Left to himself once more, Larry walked over to the window and examined it. As the man had said there were several wires near the casement, and they seemed to run into the next room.
“I don’t believe it is an electric alarm at all,” thought the boy. “What would they want of a burglar alarm on a window so far from the ground? I’m going to try and see, anyhow.”
At first he thought he would raise the window and see if the men rushed in.
“No, I have a better plan,” said Larry after a moment’s thought.
He took from his pocket a bunch of string. He had not yet gotten over that habit he formed while in the country, for a boy there doesn’t have as many chances to get cord as does a city chap, so they generally carry some with them.
Larry fastened one end of the cord to the lowest wire. Then, unwinding the string, Larry went to the farthest side of the room, pulling the twine taut after him.
“We’ll see if the alarm goes off when I break the wire,” he said. He knew burglar alarms were constructed on the principle that if one wire in the circuit was broken by the opening of a door or window, it would cause a bell to ring. He was now going to break the wire and see what happened. He thought that by doing it at long distance, by means of the string, he could fool the men. If the bell did ring, and they rushed into the room he would be far away from the window, and they would wonder who had severed the copper conductor of electricity.
Larry was a little nervous over the outcome of the experiment. He did not just know what would happen, and he was somewhat afraid of what the men might do.
“Well, here goes,” he said in a whisper.
He gave the cord a sudden jerk, his heart beating so fast and hard that he could almost hear it. He strained on the cord. It began to stretch and then, with a suddenness that startled him, it broke in the middle.