ing his position he waited, and
was not surprised at the celerity of their movements, for within ten
minutes after his first recognition of their presence in the yard he had
evidence that they were in the house--and there he stood at the head of
the kitchen stairs prepared to lay them out.

The men were old hands at the business. They wasted no time, but started
to ascend the kitchen stairs just as Oscar had calculated they would. He
lay low until the foremost man was just at the last step, when a club
cut the air; there followed a thud and an outcry and the man went over
backward upon the man who was following him.

The detective leaned down the stairs. He stepped over the man he had
struck and arrived at the foot of the stairs just as robber number two
had risen to his feet, having been knocked down by his pal's fall. Again
the club cut the air and robber number two received a clip that disabled
him and the detective sprang along to the kitchen. Robber number three
had been on the watch. He knew some thing had gone wrong and ran to the
kitchen to hear what had occurred. He arrived just in time to run up
against that effective club, and he too went down, and as he fell the
detective leaped upon him and fixed the darbies on him. He then retired
to the basement hall stairs, and arrived just as number two had a second
time risen to his feet; the man received a second dose from the club and
went down again, and in less time than it takes to record it the darbies
were run on him. Robber number one had not moved; the blow he had
received had sort of settled him for a little rest, but the detective
put the steel bands on him all the same, and then he turned on the gas.
None of the burglars had masks on, although they had their little
face-hiders hanging to their lapels like a pair of eyeglasses.

Oscar went to each man and flashed the light of his lantern in their
faces one after the other, and then he muttered:

"Well, he is not here; so far so good."

The detective went to the front door and swung his light, and in less
than two minutes two men appeared. They were admitted and led down to
the kitchen where they seized the robbers. Our hero had recognized two
of the men. They were the fellows who had played him for a "chappie."

The three burglars were led through the kitchen door to the yard and
marched off, three of the most surprised housebreakers that were ever
captured; and right here we have a word to say. There i