The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1861-03-13

head, end looked me cautiously in the face
I did pot drop the dandIe. bnlI aeknovled dge
a little nervOusness as hnrriedly. placed
the Hight upon the table end silently pro-
ceeded to invest myself with two Or three
very necessary articletof clothing. As The
lord liysth, my visitor was a lady, and ,he
same for whom.f had opened little box
about month befoss! Having completed
my hasty toilet, / attemptedso stammer an
apology for my Iudekess, but utterly failed
The fact, 10 rs ean'ounieas
Smiling at ny distoma,dfe; she said;
.'Disauiss 8 useless; | presume you rec.
ogDiss msf
al believe Ftph you madam. | should mo-
soon !esgs. yses pee u VI GspRsr canal
"By doing half an hours work before day
to morrow mOsning, al b Receiving FIVE hun.
dred dollars for your labor" was the reply.
ut is not ordinary work." sOid inquir-
ingly, "tbat commands so munii:ent com.
peasotion,
'"It isa labor common to your calling"
returned the lady. "1he price is not so
much for the labor as the condition under
which it must be Performed"
"And what is tie conditjonl" Inquired.
Thntyo will submit to being convey d
from andto your own doqr blndfolded.
Ideas of murder; burglary, and almost ev.
cry other crimes to villainy, hurriedly pre-.
sented edthemselves in succession, as politely
bowed, and said: I must understand some
thing mOrsOf the character of tAe employ.
ment, as we'll as the conditions to accept
your Offer"
"Wil not five hundred dollars answer in
lieu of 'an explanations she inquired.
"No-por five thousand"
She patted her foot nervousIy on the floor.
| could see that she had placed entirely too
low an estimate on my honesty, and felt
some qualification in being able to convince
her of this fact.
"Well then, If II is absolutely necessary
for me to explain" she replied, 81 must te II
you that you are required to pick the lock OF
a vault, and"
"You have gone quite far enough, mad.
am, with the explanations" interrupted,
81 am at your SERVICE"
GAS | said," she continued, "you are re-.
qured to pick the lock of vout and rescue
from death man who has been confined
there three days."
"To whom does the vault belong!" in
qnired.
"My husband" was the somewhat reluc-
tant reply.
"Then why so much secrecy or, rather,
how came man confined in such placev
II sscreted him there to escape the obser-
walton of my husband. He suspected as
much, and closed the door upon him. Pre-.
sumiog he had left the vault and quilted the
house by the back door, did not dream, un
til to day, that he was confned there. Ger.
tain suspicious acts OF my husband this az
ternoon convinced me that the man is there,
beyond human hearing, and will be starved
to death by my burbarous husband unless
Immediately rescued, For three days he
has not left the house. I"drugged" him less
no. pn1 ha I,
pletely stuipfied that the lock may be picked
without his interference. have searched
his pockets but cannot find the key; hence
my application to you. Now you know all
about it; will you accompany mel"
ITO the end o! the world, madam, on such
an errand."
"Then prepare yourself; there is a cab
waiting at the door"
was little surprised, for | had mol
heard the sound Of wheels. Hastily draw-
ing on coat, and providing myself with the
requisite impliments, was soon at the
door. There sure enough, was cab, with
the driver in his seat, ready for the myste.
rious journey. entered the vehicle fol-
lowed by the lady. AS soon as was seat.
ed, she produced a heavy handkerchief
which, by the faint light of an adjacen
street lamp, she carefully bound round m.
eyes. The lady seated herself beside me
and the cab started. In half an hour th'
vehicle stopped-in what part of the city
am entirely ignorant, as 1t was evidently
driven in anything but direct course from
the point of starting. ..
Examining the baudage, to see that my
vision was completely obscured, the lady
handed me bundle of tools with which
was provided, then taking me by the arm LEI
me through the gate into the house which
know was brick, and after taking me along
the passage way which could not have beer
less than fifty feet in length, Ond down I
fight of stairs into what was evidently ar
underground basement, stopped beside
vault, and removed the handkerchief from
my eyes.
"Here is the vault-open it," said she
spriogiug the door Of dark lantern. aDt
throwing beam Of light upon the lock.
siezed bunch of Keys and alter few
trials, which the lady seemed to watch witt
the most painful anxiety, spraDg the bolt
The door swung upon its hinges, and my
companion, telling me not to close it, as i
was self locking. sptung into the vault.
did mot follow, heard a murmer of low
voices within, and the next moment the lady
Ia .