Perry's heart began to thump agitatedly at the thought of witnessing a
robbery. The man's fingers worked deftly at the knob. Perry could hear
in the silence the click of the tumblers as they slid into place. Then
the door was pulled open.
Between Perry and the robber lay a full thirty feet of floor, and a big
table impeded his progress, but it took the boy less than a second to
cover the distance, to seize the robber from behind, pinioning his arms,
and to bear him heavily back to the floor.
CHAPTER XVII
FLIGHT
"Wink!" he cried. "Ossie! Come quick! Help here!"
The robber, having uttered a stifled cry of alarm at the instant of the
unexpected attack, was now thrashing mightily about on the thick rug.
"Help!" he shouted. "Who are you? Let me go!"
"S-sh!" commanded Perry sternly, as the others plunged to his aid,
overturning a chair on the way. "Be quiet! Sit on his legs, Ossie!"
Perry was astride the man's chest, holding his arms to the floor. "Punch
him if he makes a noise, Wink!" Perry, breathing hard, surveyed his
captive in triumph. "Now then," he asked, "what have you got to say for
yourself? What were you doing at that safe?"
The man glared in silence for an instant. To Wink it seemed that the
emotion exhibited on the robber's countenance was amazement rather than
fear.
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