Show WHEN THE CRACKERS LAN OVER Q 0 1 0 aft 0 lulb 0 O 0 1140 HE f four our boys who packed 4 E the baniels ban els of crackers lu in 0 8 7 0 bonners s bakery gathered JL about the flieman prank frank IQ WOW morse as he examined the frea red malnig that had come up by the elevator from the basement oven all slack baked was inas dis gusted comment they 11 han hi e to lie over ever till tomorrow to morrow and that meins you boys will hai hae e to get here eal eaily ay to pact nothing more foi you to do now a you may go homp home J eoy boy del ino lingered how early in the morning air morse worse he lie asked oh don t get here before 3 30 the foreman answered he meant to be jocular and the other boys healing beating the reply tejay grinned the knew that thit 6 clock would be eaily enough but eoy was a new hand and took the foreman s remark lite literally rilly the next morning nt S 3 25 he was hurrying to his there was a faint glow from the flour incrusted basement windows showing that the n baker had not yet left the building above in the packing room all wa was s dark the f front door v ft as of couise locked and eoy roy went nent round to the side door opening inlo the basement the stall s ascending to the packing loom lose in front of this door a d eoy roy had to go round them in order to see the bal eis who putting on then thell coats in front of the brick ovens and getting ready to go home has mr air morse vorse come yet he ed j no said one of the men he lie s i never here when we ue leave I 1 dont don t know just what t me he does come I 1 guess hell he 11 be here beferie long iong eoy eald said because of the crackers that had bad to lie ON 0 er you 11 II be all alone for a while any way the baker told him aben hen the men had gone eoy roy looked a b U it the he t long basement which seemed to mm blin strangely sti angely quiet white bread was rising in covered troughs brown lo loaves ivi s were slowly bal ing in the rick ovens the warmth and the cri sweep sweet smell of the place were pleasant after the wintry air and poy had not walked so ion long in the bakery that his senses were sluggish in receive ing such impressions the great cracker oven in which the lay overs ere resting filled f one side of the basement and lose above the floor ef of the packing room overhead it was in fact a blick bilci vault shaped like a beehive inside a brick building eoy roy thought of opening the door and taking a look 1001 at the crackers but then decided that this was none of his busi bess liess it occurred to him however that be he might find something to do in the packing room while awaiting the arrival of the foreman and he there I 1 fore plodded up the stairs making lit tie ue noise in his rubber overshoes oveis shoes hoes the room was chilly at least by comparison with the basement and roy crossed to the iron door in the brick work of the cracker oven this was set flush the floor and was used when it was necessary to make repairs on the machinery behind it revolved vertically the great oven wheel which was fitted with swinging shelves that earned the crackers dur in ins the bal ing j the vie that i ropel repelled led the wheel was now of course disconnect ed end and although there had been no fire are under tinder the iven ven tor for hours its inte kor or heat was considerable conslO roy there ore opened the door and lay with his lack ack te to the hot air after a moment he rolled over with n adventurous idea of clambering in pon the wheel and exploring the oven leaching in he touched one of the winging shelves but the wheel yield a ancier the pressure pre pres ssuie silie it revolved eely now w th that a t the machinery was isco is connected w and id poy realized that if e stepped aboard a shelf he would be arned r r ed to the b bottom 0 attorn of the oven and re a left e f t there with wit h no chance of escape suddenly ud denly a faint sound drew his lit s at antion 1 in the direction of the office inch ado adjoined inea the packing room th the e son sound id was repeated and eoy roy ith some wonder and a little ion on rose rose and stole across the loom ironsh ro ugh the da wariness darl ness the door into je e office odice to be ajar P pushing 0 O open p en h he saw aw by the rays of a dim lamar reet e et lamp an obscure figure kneeling front of the safe then h the door creaked the burglar arang rang up whirled round and seeing e 0 boy rushed at him foy toy dodged and ran with the bur pursuing in front of the oven pr or the boy dodged again catching id 11 of a barrel to make a sharp turn ath a quick thought he gave a jerk jerl the barrel birrel and sent it spinning on ze 9 behind him i f the burglar ir estaing ra it in the darl ness and fell heavily roy in time to see the man shoot over the rolling baliel ban el aid half hilf pe doorway sh shadon idoy p pair tir of legs were still waving wildly in air with a tor for cible lick kick on oil the babrel he sent the burglar into the oven and down on the swinging shelf immediately th the e wl wheel heel turned under its baiden in another instant it be came still and roy knew that his man was safely immured at the bottom botto in of the vault after a moment he put L s head into the oven and called down you re not hut t are you the curses which issued from the depths reassured him the burglars s silence since his rapid descent had evidently been due to am and fear I 1 oy could hear him prowling cau call piously about inside feeling the buck wall and at last rattling the iron base ment door it was fast and then the man began to plead tor for mercy let me out young feller I 1 he begged say I 1 ve got a whole lot 0 of f money III gin gie e yo yoi i it if you 11 only let me out honest I 1 will no roy answered answered I 1 guess you can lie over with the ci ackers the bureni s voice became plaintive kh h go on let me out yon don t want to ruin a man for life say siy hon bon est it s the first time I 1 ev e v er done such a thing I 1 was wis drove to it by my wife and bab es stan starn in you said aou 5 on had a lot of money you would give me koy roy reminded him then the man broke out cursing agam tain t ain ind roy slammed slimmed the door T the ha e cursing subsided and beaole long roy heard a faint and frightened voice pe titio ning let me speak to you young feller open the door the boy obi ged his prisoner to this extent and then the burglar said you ain aln t cruel enough to keep a man down heie be baked alive there s no fire under the oven roy told him and ind III I 1 II 11 see they don t light up till after the police get you dont don t be uneasy now I 1 ive ve got to close the door or the crackers will get spoiled the remainder of the night he was as deaf to the entreaties that from time to time w wa wi i led up from the inter or of the vault at last in th early morning light the foreman and othel packers pickers came and roy announce I 1 his capture he must have hive sl aped in at it the s de door and got up the stairs when the bakers looking the boy said and I 1 suppose he d t hear me be cause I 1 had on oil overshoes and the office door was nearly shut get into the safe the foreman looked at roy with id mitat on boy he said you ve done a good nights night s wol boil I 1 and you got hei e at 3 30 ell elp I 1 IN ell it certainly Is the early bird that catches the baig lai one of the other boys was for light ing a small fire under the oven i ts to s ll 11 0 him but the flieman said no and te telephoned le phoned to pol ce headquarters five rive minutes latel the chief and one of his melt men an art ved and ind when the oven door was opened and the prisoner crawled sull still alv forth to have the bracelets snapped on his wrists the off officers acers gave a en of delight slim jim mclean exclaimed the chief I you iou ou d never have got me said sl SI in jim then he took tool a malev look at the four boys I 1 don t know which one of you young tellers it was but when I 1 get out III make one of you pay for this the chief laughed I 1 guess you re to safe for about tv tx enty years roy he said and by that thit time you 11 II be able to raise chin w h sl r an I 1 disguise yourself youth s Compin companion lon |