The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1870-08-26
Miseellaurons.
THE STONE VAULT.

J and-thirty years come the first Of next
month. / was forty when i came here,
. and 80 have habit Of being exaet about
dates; and am now within few weeks
Of seventy-fve. But. as for being old,
bless you, I'm younger than the youngest
clerk. Tom Codgers, who, what with late
suppers and hard drinking. ha, hand
thai shakes like those old ledger leaves
blowing in the wind by the open window
yonder.
Cold water. early hours, and temper
ance In all things. keep man hale his
life through. If you don't believe that,
look at me. Tn an example, sir. Yes,
I've seen changes here. Tho finn was
morris. Grinby & Bloom" when came
though young Bloom died three months
after young Grinby was taken into part
nership. We had iire here, too. and
the offices have been rebuilt on different
plan, All. yes-changes enough. sad and
pleasant; but the strangest and saddest
of all was what happened to poor Ben
Wade. .....
All. dear me! II did seem hard, lo6 king
Mt il with human eyes, and forgetting. as
we are apt to. that God does everything
for the best
4 Perhaps you don't know how this house
is built. It's an old place, although the
front and offices are new, and those great
balustr,des were only put up last year.
Down below you can judge how old 1t Is.
4 Such cellar. sir-such massive WALL
paved with stone. and below the cellar Is
a small stone vault, which Codgers. who
laughs at serious things, says the old firm
built to be buried in. My own opinion Is
that il WAS intended to conceal valuables,
for II has CRATE and painted door. and
the locks each fastened with different
key-that is. IL they were ever fastened.
The vault was disused long before my
time. Well, sir. hadn't boen here six
months. when one day or rather evening,
F, for il was nearly six-merchants kept Ia
ter hours in those days-I had occasion
To 90 down into the cellar before going
home. to give directions to the porter
about some bales To be sent up the next
= morning.
Mike and were up at the north end Of
the cellar, where the bales were, and
l giving him nv orders, when ut my ell
bow. rs it seemed. Iheard an odd sound,
kind Of wheeling cough smothered in
4 n moment.
] looked around there was nobody
there not soul; and thought: How
our ears deceive us, To he sure and went
on talking. But. give you NV word, |
hadn't spoken three words when there
was that sound again. 1t quite started
me.
Mike said I, did you coughT
No, SIR said Mike. Il thought your
honor did
/ 1t must be Imagination or some sound
! from the Office overhead hut just then
oughl ough, We both heard IL
| Its no good, your honor said Mike.
There's some one hiding in the cellar
said l. .... ....
So, with Mikes lantern, we went over
the great tone-payed place, looking be-
hind boxes and bales, and under the steps,
and up the coal slide. But n, soul did
we find until. passing tho. door Of the
vault, heard Il this time very faint and
strange. and calling out to Mike:
Whoever ii IL, is hidden in the vault
| And with that we both turned stair
ward and bolted into Mr.. Grinby's office
together-the old gentleman Grinby, SEN
ior. He don't come To the Office once u
year now. for he's past ninty. Old Mr..
Grinby was just locking his desk and but
toning his ovcrcoat. He stared at us
through his glasses ard calculated:
Bless me, Humphries, is the house on
fre?'
NO. sir said l. but there's some one
hidden in the stone vault.
BAH said Mr.. Grinby. Il thought you
had better sense. Mr.. Humphrics. No
one could exist ten minutes in the stone
vault. 1t is the next thing to air tight
1T Is my belief that whoever It is may be
choking to death, SIR said !, but there
may be some one there. Mike heard y
sound as well rs L.
Very well.' said Mr.. Grinby; 'call the
nearest constable. Mike. and-Mr. Morris,
are YOU in your office. sir? Perhaps you'll
come down with us and capture a burg
lar Mr. Humphrics has discovered in the
air-tight vault below the cellar
He was very satirical; so was Mr.. Nor
ris. But we all went down together, the
const able with us, and stopped before the
stone vault. The door was shut SO tight
that il took all Mikes strength to open It..
And Mr.. Grinby, looking straight before
him. shouted:
'Ha. ha. nobody. rs told YOU
But the next minute he saw what the
rest Of us had already seen-a bundle OF
rags in one corner Of the vault down on
the floor. And amidst the rags was n
white face and n tiny hand, and bare,
bruised and bleeding foot. And we
dragged out into such air rs there was in
the cellar miserable wretch of little
boy, who seemed quite dead. .
Up to the Office. however. we brought
him to life and got the story from him.
He lived. II seems, among thieves, and
they had planed to rob VS. that night. and
he. poor little midge. had slipped In some
how. and hidden In the cellar. to open the
door for them, never thinking that any
one would come there that night.
But when Mike and l went down. he
took to the vault. and there would have
,mothered hut for my hearing him. !
don't care to tell you how we kept him
and filed the place with constlbles, who.
when the burglars came, pounced out upon
them and took them into custody. You
can guess all that. It's the poor boy l
have to tell yon about-poor Ben Wade.
II came out during the investigation, con-
sequent upon the arrest, that the poor
child was kept among the thieves by force,
and that they had used him cruelty. Once
n rufiisn Of the gang had broken his leg
In a drunken fury. and he limped yet from
the injury. He was such rale. wol n,
miserable thing that every ore felt merci-
fnl To him. anil II was decided 10 pardon
him and send him TO the poorhousc.
But that very morning. Grinby junior
q young man-came into the Office where
his father sat, and put hi, hand upon his
arm.
Father says he. 'Iwant to ask you one
favor. / want my own way in one
thing
.Well' xaid the old GENTLEMAN. .lct me