Leslie sprang out, and dashed into her arms.
“O Cloudy! You waited up, didn’t you? We thought you must be asleep and didn’t hear the telephone. We tried to call you up and explain. You see, Jane was there alone, and of course she didn’t much enjoy staying after what had happened; so we waited till the Johnsons got back from the city. They had been to the theatre, and they just came on that midnight train. If I lived in a lonely place like that, I wouldn’t leave three babies with a young girl all alone in the house. It seems the servants were all away, or left, or something. I guess they were pretty scared when they got back. I wanted to bring the children up here to stay all night with us, and let them be scared when they got home; but she wouldn’t, of course; so we stayed with her.”
Leslie tossed aside her velvet cloak as she talked.
“It was awfully exciting, Cloudy. I’m glad I went. There’s no telling what might have happened to Allison if somebody hadn’t been there. You see he shut down the motor as we came up to the house. We’d been going like a streak of lightning all the way, 224 and we tried to sneak up so they wouldn’t hear us and get away; but there was one man outside on the watch, and he gave the word; and just as Allison got out of the car he disappeared into the shadows. The other one came piling out of a window, and streaked it across the porch and down the lawn. Allison made for him; but he changed his course, and came straight toward the car. I guess they thought it was empty. And then the other one came flying out from behind the bushes, and made for Allison; so I just leaned out of the car and shot. I don’t know how I ever had the nerve, for I was terribly frightened; but he would have got Allison in another minute, and Allison didn’t see him coming. He had a big club in his hand. I saw it as he went across in front of the window, and I knew I must do something; so I aimed right in front of him, and I saw him go down on his knees and throw up his hands; and then I felt sick, and began to think what if I had killed him. I didn’t, Cloudy; they say I only hit his knee; but wouldn’t it have been awful all my life to have to think I had killed a man? I couldn’t have stood it, Cloudy!” and with sudden breaking of the tension the high-strung child flung herself down in a little, brilliant heap at Julia Cloud’s knees, buried her bright face in her aunt’s lap, and burst into tears.
“You brave little darling!” Julia Cloud caressed her, and folded her arms about her.
“She’s all of that, Cloudy! She saved my life!” It was Allison who spoke, standing tall and proud above his sister and looking down at her tenderly. “Come now, kiddie, don’t give way when you’ve been such a trump. I knew you could shoot, but I didn’t think 225 you could keep your head like that. Cloudy, she was a little winner, the cool way she aimed at that man with the other one coming right toward her and meaning plainly to get in the car and run away in it. He’d have taken her, too, of course, and stopped at nothing to get away. But, when he saw the good shot she was, and heard his pal groaning, he threw up his hands, and turned sharp about for me. He knew it was his only chance, and that whoever was shooting wouldn’t shoot at him while he was all tangled up with me; so he made a spring at me before I knew what he was doing, and threw me off my feet, and got a half Nelson on me, you know–––”
“Yes, Cloudy, he was fiendish, and I couldn’t do a thing, for fear of hitting Allison; and just then I heard a motor-cycle chugging by the car. I hadn’t heard it before, there was so much going on; and a big, strong fellow with his hair all standing up in the wind jumped off, and ran toward them where they were rolling on the ground. Then I thought of the flash-light, and turned it on them; and that motor-cycle man saw just how things were, and he jumped in, and grabbed the burglar; and then all of a sudden the yard was full of men and boys and a terrible noise and clanging, and the fire-engine and hook and ladder came rushing up, Cloudy! You didn’t tell them there was a fire, did you? I didn’t. I told that telephone girl there was a burglar and to send a policeman. But somehow she got it that the house was on fire. And Jane Bristol was in the house, with the baby in her arms and the other little children asleep in their cribs; and she didn’t know what was happening because she didn’t dare to open the window.”
Into the midst of the excitement and explanations there came a loud knock on the door, and Allison sprang up, and went to see who was there. A young man with dishevelled garments, hair standing on end, and face much streaked with mud and dust stood there. A motor-cycle leaned against the end of the porch.
“Pardon me,” he said half shyly. “I saw the light, and thought some one was up yet. Did the lady drop this? I found it in the grass when I went back to hunt for my key-ring. It was right where she stood.”