Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-03-19
THE IRON VAULT.
THE LADY AND THE BLACKSMITH.

| live in San Francisco and am G
lOcksmith by trade. My calling is
a strange one, and possesses a Ger
tain fascination, rendering it one o.
the mostagreeable pursuits. Many
who follow it see nothing in it but
labor-think of nothing but its re-
turns in gold and silver. To me
it has other charms than the money
it produces. / am called upon, al
most daily, to open doors and peer
into long neglected apartments; to
spring the stubborn locks of safes,
and gloat upon the treasures piled
within; to quietly enter the apart
ments of ladies with more beauty
than discretion, and pick the locks
of drawers containing peace-des-
troying missives that the dangerous
evidences of wandering affection
may not reach the eye of a husband
or father possessing the missing
Key; to rorce the fastenings of
cash boxes and repositories of rec
ords; telling of men made suddenly
rich, of corporations plundered, of
orphans robbed, of hopes crushed,
of families ruined. Is there no
charm in this-no food for specu-
lation? no scope for the range of
pleasant fancy? Then who would
not be a locksmith, though his face
is begrimmed with the SCOT of the
forge, and his hands are stained
with rust
But l have a story to tell-not
exactly story either-for a story
implies the completion as we'll as
the beginning Of a narrative, and
mine is scarcely more than the in
to one. Let him who
deals in fancy write the rest. In
the spring of 1861 think it was
in April opened little shop on
Kearney street and soon worked |
myself into a fair business. Late
one evening, a lady, closely veiled,
entered my shop, and pulling from
beneath a cloak a small japanned
oox, requested meto open it. The
ock was curiously constructed, and
was all of an hour fitting it with
| key. The lady seemed nervous
It the delay, and at length request
ID me to close the door. / was
title surprised at the suggestion,
'ut of course complied. Shutting
he door and returning to my work,
he lady withdrew her veil, diselos-
1g as sweet a face as can well be
nagined. There was arestlessness s
1 the eye and a pallor in the cheek, q
owever, which plainly told of a t
cart ill at ease, and in a moment 1
very emotion for her had given
lace to that of pity. S
"Perhaps you are not well, mad i
N, and the night is too chillyp
nd l, rather inquisitively. l felt a
,bukc in her reply; t
"In requesting you to close the I
Dor, 1 had no other object than to q
;cape the attention of persons tg
lssing' '
l did not reply, but thoughtfully
,ntinued my work. She resumed Il
"That little box contains valuable +
lpers-private papers-and | have a
st the key, or it has been stolen. V
should not wish. to have you re-
ember that I ever came here on n
Ich an errand," she continued, Il
ith some hesitation, and giving V
e a look which it was no difficult
after to understand. a
Certainly, madam, if you desire V
If l cannot forget your face, l "
Ill at least attempt to lose the rec d
lection of ever seeing it here"
The lady bowed rather coldly at l
hat tconsidered a fine compliment,
ID l proceeded with my. work, sat II
fed that a suddenly discovered
for me had nothing to do r.
th her visit. Having succeeded, s
ter much filing and fitting in turn
g the lock, l was seized with t
riosity to get a glimpse at the I
'ecious contents of the box, and q
.ddenly raising the lid, discovered J
bundle of letters and a daguerreO l