arkness.

"I'm over the roof of the kitchen," he said, "and that tree's close to
it."

Up went the window--slowly, carefully, noiselessly--and out crept Jack
upon that roof. It was steep, but he stole along the ridge. Now he
could reach the tree.

"It's an apple-tree," he said. "I can reach that longest branch, and
swing off, and go down it hand over hand."

At an ordinary time, few boys would have thought it could be done, and
Jack had to gather all his courage to make the attempt; but he slid
down and reached for that small, frail limb, from his perilous perch in
the gutter of the roof.

"Now!" said Jack to himself.

Off he went with a quick grasp, and then another lower along the
branch, before it had time to break, but his third grip was on a larger
limb, below, and he believed he was safe.

"I must be quick!" he said. "Somebody is striking a light in that
room!"

Hand over hand for a moment, and then he was astride of a limb. Soon
he was going down the trunk; and then the window (which he had closed
behind him) went up, and he heard Deacon Abrams exclaiming:

"He couldn't have got out this way, could he? Stop thief! Stop thief!"

"Let 'em chase!" muttered Jack, as his feet reached the ground. "This
is the liveliest kind of news-item!"

Jack vaulted over the nearest fence, ran across a garden, climbed over
another fence, ran through a lot, and came out into a street on the
other side of the square.

"I've got a good start, now," he thought, "but I'll keep right on.
They don't expect me at Murdoch's to-night. If I can only get to the
_Eagle_ office! Nobody'll hunt for me there!"

He heard the sound of feet, at that moment, around the next corner.
Open went the nearest gate, and in went Jack, and before long he was
scaling more fences.

"It's just like playing 'Hare-and-Hounds,'" remarked Jack, as he once
more came out into a street. "Now for the _Eagle_, and it won't do to
run. I'm safe."

He heard some running and shouting after that, however, and he did not
really feel secure until he was on his bed, with the doors below locked
and barred.

"Now they can hunt all night!" he said to himself, laughing. "I've
made plenty of news for Mary."

So she thought next morning; and the last "news-item" brought out the
color in her cheeks and the brightness in her eyes.

"I'll write it out," she said, "just as if you were the real robber,
and we'll print it!"

"Of course," said Jack; "but