Page:Ruth Fielding at Lighthouse Point.djvu/101

Rh was in his pajamas, his feet bare, and—she saw it at last—his eyes tight shut.

"Oh! he's asleep," murmured Ruth.

And that surely was Busy Izzy's state at that moment. Sound asleep and 'tight-rope walking' on the balustrade.

Ruth knew that it would be dangerous to awaken him suddenly—especially as it might cause him to fall down the stair-well. She crept back into her room and called Helen. The two girls in their wrappers and slippers went into the hall again. There was Busy Izzy tottering along in the other direction, having turned at the wall. Once they thought he would plunge down the stairway, and Helen grabbed at Ruth with a squeal of terror.

"Sh!" whispered her chum. "Go tell Tom. Wake him up. The boys ought to tie Izzy in bed if he is in the habit of doing this."

"My! isn't he a sight!" giggled Helen, as she ran past the gyrating youngster, who had again turned for a third perambulation of the railing.

She whispered Tom's name at his open door and in a minute the girls heard him bound out of bed. He was with them—sleepy-eyed and hastily wrapping his robe about him—in a moment.

"For the land's sake!" he gasped, when he saw his friend on the balustrade. "What are you"