A COLD RECEPTION
Then the boys in hiding saw a strange glow around them. Undoubtedly
Leon was making use of his electric hand-torch, and both of the
intended raiders must be pressing their noses against the glass of the
small window, trying to form some sort of idea as to what awaited them.
Neither Hugh nor Thad more than breathed. The latter clutched the
stout cord in a firm hand, ready to give the quick jerk when he
believed the proper moment had arrived.
Apparently, the fellows outside must have concluded that everything was
just lovely, for they could now be heard softly opening the window, and
pushing the sash carefully back out of the way. While climbing in
through the opening thus made, they did not wish to thrust a foot
against the glass, and cause a smash that might be their undoing; oh!
trust that shrewd general, Nick Lang, for looking out against any such
accidents; he had been in this business a long time now, and understood
all the ins and outs of it.
More low whispering followed. Evidently, Nick was trying to coax Leon
to climb in first, so that he could light the way with his torch; but
that sly fox held back. It was Nick's special game, and consequently
he should be the one to do the honors of the occasion.
After a little grumbling beyond the open window, Thad and Hugh heard
the soft pad of shoes scraping against the boards. Nick had started to
enter. The yawning aperture, and the apparent lack of any signs of
danger lured him on. Ah! if he had only dimly suspected what a
wonderful reception awaited him in that same rabbit hutch, undoubtedly
Nick could not have been tempted to take that important step; indeed,
he would have turned and run for it with all speed.
But "when ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise," the old saying
runs; and Nick was happy in not having a glimmer of the truth.
He should not be long in making his entrance. The window was only five
feet from the ground, and within easy reach. Besides, Nick was an
unusually strong boy, which fact in itself had been one reason for his
having been able to play the part of town bully as long as he did.
The sounds changed their nature. Evidently, Nick had managed to pull
himself over the window-sill. He was now inside the hutch, perhaps
kneeling on the floor, and directly under the tilted tub that stood on
the shelf above!
Hugh gripped his cord still more firmly. It was almost time for
something to happen. Perhaps before another minute had passed the
avalanche would descend, and give two startled fellows the surprise of
their lives.
Now Nick was lending his companion a helping hand. It may not have
been through generosity that Nick acted thus; perhaps he dimly
suspected that the cowardly Leon might wish to draw back, and allow him
to carry out the nefarious business alone and unaided; and Nick was
bent on making his crony share in the act, so that he could not turn on
him and betray him in the future.
Yes, Leon was coming along. He made more noise than the other, for
Nick could be heard growling, and telling him to be careful if he
didn't want to fetch the owner of the rabbit hutch down on them with
blood in his eye, and perhaps a stout baseball bat for a weapon.
Thad softly chuckled on hearing this. No doubt, in his mind he was
saying that something in the way of a reception far less warm was
hovering over the heads of the two "innocents abroad." That made Thad
think of Mark Twain, and he wondered whether the illustrious Tom Sawyer
and his chum, Huckleberry Finn, had ever arranged a more fetching
reception committee than this one of Hugh's.
Leon seemed quite clumsy about climbing up; the fact of the matter was,
he came rather unwillingly, and might have held back only that the
determined Nick had taken a firm grip on his coat collar, and held on
tenaciously, bent on making sure of having company in his dark deed of
slaughter, or robbery, whichever he had in mind.
Thad would have given almost anything for the privilege of taking a sly
peep; but he had been sternly enjoined against doing this same thing by
Hugh. The other, however, found it necessary to put his head beyond
the corner of the upright boards, so as to make sure that both boys
were there, and ready for their bath.
One brief look was enough for Hugh. Leon had depressed his hand-torch
so that its glow only fell on the floor; but enough light was diffused
throughout the place to disclose two kneeling figures directly under
the tub.
Hugh waited no longer, but gave the cord a strong pull.
There was a sudden surge, and down came a terrific Niagara of icy water
that completely deluged Nick and Leon. They let out involuntary yells
that were of a piercing intensity. Nor was this all, for Hugh must
have given the cord an extra hard pull, or else the fastenings of the
tub had not proved stanch enough; for down it came with an infernal
jangling that must have completed the fright of the precious pair of
intruders.
Indeed, it even gave Thad a start, with all that racket, and the cries
of the terrified boys adding to the volume of sound.
"Now give us some light, Thad!" called Hugh, wishing to glimpse the
drenched culprits before they could scramble through the opening again,
and make their escape.
Thad was so excited he could hardly remember what he had done with his
new electric hand-torch. So he ran his fingers around on the floor,
feeling here and there in eagerness, all the while strange sounds
coming to their ears from the other end of the rabbit hutch.
Then he managed by accident, or great good luck, to touch what he was
searching for, and instantly Thad flooded the place with its
illumination, after which both of them stepped forward.
They were just in time to glimpse a pair of legs vanishing through the
opening. Then came a heavy crash accompanied by dismal groans, after
which they heard the sounds of footsteps as the two boys scurried
around the building, wishing to keep from being seen. When Hugh and
Thad looked out of the window there was no one in sight.
They turned and stared at each other. Then Thad doubled up like a
closed hinge, and shook with boisterous laughter.
"Oh! what a circus that was, Hugh!" he cried. "Why, I don't know what
I'd have given just for a chance to watch those two chaps swimming
around. And, say, that big tub falling must have nearly scared Leon to
death. I wonder now, did it happen to hit either of them when it came
tumbling down after emptying out all the iced water? Oh! I'll laugh
myself nearly sick every time I think of this dandy trap of yours."
Of course, the interior of the Belgian hares' quarters was a sight to
behold, after all that downpour; but anticipating this, the careful
Hugh had placed his pets where they could not be injured by the flood.
"See here what they left behind them," remarked Hugh, picking up what
turned out to be a stout gunny-sack. "Well, I'm glad to find this,
because it seems to prove that they meant to steal my hares, and not
kill them."
"Just about as bad in the long run!" declared Thad, scornfully. "Like
as not that Nick would have thrown them into the river, with a stone
tied to the bag, in order to hide all traces. Then, no matter how much
you might suspect them, you couldn't prove a thing. But Hugh, they
made a terrible slip if they figured on that, because, see here what
I've found."
He held something up.
"Leon's hand-torch, for a certainty!" exclaimed Hugh. "In his sudden
fright he lost it, and was in too great a hurry to think of trying to
find his property again."
"You've got him where you want him, all right, Hugh," snapped Thad,
suddenly. "All you have to do is to leave this here and fetch Chief
Wambold around to notice that it lies in your rabbit hutch. Then Leon
will have to explain how he came to leave it here."
"Oh! I sort of feel that those fellows have been punished enough as it
is," the other went on to say, slowly.
"You're too easy on the skunks, Hugh, take my word for it," said Thad,
with a trace of disappointment in his voice. "A fellow like Nick Lang
never can appreciate such a thing as leniency. You've got to give him
what he believes in, and that's brute force. Well, then, if you won't
have Leon arrested, at least you can keep this hand-torch as a trophy
of the momentous occasion. It'll serve to remind you of this pleasant
night's entertainment. While not so fine a torch as mine, still it
seems to be O. K. You'll do that, I hope, Hugh?"
But the other shook his head.
"I don't want the thing, Thad, I assure you I don't," he said. "I'll
send it to Leon with a little satirical note, telling him that while I
thank him very much for leaving me his torch, I have always made it a
rule not to accept presents from those who were not my intimate
friends; and that, therefore, I'm returning it with the hope that in
the future he may put it to better use than in the past."
Thad laughed.
"Oh! well, you must have your way, Hugh, I reckon; and really, that
will set the pair guessing. They'll understand we're on to their
identity, and of course will be more or less anxious to know just what
you mean to do about it."
"One thing I'm sure of," added Hugh, "which is, that Nick Lang can
never be made to change his habits by harsh measures. Some of these
fine days I may find a chance to do him a great favor; and by heaping
coals of fire on his head, force him to see a light."
Thad heard his chum say this with more or less astonishment.
Apparently, while he had the utmost faith in Hugh's ability to do most
things, at the same time he considered that this would be in the form
of a miracle. He smiled, and again shook his head in the negative.
"Well, you don't believe they'll come again tonight at any rate, do
you, Hugh?" he asked, as they prepared to leave the rabbit hutch.
"Not one chance in ten," the other told him. "I mean to fix this
window so it can't be easily opened. Besides, my window is on this
side of the house, and I've got a cord arranged whereby a weight will
fall on the floor of my room if anybody tried to get in here, after
I've fixed the little jigger. I own a shotgun, you know, Thad, and can
fire up in the air out of my window if there's any alarm. Tomorrow
I'll put heavy wire netting over the window, that will insure the
safety of my pet Belgian hares, and my homing pigeons. Now let's be
heading toward the house, and going to bed; for you promised to sleep
with me, you know."