American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1868-09-12

door wide enough for me to enter"
"Come in," said | resolutely,
throwing the door ljar, and proceed
ing to light a candle.
Having succeeded. turned to ex-
anime the visitor. He was q small
and neatly dressed gentleman, with
a heavy raglan around his shoulders
and a blue navy cap drawn suspic-
~fously over his eyes. AS ] avdanCed
toward him he seemed to hesitate a
moment, then raised the cap from
his forehead and looked ME curious
ly in the face. | did not drop the
candle, but | acknowledge TO a little
nervousness as ] hurrirdly placed
the light on the table and silently
proceeded to invest myself with two
or three necessary articles of cloth
ing . 0,SAs,the Lord liyeth, my visitor
was 4 tady, and the same for whom
| had opened the little box a month
before. Having completed my hasty
toilet, | attempted to stammer an
apology for my rudeness. but utter
ly failed. The fact is, / was con
founded. Smiling at my discom,
future, she said;
Disguise is useless l presume
you recognize me y
II believe told you, madam, !
should not soon forget your face. In
what way can | serve yOu?"
"By doing half an hours work
before daylight tomorrow, and re.
ceiving five hundred dollars for your
labor" was the reply.
1t is not ordinary work." | said
inquiringly, that demands SO nuni-
fcent compensation =
" 1t is a labor common to your
calling" replied the lady. "The
price is not so much for the labor as
the condition under which it is to be
performed"
"And what is the condition ?" l
inquired.
"That you will submit to being
conveyed from and returned TO your
door blindfOlded."
Ideas of murder, burglary, and
almost every other crime of villdiny
hurriedly presented themselves to
my vision. and | politely bowed and
said
81 must understand something
more of the character of the employ
ment as well as the conditions, to
accept your offer
"Will not five hundred dollars
answer in lieu OF an explanation y
"No-nor five th0usand.'
She patted her foot nervously on
the floor. | could see she had placed
entirely too low an estimate on my
honesty. and | felt some gratitica-
ton OH being able to convince her Of
the fact.
swell, then, if it is absolutely
necessary for me to explain" she re-
piled, Il must tell You that you are
requi ed to pick the lock OF vault
and"
"You have gone quite far enough
with the explanations" | interrupted,
" | am not at your service"
ITO whom does this vault belongE
| inquired.
4" My husband" was the somewhat
reluctant reply.
"Then why so much secreSy, or
rather. how came a man confined III
such IA place p
81 secleted him there to escape
the observation of my husband. He
suspects as much and closed the
door on him. Presumng he had left
the vault and quilted the house by
the back door, | did not dream until
to. day that he was confined there.
Certain suspicious acts of my huS-
band this afternoon convince me
that the man is there, beyond human
hearing, and will be starved to death
by my barbarous husband unless i'm
mediately rescued. For three days
he has not left the house. / drugged
him less than an hour ago, and he is
now so stupefed that the lock may
be picked without his interference.
have searched his pockets, but
could not fiEd the key; hence my ap-
plication to you. Now you know all,
sir; will you accompany me 7"
"To the end of the world, on such
an errand."
"Then prepare yourself;a a cab is
waiting at the door"
was a little surprised, for l had
not heard the sound of wheels.
Hastily drawing on coat and pro-
viding myself with the required i'm
plements, was at the door. The e,
sure enough, was the cab, with the
driver in his seat ready for the mys-
terious journey. | entered the
followed by the lady. AS
soon as | was seated she produced
heavy handkerchief, which, by the
faint light of an adjacent street lamp,
she carefully bound around my eyes.
The lady seated herself beside me,
and the cab started. In half an hour
it stopped-in what part of the city
am entirely ignorant, as it was evi-
dently driven in anything but a di-
rect course from the polut of start
ing.
Examining the bandage to see
that my vision was completely OBJ
scured, the lady handed me the
bundle of tools with which | was
provided, then taking me by the arm,
led me through passage way which
could not have been less than fifty
feet in length, and down a flight of
stairs into what was evidently an un-