The Stories of the Three Burglars | Page 7

his head and looked first at one of his companions and then at the other,
gazed for an instant at me and David, tried to move his feet, gave a pull
at one arm and then at the other, and when he found he was bound hard
and fast, his face turned as red as fire and he opened his mouth,
whether to swear or yell I know not. I had already closed the door, and
before the man had uttered more than a premonitory sound, David had
clapped the end of his bludgeon against his mouth.
"Taste that," he said, "and you know what you will get if you disturb
this family with any of your vile cursin' and swearin'."
"Look here," said the tall man, suddenly turning to the other with an air
of authority, "keep your mouth shut and don't speak till you're spoken
to. Mind that, now, or these gentlemen will make it the worse for you."

David grinned as he took away his club.
"I'd gentlemen you," he said, "if I could get half a chance to do it."
The face of the heavy burglar maintained its redness, but he kept his
mouth shut.
When the younger man was restored to his senses, his full
consciousness and power of perception seemed to come to him in an
instant. His eyes flashed from right to left, he turned deadly white, and
then merely moving his arms and legs enough to make himself aware
that he was bound, he sat perfectly still and said not a word.
I now felt that I must go and acquaint my wife with what had happened,
or otherwise she would be coming downstairs to see what was keeping
me so long. David declared that he was perfectly able to keep guard
over them, and I ran upstairs. David afterward told me that as soon as I
left the room the tall burglar endeavoured to bribe him to cut their
ropes, and told him if he was afraid to stay behind after doing this he
would get him a much better situation than this could possibly be. But
as David threatened personal injury to the speaker if he uttered another
word of the kind, the tall man said no more; but the stout man became
very violent and angry, threatening all sorts of vengeance on my
unfortunate man. David said he was beginning to get angry, when the
tall man, who seemed to have much influence over the other fellow,
ordered him to keep quiet, as the gentleman with the iron club no doubt
thought he was doing right. The young fellow never said a word.
When I told my wife that I had caught three burglars, and they were
fast bound in the library, she nearly fainted; and when I had revived her
she begged me to promise that I would not go downstairs again until
the police had carried away the horrible wretches. But I assured her that
it was absolutely necessary for me to return to the library. She then
declared that she would go with me, and if anything happened she
would share my fate. "Besides," she said, "if they are tied fast so they
can't move, I should like to see what they look like. I never saw a
burglar."
I did not wish my wife to go downstairs, but as I knew there would be
no use in objecting, I consented. She hastily dressed herself, making me
wait for her; and when she left the room she locked the door on the
sleeping George William, in order that no one should get at him during
her absence. As we passed the head of the stairs, the door of my Aunt

Martha's room opened, and there she stood, completely dressed, with
her bonnet on, and a little leather bag in her hand.
"I heard so much talking and so much going up and down stairs that I
thought I had better be ready to do whatever had to be done. Is it fire?"
"No," said my wife; "it's three burglars tied in a bunch in the library. I
am going down to see them."
My Aunt Martha gasped, and looked as if she were going to sit down
on the floor.
"Goodness gracious!" she said, "if you're going I'll go too. I can't let
you go alone, and I never did see a burglar."
I hurried down and left the two ladies on the stairs until I was sure
everything was still safe; and when I saw that there had been no change
in the state of affairs, I told them to come down.
When my wife and Aunt Martha timidly looked in at the library door,
the effect upon them and the burglars was equally interesting. The
ladies