The Voyage of the Hoppergrass

wn and squinted in at the window,

ye comin' out

f us," said Mr. Daddles, "yo

Daddles. He was a fat man, with ears that stuck out the way an eleph

"there's no one left in there but the poli

" queried t

bout?" asked the ma

g their eight hours in the library," Mr. Daddles re

, Eb," said another ma

"this is all a mistak

hou

about his Uncle Alfred Peabody's house. It's a fust-rate story,-only Uncle

the wrong house, Sam," s

wn in his excitement. He was the only one of them who was not holding one of us. He had short, paint-brush whiskers

of yerself," said he, "

me?" asked

duck trousers, "I've heard how you perfessional crooks git boys to climb up on water spouts

good, but it will save you people from making yourselves ridiculous. It's all true, -what I told you. I thoug

look like," said a ma

hatever you look like, you'll look different tomorrer mornin'. I don't cal'

We weren't he

about bustin' into the Elli

about tha

rse

h-hooks in it, and lead sinker which they found, and argued whether this was plunder from the house or not. Then they started to search the rest of us, and we all had to empty our pockets. Not until they came to the pou

the Gauger, "yer want to

and Eb promptly dropped the cake, and grabbed the policeman by

e policeman planted his feet firmly, and, as he weighed about thre

yin' to do?" he asked i

sistin' a officer! Here, Justin

Eb stooped down again, and he and the policeman looked in each other's f

u a of

!" said the furious policeman, stand

tcher do

sent here to look after this house-orde

the Gauger, nodding his head toward Eb, "an

stle. At last the other policeman came, looking about h

ce, and they both stepped out on the veranda. The first thing that the sleepy policeman started to do was to cuff al

tin' these young fellers put where they belong for tonig

away the day before, and as there had been two burglaries in Bailey's Harbor, or its vicinity, he did not like to leave his place unprotected. Eb and Gregory the Gauger wished to ent

hat the uniforms and brass buttons of the policemen rather frightened him. The only sign of his high station was a badge, pinned to his suspenders. The two po

apture had spread and there must have been twenty or thirty men and boys waiting for us

stly," Mr. Daddles remarked, "but

oung feller," said one of the men,

tting about from one to the other of us, "an' whatever may be said

more indignant because t

with two other men leading Mr. Daddles, then Jimmy and Ed Mason, each securely held, while I was at the end of the procession, gripped by the arm and

From being a dark and deserted place it was now rather lively. Ther

ory's hut. The people in the tent had turned out now,-they were three young men, who seemed to have been camping ther

ion, and ordered one of his assistants

he shouted, "he's d

r by the arm, and told him that he must come along. The banjo-player seemed to be perfectly dumb-founded; his friends gathered round, argued, threat

new building half way up the hill. Into thi

e constable, "keep 'em all out

hat office he held, but he was clearly the most important man of the lot,-except Eb. The constable leaned his pitchfork against the wall, light

d he, picki

rren Sprague,"

upat

u would call

hat yer was distu

toot," put in Gr

se!" said th

ere was so much noise in the street that it woke us all up. I couldn't sleep,-none of us

ller, it won't do yer

going to

the law to play on a moosical

me executed for it? Because if you are, I hope tha

young feller. I mig

ermand," put

your head!" sa

ed again to

lockup, an' consider the case tomorrer mornin'. Take him below, Justi

" he asked t

him in n

together they started down stairs. They passed in front of us to reach the

alive, remember me to

sed away, thin

the Court!"

ble was no

for banjo-playing-"

d at the stake," sug

y it didn't seem possible that he would believe that we had broken into the house by mistake. Also, I was so tired that I was ready to drop. We had been up since four o'cl

able, "we'll make sho

ith the banjo-player. Burglary was a smaller offence

of Edward Mason, Jam

rds added t

snapped to

rd Hen

Mason, "I thought yo

t?" put in Gregory t

ia

and we'll prove it to you in the morning. I know, or used to know, a number of people here. I know Mr. Littlefield, my uncle's neighbor, but if he's gone away, th

e? S'pose there

you might as well do it. We're all tired out, and we've got to sleep somewhere. I warn you that you're making a mi

y come in a boa

e of the boat?" a

opperg

t's-that

perg

eard of no

dles wa

the boa

now,-she s

stable

ay it over me, with any such

irs, and the constable ordered him an

number fou

our an' f

orridor, with three cells on each side. At the end a kerosen

l voice, "how long did

ue. His banjo stood against the wall ju

're awaiting our trial in t

r crime, anyw

s head at the m

y mad. An' he's got a bad temper when he gets riled, I tell yo

the road- opened the last cell on the right and told Ed Mason and me to go in. Mr. Daddles and Jimmy were put in a c

d the banjo-player, "just l

Justin's jaw dropped, and h

would skin me alive-an' you too-if yo

break, out there. Just let me have it in here, -that's a good fellow. I can let the

t it?" ask

onest, I

then. Mind what

nd passed in the banjo. After locking the door with great care, and repl

ar has run you in for?" This f

ime with which

omething better in the way of burglars. I hope you won't be o

t offence," sa

"but I didn't like to say so,-for fear of hurting you

een here lo

in that black sloop,-perhaps you noticed her? You were in t

see her

sked thi

. But we had the tent,-one of the fellows likes to sleep on shore, and so we all stayed. Say, this is a little bit of

able over there?" asked Mr.

in down on one of the wooden benches in our cell. I was preparing to do the same. Upstairs w

s-s

m the banjo-p

this,

rough his door. Very carefully he managed it, and I soon saw what he was after. The big key, hanging on the wall under the lamp, was just within his reach. With the utmost care he inserted one of the keys

Trenck and Monte

through the bars of his cell, put the

with this,-hey, wha

ated E

k into his cell, and

s,-never shall it be said of Despard D'Auvigny that he deserted his friends in misfortune! A regular jail

the keys to our cells are upstairs? I thought you were the only one to

ee why this was left down here. But I don't care,-I've no fault

stairs. Half way up he turned and came back for a match. Mr. Daddles gave him one, and he vanished with it. He was gone a long while, and we

the stairs. He came down, on tip-toe, hol

s desk and all ta

corridor. Our new friend locked all the ce

them all. They shall puzzle themselv

m. We had to go cautiously in the dark, as we dared to light only one match, and that we kept covered as well as we c

ghts to be seen, and no people about. We raise

s virtue: they go home at night, and let the jail take care of itself. In the city,

ything was quiet as a graveyard. We could hear the slapping of the water against the timbers of the wharf, and somewhere, a rooster, dist

, we crawled through the window,