"Thieves! Murder! Wake up, I tell you, Kent! We're robbed!"

"M-m--who's rob--Oh, say, lemme alone!" murmured poor Kent, drowsily.

Jot shook him again.

"I tell you thieves!" he hissed in his ear. "The money's gone! Do you
hear? It isn't under the pin-cushion where we left it! It's gone!
We've been robbed, Kent Eddy!"

The limp figure strengthened as if electrified and rose to a sitting
position. Kent's eyes flew open.

"What?" he cried.

"Get up quick, Kentie, and we'll wake Old Tilly up! Maybe we can catch
'em!"

"Catch who? I wish you'd talk English, Jot Eddy!"

Old Tilly was slumbering peacefully, oblivious to thieves and
five-dollar bills alike. It took a long time to wake him and longer
yet to make him understand the dire thing that had happened.

"Get up! Get up! We've got to catch 'em!" concluded Jot.

"Yes, the thieves--catch the thieves, you know!" Kent explained. "I
don't s'pose you'll lie there all night and let 'em cut off with our
money, if you are Old Tilly!"

Then something funny happened. Anyway, it seemed funny to Old Tilly. He
buried his face in the pillow and choked with laughter.

"It's gone to his head!" whispered Jot, in alarm.

"No, to his t-toe!" giggled Old Tilly, purple in the face.

"Yes, sir, he's crazy as a loon. Let's call father, Jot!"

"Hold on!--wait! It's all right, boys! The money is, and I am, and
everybody is! Just wait till I get my laugh out, won't you?"

"No, sir, but we'll wait till you get out o' bed and that's this very
minute!" Jot exclaimed wrathfully. He was dancing up and down with
impatience.

Old Tilly slowly brought a lean, shapely leg into view from beneath the
sheet. To the boys' amazement it was covered with a long black
stocking. Old Tilly, like the other boys, had been barefooted all day.

"Thought I might as well get a good start in dressing!" he chuckled.
"Nothing like being read--"

"Oh, come off!"

"Well, I wish it would; there's something in the toe that hurts. Ow!"

He drew off the stocking and gravely examined the snug little wad in the
toe.

"The money!" cried Kent.

"Yes, sir, the money!" Jot echoed in astonishment.

"Why, so it is!" Old Tilly said in evident surprise. "Then the thieves
didn't get away with it, after all! I call that a lucky stroke--my
getting partly dressed overnight! No, hold on, you little chaps--don't
get uppy! I'll explain, honest I will! You see, I got up after a while
and pu