CHAPTER VII
A TOUCH OF EXCITEMENT
One morning in the second week of school, Bucephalus, the coachman, assistant cook, head waiter, butler and general factotum of the Hilltop institution, quite astonished the boys by a bit of news he brought and gave them a touch of excitement they had never expected.
Bucephalus waited on the table at breakfast and then went to the station at the foot of the hill and brought back the mail, delivering it some little time before the morning session began.
This morning when the boys came to get their letters the general factotum said excitedly:
“I done pring de letters, what dey was of dem dis mo’nin’ but ef dey was any come las’ night yo’ won’ get ’em ’cause de post-office was buglariously entahed some time in de night an’ letters an’ stamps an’ money done took o’t.”
“The post-office robbed?” cried the boys as Bucephalus began distributing the letters he had in his pouch.
“Yas’r an’ de station an’ de spress office an’ mo’ dan dat de post-office on de river was visited, too, in de same buglarious fashion an’ a big lot o’ pussonal property misappropriated by de nocturnal malefactors. Dey done said dat dey was abo’t to call on de bank but got skeered off.”
“So, they robbed the Riverton station and post-office as well, did they?” asked Harry. “Have they any notion as to who did it?”
“Wall, Ah reckon ef dey did dey would have apprehended dem by dis, Master Harry. All dey know is dat de malcomfactors done come in a auto an’ went away in a hurry.”