Bella was excited that tonight she would get to spend the weekend away with her beast. She hurried to class and back home to pack. Zane had promised to finish up his work early so they could be on the road by four.
Everyone else was also getting ready to leave. Betty had three vans rented. Her Dad, Mary Ann, Babs and David in one. Mike, Sally, Ben and Josh in the one. Her and Bert with the luggage and party supplies in the other. They headed out at two to get things set up.
She had to at the last minute get one more room for Babs' friend. She would put him and Bert in the same room. Lucky there was an opening. Mr. and Mrs. Heart were arriving tomorrow morning.
Everything was green to go.
Bella sat waiting for Zane so opened up her book to read.
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇ THE BOX OF ROBBERS cont.
Victor cast down his eyes and blushed. "Naughty!" gasped Beni, with a horrified look. "'Tis a hard word," said Luigi, sadly, and buried his face in his hands. "I little thought," murmured Victor, in a voice broken by emotion, "ever to be so reviled—and by a lady! Yet, perhaps you spoke thoughtlessly. You must consider, miss, that our wickedness has an excuse. For how are we to be bandits, let me ask, unless we are wicked?"
Martha was puzzled and shook her head, thoughtfully. Then she remembered something. "You can't remain bandits any longer," said she, "because you are now in America."
"America!" cried the three, together.
"Certainly. You are on Prairie avenue, in Chicago. Uncle Walter sent you here from Italy in this chest."
The bandits seemed greatly bewildered by this announcement. Lugui sat down on an old chair with a broken rocker and wiped his forehead with a yellow silk handkerchief.
Beni and Victor fell back upon the chest and looked at her with pale faces and staring eyes. When he had somewhat recovered himself Victor spoke. "Your Uncle Walter has greatly wronged us," he said, reproachfully. "He has taken us from our beloved Italy, where bandits are highly respected, and brought us to a strange country where we shall not know whom to rob or how much to ask for a ransom."
"'Tis so!" said the fat man, slapping his leg sharply. "And we had won such fine reputations in Italy!" said Beni, regretfully.
"Perhaps Uncle Walter wanted to reform you," suggested Martha.
"Are there, then, no bandits in Chicago?" asked Victor.
"Well," replied the girl, blushing in her turn, "we do not call them bandits."
"Then what shall we do for a living?" inquired Beni, despairingly.
"A great deal can be done in a big American city," said the child. "My father is a lawyer" (the bandits shuddered), "and my mother's cousin is a police inspector."
"Ah," said Victor, "that is a good employment. The police need to be inspected, especially in Italy."
"Everywhere!" added Beni.
"Then you could do other things," continued Martha, encouragingly. "You could be motor men on trolley cars, or clerks in a department store. Some people even become aldermen to earn a living."
The bandits shook their heads sadly. "We are not fitted for such work," said Victor.
"Our business is to rob."
Martha tried to think. "It is rather hard to get positions in the gas office," she said, "but you might become politicians."
"No!" cried Beni, with sudden fierceness; "we must not abandon our high calling. Bandits we have always been, and bandits we must remain!" "'Tis so!" agreed the fat man.
"Even in Chicago there must be people to rob," remarked Victor, with cheerfulness.
Martha was distressed. "I think they have all been robbed," she objected.
"Then we can rob the robbers, for we have experience and talent beyond the ordinary," said Beni.
"Oh, dear; oh, dear!" moaned the girl; "why did Uncle Walter ever send you here in this chest?"
The bandits became interested. "That is what we should like to know," declared Victor, eagerly.
"But no one will ever know, for Uncle Walter was lost while hunting elephants in Africa," she continued, with conviction.
"Then we must accept our fate and rob to the best of our ability," said Victor. "So long as we are faithful to our beloved profession we need not be ashamed." "'Tis so!" cried the fat man.
"Brothers! we will begin now. Let us rob the house we are in." "Good!" shouted the others and sprang to their feet.
Beni turned threateningly upon the child. "Remain here!" he commanded. "If you stir one step your blood will be on your own head!"
Then he added, in a gentler voice: "Don't be afraid; that's the way all bandits talk to their captives. But of course we wouldn't hurt a young lady under any circumstances."
"Of course not," said Victor. The fat man drew a big knife from his belt and flourished it about his head. "S'blood!" he ejaculated, fiercely. "S'bananas!" cried Beni, in a terrible voice.
"Confusion to our foes!" hissed Victor. And then the three bent themselves nearly double and crept stealthily down the stairway with cocked pistols in their hands and glittering knives between their teeth, leaving Martha trembling with fear and too horrified to even cry for help.
◇◇◇♡♡♡◇◇◇
Zane got home early just like he promised. He took a quick shower and changed into casual clothes. Then set out with his love.
He was quietly going over all of the plans in his head. He had doubled check with Betty that morning.
They would get there tonight and have a nice quite dinner. Then he would take Bella down to the garden for a walk. Excuse himself to quickly change and get back to pop the question.
Tomorrow they would have a grand party to celebrate. Sunday come home.
Bella watched Zane mull over something in his mind. His face kept changing expression. And for a stone face man this was puzzling her.
"What's wrong? Should we not go this weekend?" Bella asked.
Hearing her voice made him jump. "Sorry Bella, I was lost in thought What did you say?"
"I asked if anything was wrong. We can do this another weekend if needed."
"Nonsense, I need this weekend with you." He smiled talking her hand.
"Then stop thinking and keep your eyes on the road. I want to get there in one piece."
"Yes Dear you ate right."