AN UNEXPECTED RESULT.

Bruce Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 2956, 29 April 1898, Page 3

AN UNEXPECTED RESULT.

fjjjls J •-* ' s '■'■ : K-* ye tie other flf fellowsachance •yy^-__ to plug away, f if you can't do - - song and therapeutics so mixed in my brain that they have formed a conglomerate mass of nonsense, and I mighb as well be reading Hebrew for all the good I am gebbing." ** Yes," ohimed in anobher and deeper voice, " if yon don'b shub up or take yourself off somewhere we'll find means bo keep you quiet. Juab remember bhab failure means more to us than ib does to you : we haven't a rich dad bo back us aa you have." " Oh, come now, fellows, • bhrow physic to the dogs,' and let's do something lively to freshen up our noddles for to-morrow. I •hall nob leave the,room bill you do— see ? " Here Lock squared himself for defence against attack, and began howling in a baritone voice extremely off-colour, " We are the jolly gay sburienbs of Salamanca." The next niomenb he received an onslaught of books and cigar bubbs, which he-returned wibh interest, and the general melee began. The examinations for degrees were near at hand, and these bhree were enduring the usual pangs of anxiety as to their fate, and with the usual discretion shown by disciples of Esculapius, who never practice what they preach where bheir own physical or mental activity is at stake, were giving little rest bo brain or body. Until the present evening Lockwood had been as studious as the others ; bub he suddenly closed his Anatomy wibh a bang, kicked bis chair over, and began executing a pigeon's wing as he roared out all manner of rollicking songs; it was this erratic conduct which had brought forth bhe protest from his comrades. In the midst of bhe melee when it was hard to distinguish between heads and heels, there came a timid knock at the door, repeated before their ears caught it, and Mien, at their united call, " Come in ! " the knob turned, and it opened just far . enough for the timid face of the small chambermaid to be seen, as she delivered This message : — j •' Please, sirs, Miss Poole wants to know if you won't keep a little more quiet, as the new lodger is complaining" " New lodger be hanged ! Doea she expect us to be^us still as mice ? Tell Miss Poole we are on strike ; either the new lodger goes or she s bauds the noise." The words were 10--t., for ihe face had disappeared and the door had closed before they were well commenced ; the small maid was afraid of medical students, and always associated bhem with the directing table. " Humph ! The new lodger is beginning to kick early, eh ? " said Dinckley, of foobbnll fame. "If ib wasn't for this confounded theiapeutics I'd help you fo phow her that we don't sanction interference by a new woman." "Hold on, Dinek — there are two of them. You saw bhe long gaunt sbyle, but Gill and 1 saw the other one, and —well, that's what's raised bhe deuce wibh my brain. She's bhe pink of perfection — small, blonde, softvoiced, and timid as any woman who e\*er ran from a mouse. No new woman about her ! She needs a protector, and by George ! I'd like to apply for the posibion. i Go on with your studying— l'm quieb." "Ha !ha! ha ! Gill, what do you think of that ? Lockwood, the woman-hater, mashed, crushed, stabbed to the centre of his hard hearffoy- one glance from heavenly blue eyes '. " " Look out, oid boy ! These timid, clinging creatures, my old bachelor uncle says, are failures as wives, on the theory, I suppose, that the weaker a woman is physically and mentally the more dependent she becomes Give me a self-reliant, burglar-scate kind of girl, eh, Dinck ? " ■• Them's my sentiments. Sweet women are apt to turn vinegary with age. Don'b be too sure in your calculations, Lock, appearances are dt cci ving ; your amiable-look-ing houri may prove to be a vixen." There was no reply to this remark, and the two settled themselves to their work again. Lockwood after thrumming on bhe window pane for a while, raised bhe sash and looked down into tbe yard. " Hullo 1 Here's a lark ! " he exclaimed. " Come. on. The fellow underneath has three bottles of champagne on his window sill, and we mu.-t get it." He rushed bo his bed and tore from it the white quilt. " Heie —this will hold. You two take that end and let me down, and I'll confiscate the whole lot." This was something too exciting to resist, Gilray and Dinckley grasped the quilt, and Lock carefully swung out and down to bhe window below grasped one bobble, and was drawn up. After sampling the champagne bhe second trip was made successfully ; but the sparkle of bhe wine had got into his eyes on the third, and '' miscalculating his distance as he endeavoured to re3t his foot on the sill it went crashing through the window with a bang, the sa**h went up to ita highest point ; -a hand grasped his slipperand a woman's voice exclaimed — i " Ah, my man, you. must have reckoned withoub your host. Jusb step inside while 1 send for an officer. 1 have you covered with my revolver, so don't try bo escape." Here the boys gave a jerk at bhe quilt, and Lock shot upward : but his shoe remanned in bhe grasp of the owner of the voice, and a shot rang out which he knew by a sharp prick in the upper part of his leg had taken effect. As he got inside of his own window he said in a faint voice, " I'm .flhot-tbOys, and; -by -a new woman/ and he fainted. With dismay Ihey stripped off his clothing, and a small, bullet which had gone th tough the fleshy part of his leg dropped to the floor- Luckily no artery had been cut, and he washimself ' «.gaiu before they had finished their examinabion of bhe wound, Ayhicti I hey assured him was nothing but a scratch. •* That's all ri-ht, boy;* ; but she has my clipper, and — " " Which one was it, Lock ? " asked Gilray. " The lank lady ? " '• No, bhe clinging one, by thunder ! You weieright — appearances are deceiving. She has that confounded shoe in evidence against me, and the whole thing will come out," " Not by a long shot '." said Dinckley. " I have a pair of shoes just lik« yours, md I now « »Ue you a i-rescuA ol thm*-"

j.-'.- ■'■■; '* Bub how are you going to. get rid of this odd one ?" " I'll manage ib. f'Ypu He ; : quiet ancVlet-,; Gill and me figure, -'f. In the' first .plactfW<£ must have some ice bo : put V; otPthab legj arid : I'm going bo geb ib oub of Miss Poole's refrigerator. Then I'll cremate bhie slipper in the furnace. You go and ask whab all the commotion is about, Gill ; it sounds as if a flock of- ducks -had gob inbo-the house." Gilray stepped inbo the hall and confronted ihe landlady, who was about to knock at their door. "Is that you, Miss Poole?" he said. " Hearing so much loud balk, I was jusb coming bo inquire if anything had happened." " Oh, Doctor Gilray !" she gasped. " A burglar bried* to get inbo Miss Bubler's room, and she is sure she -shot him ; bub he gob away, arid we are all nearly scared to deabh-allbut Miss Bubler herself. She has gone back to bed— says we needn'b fear any molesbation to-nighb." " Right she is boo ! Get the women back bo bheir rooms and tell them I'll patrol bhe hall every hour." " Oh, how kind you are, docbor ! They will be so grateful to you !" As Gilray closed bhe door he cub a pigeon wing which threw Lockwood's previous effort complebely inbo bhe shade. V I've- fixed things for you, Dinck !" he exclaimed. " Yon can now patrol bhe house from attic to cellar wibhoub suspicion. Here, pub a bottle in each pocket and leave them somewhere in the lower regions." Dinckley started on his tirsb round, and after safely depositing the bottles outside of the kitchen window as if they had fallen there, he went into bhe cellar wibh bhe slipper, which he threw inbo bhe furnace ; then he confiscated a piece of ice and started for his room. All went well until he reached bhe second landing ; bub here, miscalculating bhe number of steps, he lifted his foot to mount one more, and as it found its former level it destroyed hfs equilibrium ; he fe'l against the new lodger's door, and the piece of ice slid from his grasp ; before he could pick it up the door opened, and he, having braced himself against it with one band as he groped about with the other, wenb sprawling, into bhe room, and ab the very feet of a pietty ', young lady. " Don't shoot I" he said in a stage whisper. ..'" I am one of the boarders keeping guard," She was looking at bim with a merry twinkle in her eyes, and her lips twitched as if she were trying to suppress a laugh. " Ah, I see ! Ice is a good weapon to < hunt burglars wibh— a sort of freeze out \ method, so to speak." 'i Dinckley did not answer. A sudden thought made him exclaim — " Why, you are in Butler's room !" " Yes, didn't you know I was coming ? Ju«t like him not bo say anybhing aboub it ! I am lus ■uster,and as his was the only large room we could have, he took on 6 in the upper storey until Miss Poole could make better arrangements. My aunt intended to stay all the winter, but this first night's experience will, 1 fear, be too much for her weak nerves. lam sorry the burglar took Jack's champagne, otherwise 1 would have given you a bottle to drink instead of the ice water." " Oh, thank you ! But we— that is 1— never drink ib — strictly bemperate, you know." He made a bow so low that ib was almost a salaam, and saying, " Goodnight," fairly rushed from her presence. Lockwood groan sd at his recital, aud declared that he had succeeded in making a mess of the whole business. "No such thing 1 It's all your fault, anyhow," growled Dinck. " A deuce of a scrape you've got us into by your confounded prank J" " Well, I have the worst of ib, so don' b be too 'mrd on a fellow. I'll make a cle*«J breast of the affair to-morrow, and clear your skirts." " Xo, you don't!" exclaimed Gilray, " We'll brazen it out ; Dinck will feel better after he has slept. Now shut up, and give me a chance at it, too, for I am dead tired." Ten minutes afterwards the three were snoring lustily. The next morning, after an examination of Lock's wound, which proved so slight as to cause only a slighb stiffness iv the muscles, ib was decided bhac he should go down to breukfast, and to disarm suspicion moie completely, should wear the slippers like his Own. The three men were ceremoniously presented to Miss Butler, who looked so pretty in her blue morning gown that they were all charmed by her appearance. She had a great deal to say about the bruglar, and seemed much concerned regarding the effect of her shot. Dinck endeavoured bo reassure her on this point, but Lockwood kept discreetly silent. The less said the betber, he thought. His turn was to come, however. As they rose to leave the room after breakfast, Miss Butler's eyes fell on his slippers. " Why, how strange !" she cried. " The burglar's slipper is jusb like yours ! As it ia of no use to me, you can have it to wear incase one of yours gives out — that is, if you don't object. bo second-hand apparel." " Ah— well, 1--I bhink I do. You see I have a very bad corn, and am obliged to wear my slippers for a while before putting on my shoes. I don't bhink ib would fib, anyway — boo large." " Too large ! blow should you know--?'' She looked the picture of innocence, bub he could see her lips bwibch. -• " Why all burglars are supposed,- -to' rhayej large feet ; a good understanding;|B;'ne.ces-j sary to the profession." And fcbO'ckwood laughed feebly at his own wit. " Gome, Lock," called Gilrayi "If you don't hurry you'll be late for lectures. Whab a little devil it is !" $c went on,, when they had reached their room. "You're doomed, Lock ! She will never; res'b tilt she finds the burglar. Hello ! there comes the first instalment of reporters, I'll bet my hat !" The bell had clanged loudly. To make sure that he was right Gilray opened tbe door to listen, and the first woid he heard was " burglar." "There, you see ! Someone has reported bhe affair at police headquarters, and we're, in for it, sure !" The three looked ab each obher blankly, and bhen lockwood cried— " Somebhing musb be done to stop -this, even if I have to confess the whole thing." A knock at bhe door caused bhem to sbart guiltily ; but it was only the maid with a small, round box, and a note which she handed to Lockwood. Opening bhe nobe, he read — Doctor Lockwood^— My a«nt betjt that

you will try thie- remedy. for your corn ; sbe- ! ia sure it will help you. We think we are pa the of the Bufglaif,- and shall catch hjftajl-afj-^poj^sible.-- Yourt iympaibhebically, U<^i&k&>'& r- ri Catherine Batlor. A groan from Lockwood, a loud whistle from Gilray, a snap of the fingers and a Btrong word from Dinckley, told the impression made.. . . "What's in the bdx.liock ? Salved by Jove.- She carries out the farce very well," said Gilray, at last. "We must head her off before she ruina us completely. What's the matter with going bo Butler and telling' bim all about it. He'll have one on us, but we have several weeks to get even with him." " Thanks, awfully, but I'm done playing jokes on a fellow with such a sister," growled Dinckley. " I'll go and tell him, though, and puc a stop to this investigation. Say, fellows, I take back my opinion of strong-minded women. I'd rather marry an idiot than one of them." And the look of disgust on his face made the others roar with laughter. Bo went at once to find Butler, and as he always took the easiest way out of a difficulty, sought bhe sister for information as bo hia .whereabouts. She opened bhe door in ariHwer to his knock, and stood looking ab him in bhe mosb inquiring way* without saying a word. Dinckley was much disconcerted. How ve»-y pretty ehe whs ! 4< I— l wanted bo speak bo you— l mean to your brother, Miss Burglar- no, no, I wean Miss Butler," he stammered. " Oh, is that all ?" she exclaimed in a disappointed tone. " 1 thought you had some information about the robber. I hope my shot did not kill the poor fellow. Dc please help me to find him. Brother Jack would have helped me but he had to away for a week —Oh, dear ! and you wanted to see I him ? How unfortunate ! But perhaps 1 I will do as well '(" j The blue eyes were fairly dancing with ' mischief. Dinckley looked squarely into i tbem and made a sudden resolve. "Say, Miss Bubler, may 1 step inside the door so bhab no one can hear what I have bo say ?" . His tone of desperation could not be resisted, and ehe motioned him to enter. j For a moment he gazed at her helplessly, then blurted out— " Miss Butler, your burglar wasn'b much hurt, so " •' Why, how do you know ? Have you found him ? Oh, 1 see you have ! Aunt • Prue, Doctor Dinckley has found my j burglar !" ! As Dinck saw a lank form step from the 1 alcove and a pair of spectacled eyes peering j afc him he whispered excitedly — "I can't bell two of you — that's too rough on a fellow ! Bui, confound it ! I don'tcare, so here goes. The whole thing was a trick we fellows tried bo play on your brother, and you shot Lock in Ihe leg." Miss Butler laughed so heartily at his confession that it suddenly occurred to I Dinckley she had been working to accomplish just this ending bo bhe affair, and after ! a moment he laughed with her. " Did you think," she asked, " 1 did nob see the burglar disappear inside of your window, and bear him exclaim, ' I'm sbob, boye, and by a new woman ?' You can imagine our anxiety, and how we listened at bhe register until we heard one of you . say bhab the wound was only a scratch. j Then I resolved to burn bhe babies on you, j which I think you wiil agree I have done ' mosb effectually." " Yes, you've proved yourself bo be a match for any man," said Dinckley. " You know," he added, wibh a daring look, " your victim really ought to marry you ; bub he shall nob if I can prevent ib. " He kept his word, for three months afterwards he married her himself.