glancing up at the heavy chandelier which,
depended from the center of the high ceiling. "Where's that rope, Jim?
Do you reckon that there thing will pull out or not?"

"What are you ruffians going to do?" gasped Mrs. Gray, when she saw the
man Jim pull a rope from his pocket.

"We're going to see if we can choke some sense into this boy of yourn,"
was the answer. "If you don't want to see him hung up afore your face
an' eyes, make him tell where that money is. We uns have got to have it
afore you see the last of us."

Mrs. Gray turned an appealing look upon Marcy, who said stoutly:

"I told nothing but the truth when I said that there is no money in the
house except the little in those purses. Why don't you men look around
and satisfy yourselves of the fact?"

"We aint got time, an' more'n that, we've knocked off work for the
night. Throw one end of the rope over that thing up there, an' make a
running noose in the other. I said I wouldn't ask him agin, an' I meant
every word of it."

Things began to look serious, and the resolute expression on Marcy's
pale face showed that he understood the situation. His mother knew he
told the truth that he had secretly removed her treasure to another
hiding-place, and she longed to throw herself upon his neck and beg him
to tell what he had done with it. But she did not do it, for that would
only have made matters worse. It would have encouraged the robbers and
disheartened the boy, who was so calmly watching the preparations that
were being made to pull him up by the neck. He knew that the men were
working on a supposition; that they had no positive proof that there was
money in the house; and hoped that they would soon weary of their
useless demands, or that something would frighten them away. But he was
obliged to confess to himself that neither contingency seemed likely to
happen. The robbers acted as though they were in earnest, and there was
nothing to interfere with their work. None of the servants had showed
themselves, and even Julius and Bose, who never failed to be on hand
when there was anything unusual going on, had not once been seen or
heard. The house was as silent as if it had been deserted. After a few
unsuccessful attempts the man Jim managed to throw the rope over one of
the branches of the chandelier at the same time that a second robber
finished the work of putting a running noose on the other end.

"Now I reckon we're about ready for business," said t