rried away Cora saw that
he limped. She must have hit him!

In all this time she could not give a word to the three frightened
girls who were screaming and shouting for help. Nettie had run down
from the third floor, Belle was threatening to die, and Bess was doing
her best to make the boys down at the bungalow hear her cries.

"Did you kill him?" gasped Belle, when Cora finally returned to the
bedroom.

"No, indeed, but I guess I hurt him a little. He limped off rather
unsteadily. I had no idea of hitting him, but just as I fired toward
the window he darted into it. I could not help it. He should have
surrendered."

Cora was as pale as death. Her black hair fell in a cloud about her
shoulders. She sank into a chair and still held the smoking weapon.

"Put that down!" commanded Nettie.

"Not yet--he might come back," murmured Cora. "There is no reason for
you to fear, it is not cocked," and she held up the revolver to prove
her words.

"Oh, do put it down!" begged Belle.

"Seems to me you are more afraid of the revolver than of the burglar,"
remarked Cora. "Do you realize that a man has just jumped out of the
window?"

"Of course we do," wailed Bess, "but we don't want any more things to
happen, and it's always the perfectly safe, unloaded guns that shoot
people."

"Oh, I'll put it away, if you feel so about it," and Cora stepped over
to the dresser as she spoke. "I really hope I have not hurt the man
very much!"

"Couldn't have, when he was able to get away," declared Nettie. "But I
just wish you had! The idea of a mean man sneaking around here!
Likely he's taken the silver. I didn't bring it up last night!"

"Well, that was not your fault, Nettie," Bess said. "We had so much
excitement last night you are not responsible. Besides, you wanted to
go down for it, and I said not to bother. But I hope he didn't take
grandma's spoons."

"Let's go down and find out," suggested Cora.

"Oh, mercy, no!" cried Belle, who all the time continued to shiver
under the bed clothes. "Let the old silver go--grandma's spoons and
all the rest. We may be thankful we are alive."

"But the man is gone," declared Cora. "I saw him go."

"Yes, but there might be another man down stairs. Who knows anything
about such persons or their doings?"

"Again I'll agree, if it makes you feel better," replied Cora. "But,
you see, mother has been away so much, and Jack is always at college,
so that I am rather e