The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-02-13

/ candle. Having succeeded, | turned to
| examine the visitor, He was a small
and neatly dressed gentleman, with heavy
Raglan around his shoulders, and blue
navy cap drawn suSpiciously over his
t eyes. AS l advanced toward him. he
seemed TO hesitate moment, then raised
the cap from his forehead, and looked me
| III the face. | did not drop the candle.
| but | acknowledge to little nervousness
as hurriedly placed tho light on the ta-
bic, and silently proceeded to invest my
! self with two or three necessary articles
of clothing. AS the Lord liveth, my 7is-
| itor was lady, and the same for whom
had opened the little box about a month
| before : Having completed my hasty toi-
! let, L attempted to stammer an apology
for my rudeness, but utterly failed The
fact Is | was confounded. Smiling at my
| discontinue, she snid:
''Disgulse is useless; l presume you
! recognize me %
81 believe 1 told you, madam, should
pot soon forget your face. In what way
can l serve you -
''By doing half an hours work before
daylight tomorrow, and receiving five
hundred dollars for your labor was the
reply.
''It is not ordinory work." said I, in
quiringly, "that commands SO munificent
a compensation.
cit Is labor common TO your calling"
replied the lady. 1.-The price is MT so
much for the labor as the condition un-
der which it is to be performed"
"And what is the condition?' 1 in
quired.
THAT you will submit to being con
vcyed from, and returned to, your own
door blindfolded''
Ideas of murder, burglary, and almost
every other crime of viliainy, hurriedly
presented themselves to my vision I po-
Iitely bowed and said Il must under
stand something more OF the character of
the employment, as we'll as the conditions,
to accept your offer"
''Wlll not five hundred dollars answer
in lieu of an explanation 2" she inquired.
''No-nor five thousand
She patted her foot nervously on the
floor, could see size had placed en-
tirely too low an estimate on my honesty,
and felt some qualification on being able
to convince her of the fact
''#eI, then, if it is absolutely necessa-
ry for me to explain" she replied, Il
must tell you that you are required to
pick the lock Of vault, and
You have gone quite far enough, mad
am, with the explanation" interrupted
81 am not at your service
GAS said,'' she continued, esyou are
required to pick the lock of a vault, and
rescue from death man who has been
confined there for three days
''To whom does the vault belong !"
inquired.
"My husband" WAS the somewhat re-
lnetant reply.
"Then why so much secrecy or rather,
how came a man confined in such a
place %
81 secreted him there to escape the OBJ
servation Of my husband she replied,
''He suspected as much, and closed the
door upon him. Presuming he had left
the vault, and quilted the house by the
back door, L did not dream, until to-day,
that he was confined there. Certain sus-
Piclous acts of my husband this afternoon
human hearing, and will be starved to
death by my barbarous husband unless
Immediately rescued, For three days he
has not left the house. / 'drugged' him
less than an hour ago, and he is now go
stupefied that the lock may be picked
without his interference, have searched
his pockets, but could not find the KEY;
hence my application to you, Now you
know all; viii you accompany me ?"
''To the end of the world, madam, on
such an errand."
''Then prepare yourself there is cab
waiting at the door,
l was little surprised, for I had not
heard the sound of wheels Hastily |
drawing on a coat and providing myself !
with the required implements, | was soon |
at the door. There, sure enough, was
the cab, with the driver in his seat, ready |
for the mysterious journey. l entered |
the vehicle, followed by the lady. As !
soon as l was seated she produced heavy |
handkerchief, which by the faint light of !
an adjacent street lamp, she carefully
bound round my eyes. The lady seated
herself beside me, and the cab started In
half an hour 1t stopped in what part OF
the city am entirely ignorant, as it was
evidently driven in anything but a direct
course from the point of starting
Examining the bandage to see that my
vision was completely obscured, tie lady
handed me the bundle Of tools with which
was provided, then taking me by the
arm, led me through gate into house
which 1 knew was of brick, and after
taking 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 underground base
ment, stopped beside vault, and removed
the handkerchief from my eyes.
''fIere is the vault-open it," said she,
springing the door of dark lantern, and
throwing a beam of light upon the lock.
seized a bunch of skeleton keys, and
after a few trials, which the lady seemed
To oh with fba Yr1ncf n