes in a comical way at katy and so am C said her mother ami she k katy ada stoddard in harpers young people |
