"You go, mother, will you? My hands are all suds."
Mrs. Larrabee hobbled slowly to the hall door, but came back with a burst of unsuspected speed. She was pale with fright.
"It's a man!" she whispered.
"A man! Who could it be?" Debby gasped.
"One of those daylight burglars, prob'ly. What 'll we do?"
"We could run out the back door while he's at the front."
"He might have a confederut waiting to grab us there."
"That's so!"
What possible motive a burglar could have for grabbing these two women, what possible value they would have for him, they did not inquire. But Debby, in the new executive habit of her mind, grew bold enough to take at least a peek at the stranger.
The bell continued to ring while she tiptoed into the parlor and lifted the shade slightly aside. She speedily recognized a familiar suit.