University of Virginia Library

11. CHAPTER XI.
The Housebreaker.

IT WAS towards noon of the day succeeding
the night on which the incidents
we have related took place, that Light Joe
boldly made his appearance at Acton Hall,
and inquired for Kate. The girl came forward
on hearing his voice, and conducted
him into the kitchen, where they were
alone.

The young burglar gave her a full account
of the incidents of the preceding night,
and dwelt at length on his interview with
Marvin. He had seen Gordon who had related
to him all his troubles, and consulted
about making an immediate attack upon the
hidden treasures at Acton Hall. It was on
this important business, chiefly, that Joe had
come to visit Kate, that final arrangements
might be made for the robbery; and it was
also to bring the girl the glad intelligence
that Marvin had given her two hundred dollars,
which he, Joe, had put in the bank in
her name.

Kate was in good spirits, and the presence
of the reckless youth she loved inspired
her to be as reckless as himself. Her
better feelings were smothered in her heart
as she coolly plotted with the young burglar
for the robbery of her master.

She put into his hands the keys she had
found to fit certain locks, and giving him
concise directions where to find money,
plate and other valuables, let him fully into
the plan of the house.

`Recollect, Kate,' said Joe, `that you
must know nothing about the affair. You
will, of course, be asleep while we break into
the house without any of your assistance.
Lock and bar the doors carefully before going
to bed, so that none can suspect that you
have anything to do with the robbery. We
must enter the kitchen first, for that window
will be easily raised, there being only a

spring and a button to fasten it. But the
dog?'

`I was just going to speak to you about
Pluto,' said Kate, `and ask if you could
send me some sure poison this afternoon.'

`I always come prepared for such emergencies,'
replied Light Joe, producing a
small package from his vest pocket. `One
quarter of this is sure—if Pluto takes it, he
will go to the shades of his namesake instanter.'

`I feed him,' said Kate, `and I will see
that he takes the dose. But won't I be suspected?'

`By no means. He'll die suddenly, and
nobody will mistrust that he was poisoned
till after the robbery takes place; then it
will be said that the burglars managed to
dose the dog and get rid of him before-hand.'

`Very well,' said Kate; `the dog shan't
trouble you. What time have you set for
the work?'

`We shall probably be here at one or
two o'clock to-night. I hope the family
will enjoy a good night's rest!'

Soon after Light Joe took his leave, having
every thing prepared for the burglary.

Kate did not allow her conscience to
trouble her for her black-hearted treachery,
but stifling it when it would have chidden,
determined boldly to carry out the work she
had commenced.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Mr.
Acton's coachman came to the house in great
haste, informing the family that Pluto was
acting strangely, appearing to be in great
pain. Mr. Acton went to the kennel with
the man, and found the dog just in the agonies
of death.

Ten minutes after, Edith, Irving and Mrs.
Acton went out to look at the faithful animal,
that had just breathed his last. Kate
and Mrs. Barnes also stole into the yard to
get a glance at him.

`What can have been the matter with
him?' Kate heard Edith ask of Mr. Acton.

`He has been poisoned!' replied his master.

`Who could do such a deed?' exclaimed
Mr. Acton with a shudder.

Kate became pale as death, and would
have fled, but Mrs. Barnes drew her along
towards the dead animal, and she dared not
resist.

`It is impossible to say,' replied Mr. Acton;
`some secret enemy perhaps—or rather,'
he added quickly, `villains who mediate
a robbery, and would have the dog out of
their way.'

Kate trembled violently.

`What is the matter, Catherine?' asked
Mrs. Acton, glancing at her as she came
up.

`Poor Pluto!' she murmured.

`Ah! you are a kind-hearted girl,' said
Edith, `and I knew you loved the dog. But
you are pale.'

`Mr. Acton spoke about robbers,' put in
Mrs. Barnes, coming to the girl's relief. `It
makes me shudder to think of them, myself.'

`I shall be prepared for them to-night, and
for several nights to come,' said Mr. Acton,
turning away. `You will look well to the
doors and windows, Mrs. Barnes.'

Kate was agitated, fearing no longer her
own detection, but the failure of the enterprise
of her accomplices, and their arrest.
There was no way to send them word to
warn them of their danger, and no way she
could devise to throw Mr. Acton off his
guard.

Towards night she saw Mr. Acton give a
pair of pistols to Stevens, the coachman, telling
him to scour them and make them ready
for use. She began to fear not only the
arrest of her friends, but she trembled to
think Joe might lose his life. And still she
could think of no way to warn him of the
danger!

At a late hour the anxious girl retired—
not to sleep, but to pass a night, of terror

and suspense, expecting, as she did, to bear
at every moment the report of pistols, and
the noise of bloody combat.

The family had all retired save Mr. Acton,
who now went about the house, carefully
examining all the locks and bolts, and
window springs, to see that all was fast.—
Having done this, and satisfied himself that
it would be no easy task for robbers to enter
the house, he placed his pistols on a stand
within his reach, and threw himself in an
easy chair by his wife's bedside.

Meanwhile, true to their purpose, Gordon
and Joe Jenks were pushing forward to perpetrate
the contemplated robbery.

It was a night well suited to their purpose
—dark, cold and windy. Although they
imagined that the roughness of the night
would drown in its continual clamor all lesser
sounds occasioned by their work, they
were not the less cautious or silent on that
account.

It was past two when they arrived at Mr.
Acton's house, and Joe conducted his companion
at once to the kitchen window in
the rear, upon which they intended to make
the first attack.

`Be devilish sly,' whispered Joe, as he
turned to his accomplice, after pointing out
the window in question; `and be ready with
your knife—for if the dog should'nt be
dead—'

`I'll manage him,' muttered Gordon.

The window was very low, and the burglars
had an excellent opportunity of effecting
an entrance in that quarter.

Gordon took from a bag he carried with
him several instruments, and handed them
to Light Joe, who being the more skillful of
the two, naturally took the lead.

In a hasty, yet in the most delicate and
noiseless manner, Joe removed a pane of
glass, and gave it to Gordon to dispose of.
The moment after the young burglar inserted
his hand terough the vacant square, and
with the same despatch and stealth, took
away the fastenings and raised the window.

`Wait for me here,' he whispered to Gordon,
`until I can explore the premises.—
This would be a tight place to leap through
in a hurry, and we must have a front door
open, in readiness, in case of alarm.'

So saying, the young burglar crept cautiously
through the window, and placed his
feet upon the floor. He wore India-rubbers,
and his step was as noiseless as that of a
cat, as in the midst of the impenetrable
darkness, he groped his way to the interior
of the house.

He was soon in the hall; no longer erect,
but creeping like a serpent along the floor;
and then his hand was upon the door.—
With the utmost caution he withdrew the
bolts, turned the key which had been left in
the lock, and noiselessly essayed to ascertain
if the door would open.

The next moment the cold night air breathed
through the narrow crevice into the
Hall. Leaving the door so that it could be
easily opened, Joe crept back to the kitchen
to inform Gordon of his success.

`Come on now with the bag,' he whispered.
`Softly! or our plans are knocked in
the head at once! Follow me!'

`Joe!' whispered Gordon, pulling him by
the sleeve.

`What?'

`Remember what I told you about your
pocket light. Don't spring it if you can get
along without. Now go on.'

A minute after both burglars were in the
hall. It was pitchy dark, and Gordon felt
as much lost as if he had been in the catacombs
of Egypt. Joe having led him to
hall door, however, and back again to the
door which opened into the rooms it was
his intention to visit, he began to feel quite
at home, and anxious to go about his work.
He now knew about as much of the house
as his young companion, Joe's knowledge of
the apartments having been obtained entirely
from the explanations of Kate; yet the
most delicate part of the work was left to
the young burglar.

Leaving Gordon near the hall door, Joe
once more set out to explore the ground of
his proposed operations.

Gordon knew that Joe entered another
room, and that the door through which he
passed was open. Yet so silent was every
thing throughout the house that he doubted
whether his companion had stirred half a
dozen feet from the door. He waited for
him full ten minutes, hearing no sound save
that of the hoarse winds without, and the
monotonous tickings of a clock in one of
the inner apartments. Once he heard, or
fancied he heard, the grating of a lock, but
it might have been anything else but that—
the cocking of a pistol he thought.

At last, when Gordon was little thinking
his companion was moving near him, there
was a light touch upon his knee, and he
heard a suppressed whisper.

`Here is a bag of gold—it must be gold
—I found in the chest Kate spoke of. I
could find no money in the drawers. Put
this lump in your bag, and I'll search for
the plate. Then if we're prospered, I'll venture
into Acton's bed-room, and rifle his
pockets.'

`Go on,' said Gordon, `I leave it all to
you.'

Once more Joe crept along the carpeted
floor, noiselessly and slow, and Gordon was
left alone in the hall.

Five minutes more passed, and he returned
with his hands full of silver-ware—salvers,
vases, plates and spoons.

`This is not all,' he whispered, as Gordon
slipped it into his bag. `Kate said it was a
good haul, and she was right.'

And he returned again to his work.

Acton! watchful man! art thou sleeping
now, whilst the villains thou didst prepare
thyself to meet are robbing thee of thy riches?

Joe's last expedition was as successful as
the other, and he had the pleasure of putting
into the hands of Gordon a load of silver
no less valuable than the first.

`This is the last,' said Joe. `Now we
must venture on more dangerous ground—
Acton's private apartments. Leave your
bag at the door, Gordon, when you can catch
it up as you pass out—for I charge you with
that—and follow me. If Acton should
awake, both of us could master him in an
instant, and dash out of the house with our
booty; while one alone would stand a fair
chance of meeting with unpleasant opposition.

Gordon obeyed, and was soon groping his
way behind Joe, towards the sleeping chamber
of Mr. Acton. Arrived at the door, Joe
arose slowly to his feet, and cautiously tried
the latch. The door was not locked, and
Joe pushed it slowly open. In an instant he
started back in surprise on seeing a light
burning in the room. It gleamed through
the doorway upon him, and by its dim rays
the burglars looked at each other, but too
bold to retreat, they resolved to see what
dangers lay in their way.

Joe pushed the door open still farther,
and gazed within. Thore sat Mr. Acton in
his arm-chair, sleeping, and upon the table
by his side lay his pistols, ready for use.—
Upon the bed lay a beautiful woman, at
sight of whom Gordon's features lit up with
a diabolical smile.

He had seen that fair countenance before,
and strange associations were called up by
the view. She was sleeping, like her husband.
Gordon glanced at her for a moment,
then turned to Light Joe, beckoning him to
go on.

Creeping close to the carpet once more,
the young burglar entered the bed chamber,
and approached the table. The lamp burned
dimply, and with a wave of his hand he
made the flickering flame leap up, and fall,
and quiver, as if it scarce could cling to its
parent wick. He touched it, and the room
was in total darkness.

It was Joe's intention to break open a
strong chest in the room, before doing which
he thought it best to remove the pistols from

Acton's reach. He touched one—he laid it
carefully on the floor under Acton's chair—
he felt for the other to put it in his own
pocket, when, with a sudden spring, Acton
bounded to his feet.

Joe darted towards the door, and Acton,
firing at random in that direction, made the
whole house ring with the sharp report, and
saw by the pistol's flash the retreating forms
of the two burglars.

He rushed upon them. With the lightness
of a cat Joe darted through a side
door; then, in order to divert the pursuit
towards himself and enable Gordon to escape
with the booty, he stumbled along towards
the kitchen, where all was dark and
silent. He heard no sound in all the house,
for the flying footsteps of Gordon and their
pursuer had suddenly ceased.

The young burglar leaped through the
window and escaped alone.