don’t you Adrian; so go ahead; and here’s hoping you’ll have the best of luck. Yes, I’m coming right away, Curly; just stay where you are a minute and I’ll be with you,” saying which the stockman hurried off, leaving the two boys chuckling to themselves.
“Yes,” said Adrian, softly, “we know all about it, don’t we, Donald?”
[CHAPTER XXVII.—TRAPPED.]
When Adrian started out to carry through the scheme proposed by his chum, he knew what chances he was taking. If those three renegade cow-punchers were hiding in the ranch house they would be in rather a desperate frame of mind, knowing that they were in the bad graces of Mr. Comstock. Hence, they would not be apt to treat the young owner of Bar-S Ranch with any particular degree of tenderness should they chance to lay hands on Adrian.
He had figured the whole thing out, and determined just how he ought to go about entering, and exploring the house. And on the whole he made up his mind that his best chance would be to crawl through the very window which had figured so
largely in Broncho Billie’s adventure, at the time he had such a narrow escape.
Once through this, and Adrian found himself in the office which Uncle Fred had used as his den. Beyond was the apartment which Mrs. Comstock called her own private property, a sort of sitting-room, through which the man of the house was compelled to pass every time he came and went; and in this way his spouse could keep “tabs” on his movements, which was doubtless her motive in making these arrangements.
All was as dark as midnight in there, though he could see a faint shaft of light under the connecting door, and knew from this that there must be a candle in the adjoining room, or else a lamp that was turned low.
He listened as well as he could, expecting that he might catch even a whisper, if the other apartment happened to be occupied. But not the faintest sound reached his eager sense of hearing.
Judging from this that there could be no one there, Adrian commenced to open the connecting door. He used the utmost care in doing this, and pushed it back an inch at a time, holding his breath with anxiety while the process was going on.