his
improvised policemen in a body up-town. He therefore dispatched orders
to Kendall to send them up with their arms, singly or by twos and
threes, to his house. By eight o'clock they were all there, and he
passed an hour or so in putting them through a rude form of drill and
giving them the instructions which he had prepared during the day. His
intention was to keep them together on his own place during the early
part of the night, and if, toward midnight, all seemed quiet, to
scatter them as a patrol about the neighborhood; in case of serious
disturbance anywhere else, to be ready to take part in restoring order.

About nine o'clock a man was seen coming rapidly from the house to the
rear garden, where Farnham and his company were. The men were dispersed
about the place; some on the garden seats, some lying on the grass in
the clear moonlight. Farnham was a little apart, talking with Kendall
and Grosshammer. He started up to meet the intruder; it was Mr. Temple.

"What's all this?" said Temple.

"The manly art of self-defence," said Farnham, smiling.

"I see, and I am glad to see it, too," answered Temple, warmly. "One of
my men told me an hour ago that in the Tramps' Lodging House, last
night, it was the common talk that there would be a rush on the houses
in this region to-night. I went to the Mayor and tried to see him, but
he was hiding, I think. I went to the Chief of Police, and he was in a
blue funk. So I thought I would come up myself and see you. I knew you
could raise a few men among your servants over here, and I would bring
half a dozen, and we could answer for a few tramps, anyhow. But you are
all right, and there is nothing to do but wait for them."

"Yes, thank you!" said Farnham, "though I am a thousand times obliged
to you for your good-will. I won't forget it in a hurry, old man. Are
you going home now? I will walk a block or two with you."

"No, I am not going home--not by"--[we draw the veil over Temple's
language at this point]. "I have come to spend the evening. Have you
any tools for me?"

"Nonsense, my dear fellow! there is not the least use of it. There is
not one chance in a million that there will be anything to do."

The two men were walking toward the house. Temple said: "Don't be too
sure of it. As I passed by the corner of the Square ten minutes ago,
there was a fellow in front of Mouchem's gin-mill, a longhaired,
sallow-looking pill, who was making as ugly a speech to a crowd o