She sat up in the bed and listened. She thought she heard a faint sound coming from the room below, and slipping from the bed she stole softly across the floor to the chimney, where there was a hot air flue beside the open fireplace.
Dropping down on her hands and knees, she put her ear close to the register and listened again, almost holding her breath in the effort to hear.
The chimney ran up between her bedroom and the little tower room opening into it; the library was under her bedroom, and opening from it was the ground floor room of the tower, which was very strongly built, had only the one door and very narrow slits of windows set high up in the thick stone walls.
In a safe in that small room were kept the family plate, jewelry, and money; though no very great amount of the last named, as the captain considered it far wiser to deposit it in the nearest bank.
The door of the strong room, as it was called, was of thick oak plank crossed with iron bars, and had a ponderous bolt and stout lock whose key was carried up stairs every night by the captain.
Listening with bated breath, Lulu"s ear presently caught again a faint sound as of a file moving cautiously to and fro on metal.
"Burglars! I do believe it"s burglars trying to steal the money and silver and Mamma Vi"s jewelry that are in the safe," she said to herself with a thrill of mingled fear and excitement.
With that she crept into the tower room, softly opened the register there, and applied her ear to it. The sound of the file seemed a trifle louder and presently she was sure she heard gruff voices, though she could not distinguish the words.
Her first impulse was to hurry to her father and tell him of her discovery; the second thought, "If I do, papa will go down there and maybe they"ll kill him; and that would be a great, great deal worse than if they should carry off everything in the house. I wish I could catch them myself and lock them in there before I wake papa. Why couldn"t I?"
starting to her feet in extreme excitement; "they"re in the strong room, the bolt"s on the library side of the door, and probably they"ve left the key there, too, in the lock. If I"m going to try to do it, the sooner the better. I"ll ask G.o.d to show me how and help me."
She knelt on the carpet for a moment, sending up her pet.i.tion in a few earnest words, then rising, stood for an instant thinking very fast.
She could gain the library by a door opening into a back hall and very near that into the strong room, whose door, if open, would be in a position to conceal her approach from the burglars till she could step behind it; so that her scheme seemed not impracticable.
She hastily put on a dark dressing-gown over her white night dress, and thick felt slippers on her feet.
Her heart beat very fast as the thought occurred to her that there might be an accomplice in the library or hall, or that the door from the one into the other might creak and bring the miscreants rushing out upon her before she could accomplish the task she had set herself.
"Well what if they should, Lulu Raymond?" she asked, shutting her teeth hard together, ""twouldn"t be half so bad as if they should harm your father. You could be very well spared, but he couldn"t; Mamma Vi, Max and Gracie would break their hearts if anything dreadful happened to him, and so would you too; I"ll try, trusting to G.o.d to take care of me."
With swift, noiseless steps she pa.s.sed out of her room, down a back stairway into the hall just spoken of, and gained the library door, finding it, to her great joy, wide enough open for her to slip in without touching it.
She could see nothing there; the room was quite dark; but the sounds she had heard were still going in the strong room, seeming a little louder now. The men must be in there at work on the safe; with the door ajar, for a streak of light at the back between it and the jamb, told her it was not quite shut.
She crept to it and peeping in at that crack, saw a man down on his knees working at the lock of the safe, while another stood close beside him, holding a dark lantern, open, so that the rays of light fell full and strongly upon the lock his confederate was trying to break.
Lulu could not see the face of the latter, his back being toward her, but as the other bent forward for a moment, to watch the progress of the work, the light fell on his face, and she instantly recognized him as the tramp who had seized Fairy"s bridle in the wood.
Trembling like a leaf she put up her hand and cautiously felt for the bolt; holding tight to it and exerting all her strength, she suddenly slammed the door to and shot it into its socket. She heard the villains drop their tools, spring toward and try the door with muttered oaths and curses; but she waited to feel for the key and turn it in the lock; even to pull it out and thrust it into the pocket of her gown, as a swift thought came to her, that there might be an accomplice lurking about who would release them if she left it there.
Then she ran as fast as her feet could carry her, through the library and hall, up the stairs and on through the rooms, never stopping until she stood panting for breath beside her sleeping father.
She could not speak for a moment, but laid her face on the pillow beside his and put her arm round his neck.
The touch roused him and he asked, "Who is it? you, Lulu?"
"Yes, papa," she panted; "I--I"ve locked some burglars into the strong room and--"
"_You? you_ have locked them in there?" he exclaimed in astonishment starting up and drawing her into his arms. "Surely, my child, you have been dreaming."
"No, papa, not a bit; I"ve locked them in there and here"s the key,"
putting it into his hand. "I slammed the door to on them. I shot the bolt too, and I don"t think they can get out. But what will we do? Papa, can you get somebody to help you take them to jail?"
"Yes; I shall telephone at once to the sheriff at Union."
"Who is it? What"s the matter?" asked Violet waking.
"I can not wait at this moment to explain matters my love," the captain said hastily picking up Lulu and putting her in the place in the bed which he had just vacated. "I must act, leaving Lulu to tell you her story."
With the last word he hurried from the room and the next moment they heard the telephone bell.
CHAPTER XV.
"What is it, Lu?" Violet asked in trepidation. "Oh what is the meaning of those sounds coming from below? Are burglars trying to break in?"
"No, Mamma Vi," returned Lulu with a little nervous laugh, "they are trying to break out."
"Break out? what can you mean, child?"
"They are locked into the strong room, Mamma Vi, and papa is calling for help to take them to jail. Hark! don"t you hear him?"
They sat up in the bed, listening intently.
"h.e.l.lo!" the captain called: then in another moment, "Capt. Raymond of Woodburn, wants the sheriff," they heard him say. "Ah are you there Mr.
Wright? Burglars in the house. Burglars here. We have them fast, locked into the room with the safe they were trying to break open. Send a constable and several men to help him, as promptly as you can."
The reply was of course inaudible to the listeners in the bedroom, but the next moment the captain spoke again.
"Yes, I can hold them till you can get here; unless some outside accomplice should come to their aid."
He seemed to listen to a response, then a tinkle of his bell told that the conversation was at an end.
He turned at once to a private telephone connecting the dwelling house with the outside cabins in which his men-servants lodged, and called them to come to his a.s.sistance.
Then back he went to his bedroom to rea.s.sure Violet and send Lulu to Grace, who had waked and was calling in affright to know what was the matter.
"Do not be alarmed, my dear," he said, as he hastily threw on his clothes: "I really think there is no cause for apprehension, but I must hurry down to admit the servants (whether the burglars have left a door open or not, I do not know), see in what condition things are in the lower rooms, and keep guard over my prisoners till the sheriff or constable and his men arrive."
"What can I do?" asked Violet.
"Stay here out of harm"s way, and ready to soothe and quiet the children should they wake in affright," he answered as he again hastened away.
Violet sprang from the bed and went with swift, noiseless steps into the nursery. All was quiet there, children and nurse soundly sleeping. She retraced her steps and went on into Grace"s room, where the two little girls were lying together in the bed, locked in each other"s arms.
Grace trembling with fear, Lulu bravely struggling with her own excitement and trying to calm and soothe her little sister.
"O Mamma Vi, I"m so glad you"ve come!" she exclaimed, as Violet drew near, then seated herself on the side of the bed, and bent down to kiss first the one and then the other, "for Gracie is so frightened."