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table, pretending youre at work, and I'll hide here by the door, and if I see
both of ’em ain’t a-going down, I'll give em a push, and you must pitch in and
help me. Will you do it?”

“Of course I will,” answered Rob, sturdily, in spite of his misgivings.
“We'd better be to work, or they'll be down before we're ready for ’em.”

They turned the trap-door up against the partition, then they dragged up
the ladder and carried it into the wood-shed; then Johnnie laid one or two light,
thin strips of pine across the opening in the floor, and Rob spread the carpet
over them. One of their mother’s flat-irons on each corner held it out smoothly,
so that any one not in the secret would never have supposed that there was no
floor under it.

“Hark! They're coming!” said Johnnie, taking his place behind the door.
“Now, for my sake, Rob, don't you get scared, and help me if there’s any
trouble. You be there at the table.” ;

The men came down the ladder, each one with a bag of corn on his back.

“Supper’s ready,” said Rob, going to the door and standing there until
both men were close to him, and one on'the heels of the other, to prevent their
being far enough apart to make the plan a failure by the hindermost man
discovering the trap his comrade had fallen into before he was into it himself.

When they were both on the threshold Rob stepped one side, and the
foremost man put out ‘his foot and supposed he was safe in putting it down.
But when he did so he discovered his mistake. Down went the carpet and he
with it, and his comrade stumbled over him; but clutched at the edges of the
opening in such a way ‘that he must have prevented himself from falling into
the cellar, where the other had brought up with a terrible thud and a volley of
fearful oaths, if Rob had not seized one of the flat-irons and given him several
unmerciful blows about the head, while Johnnie crowded the trap-door down
upon him and threw his whole weight upon it. As he had nothing to stand
upon, and could get no firm hold of anything, he had to let go his clutch and
drop after his comrade. The boys dragged the wood-box upon the trap-door,
and felt that they had trapped the thieves.

“How pale you are!” said Rob, drawing a long breath.

“] didn’t know I got so excited,” answered Johnnie. ‘‘I feel just as weak
as a baby now.”

“You're sure they can’t dig out?” said Rob, as he shuddered at the sound
oaths and curses coming up from the cellar.

“Oh, yes,” answered Johnnie; “you know how many loads of stone we put
in the walls, and the logs and dirt outside. They couldn't get out in a week.”

The boys hadn't much of an appetite for supper, you may be sure. While