We ought rather to say that Bob halted in front of the door and boldly stood his ground there, while Lester took care to shelter himself behind the building, and showed only the top of his cap to the robber.
"We've got you now, you rascal!" exclaimed Bob, bringing his club against the side of the smokehouse with a sounding whack.

"Come out and surrender yourself, or we'll come in and take you out." "Yes," chimed in Lester, in a trembling voice, at the same time hitting the building a very feeble blow with his fence picket.

"Come out, and be quick about it.

There are a dozen of us here, enough to make----" Lester finished the sentence with a prolonged shriek of terror, for just then something that seemed to move with the speed and power of a lightning express train, dashed out of the intense darkness which concealed all objects in the interior of the smoke-house, and Lester received a glancing blow on the shoulder that floored him on the instant.

While the latter was calling upon the robber to surrender, Bob heard a slight rustling in the smoke-house, and knowing very well what it meant, he jumped back out of the door-way, and raised his club in readiness to strike; but the thief was out and gone before he could think twice.