The Golden Boys and Their New Electric Cell

by L. P. Wyman

"Oh, by the way, where did you put them?" asked Fred a moment later to Bob's delight.

"I've got 'em safe," was the reply, "in my coat pocket, in the closet in our room."

"All right, you lock up and I'll go down to the spring and get a pail of water."

Bob heard them go into the house and in a moment one came out and started for the spring, a little to one side of the house, while he could hear the other going about locking the windows. Soon the one with the water returned and in a short time all was quiet. Bob waited a little longer and then carefully crept out and sat down behind some bushes a few feet away.

"I'll wait an hour," he thought as he looked at his watch and saw that it was a few minutes past 10 o'clock.

It was hard work to keep awake and the time passed very slowly, but at last the watch told him that the hour was up. Going to the back of the house, he carefully examined the windows and finally found one that he thought he could unlock.

"Well," he thought, "I never supposed that I would turn burglar, but I'm going to have one big try for those caps, so here goes."

With a strong knife blade he managed to push back the catch, and quietly raised the window. Slowly and noiselessly he crept through and flashing his electric torch about, advanced to the front of the house. Although he had been there several times before, he had never been upstairs and did not know in what room the boys slept. His heart was beating so that he was almost afraid that some one would hear it, as he was beginning to realize that he was engaged in a very serious and dangerous undertaking. He did not know for sure whether or not the two boys were alone in the house, but as he had heard no one else on the porch he thought it probable that the rest of the family was at their home in Skowhegan.

Very carefully he crept up the stairs and a flash of the torch showed him that four rooms opened from the hall. He stood still a moment and listened. The sound of deep breathing in one of the front rooms soon told him which was occupied and stepping to the door a flash showed him two forms in the bed.

"This is the room," he thought, "and that must be the closet, by the head of the bed. It sure couldn't be in a worse place. Wonder if I can get the door open without waking them?"