alarmed.

"You must get up and defend the house," continued Mrs. Tucker.

Now, Mr. Tucker was not a brave man. He had no fancy for having a
hand-to-hand conflict with burglars, who might be presumed to be
desperate men. It occurred to him that it would be decidedly better to
stay where he was and ran no risk.

"Never mind, Abigail," he said, soothingly. "The burglars can't do us
any harm. They can't do any more than carry off a pauper or two, and I
don't, believe they'll do that."

"I wouldn't mind that, Mr. Tucker; but I've left the spoons
down-stairs!" answered his wife.

"How many are there!"

"Six. I want you to go down and get them and bring them up here, where
they will be safe."

"But suppose I should meet some of the burglars!" suggested Tucker,
trembling.

"Then you must defend yourself like a man!"

"You might find me in the morning weltering in my gore!" said Joe, with
an uneasy shudder.

"Are we to have the spoons stolen, then!" demanded Mrs. Tucker sharply.

"If you care so much for the spoons, Abigail, you'd better go
down-stairs yourself and get 'em. I don't value them as much as my
life."

"I don't know but I will, if you'll look out of the window and see
whether you can see any of the burglars outside," responded Mrs. Tucker.
"If they haven't got in yet, I'll take the risk."

"Where did you hear 'em, Abigail?"

"Eight outside. Open the window and look out, and you may see 'em."

Mr. Tucker was not entirely willing to do this, but still he preferred
it to going down-stairs after the spoons, and accordingly he advanced,
and, lifting the window, put his head out, as described at the close of
the last chapter.

Philip and Frank were just ready to go when they heard the window
rising, and naturally looked up in some trepidation.

"It's old Tucker!" said Frank, in a low voice.

Philip looked up, and saw that his friend was right.

Mr. Tucker had not yet discovered them, but the whisper caught his ear,
and looking down he caught sight of the two boys.

In his alarm, and the obscurity of the night, he did not make out that
they were boys and not men, and was about to withdraw his head in alarm,
when a mischievous impulse seized Frank Dunbar.

"Give me the ball, Philip!" he said quickly.

Philip complied with his request, not understanding his intention.

Now, Frank belonged to a baseball club, and had a capital aim. He threw
up the ball and struck Mr. Tucker fairly in the nose. The