Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-12-21
Burglariously and Feloniously
TFrom Chambers's Journal

From ChambeTss Journal
We had jus locked up the safe, and I had
ant of the North and South OF England Bank at
lis II adsey Branch, W. X. YOrks-I had got nv
hat on, and had taken up my uRbrella, when
man came running INTO the bank with bag
OF money in mis- hand
Am in time?' he cried. 1 shook my head.
"DtUce take it, he said: and I'm off to
Liverpool by the next train, and then to
/" Sorry for It, said; "butwe can't take the
money"
"Wel, then, what is to be done? Here's
those drafts Of mise come due in a couple of
days. Well, you'll have to take 'em up he
said; can't unless You take the money in to-
night"
Tknew that those drafts were coming due.
and that our manager was q little anxious
about them, Tor they were rather heavy, and
the other names on them were not very good.
Black, too, (that was the man with the money
bag)-Black was a capital customer; and not
only good customer himself, but he brourht
branch and on our mettle.
Well, here was the money to meet the drafts
anyhow. and should have been a great fool to
send II away just because il was after-hOurs
So 1 counted 1t ell over; there was about nine
teen thousand IN cheques and notes, and three
thousand in gold.
Come and have q glass of beer with me /,
said Black, 'On the way to the station"
put the bag of money in my desk. and locked
II VI. would come back presently anil have
II placed in the safe. walked TO the station
with Back; We had some beer together and
then he went OF America wards, and 1 on the
way 10 NOmOphilar Villas. You see I was
rather in the habit of calling for glass OF beer
as went home, and then going on; and, con-
sequently, from the force OF habit, I'd almost
got heme before / remembered the bay of
money ltwss vexing, too, because We had
tea-PaFty that night, the FIRST since our MAJ
mage, and II began at six O'Clock, and I'd prom
ised 10 be homo an hour earlier, to draw the
eeTks and bel p to get things ready. And herr
NO -TN ~ 81 sn1Lr
back 10 the bank.
All the way back 1 went as hard As 1 couli
pet. However, the money was all right In nv
desk, and now Id put II in the safe. Tell Mr.
COusiBs'-our manager, YOU KNOW said TO the
servant who'd let me- n, that want the kew of
the safe But you had il in yosr pocket, saw
with the rules and regulations ct the North and
South Of England BANK. which say that the a ;.
cOuntant or chief cashier shall be responsible
Tor the due custody of the cash whilst il il in
his possession in the daYtim and that at NJ Oh
all moneys and securities shall be carefully Sc
cured within the Office safe, which shall be Sc
cured by two keys, one of which shall be in IL g
CUSTODY OF The manager, and the second in tn Il
OF the accountant or cashier. But, YOU saw
again, a. long as YOU had one KEY, what did VIC
want with two? There, 1 own, the regulat , IS
are OBSCURE They were drawn up by some
body without sny library skill; IL they'd con
suited me about EN- i could have suggested a
good many Improvements. WHAT they meant TO
say was, that the safe was to be secured by two
locks, and that q key of each, not interchangea-
bic the one with the other, was 10 be in the
CUSTODY, &c Now you understand why 1 wanted
9Th, N.Y." said the servant, openfns her
mouth wide and what might you want Mr..
Cousins key fOr?"
Just a. stupid "a you, you see. I was mad
with the girl own always get out OF temper
with those Yorkshire people. If YOU ask 'em
the simplest question, FIRST they open their
mossGS an; ana gaps at yGG When you've re-
mouths and think for a bit. Then the idea
seems 10 reach the thing that does duty with
,em for brains, and excites sort of reflex &C.
ton, Tor, BY lingo. instead OF answering YOUR
question, they 90 and ask you one. And tina Z
makes me so mad. Oh, they're a very dense
race nth those Yorkshire people.
why, 10 open the safe, you stupid said
SWhere Is he3"
Don't We know?D SAYS She
" Know" cried in a rage. what should
ask you for, If did know.
Didn't thou know he were At that house?
Ah. 80 he was. I'd nearly forgotten that he
was one OF the guests at my wife's party.
Clearly, couldn't get the safe open, and /
didn't like to leave the money in nv desk so |
Put II in my pocket, and took 1t home thinking
10 give II 10 Cousins with my key, to put it in
the sale when he returned.
nice mess got into when reached home:
Tor you see il had been arranged that 1 WAS IN
go up-stai and dress before anybody came;
anu that then our room was TO be made ready
for the ladies TO take their bonnets of-for they
were not all carriage people. Well, Won never
saw such thing! When got home and crept
the servant said-there were six muffs and four
bOnnets, and i've pork-pie hats, aud half-a-
coZen shawls on the bed; and one lady had lett
Der everyday curis hanging over the loOkin 2
glass. Upon nv word, / really didn't like 10
perform my toilet among all these feminine
gear; and there Was no lock to the door; and nv
oress-clOthes were all smOthered I'D among Il
these NUTS and things. But I got tbrOuyh
pretty well, and had just got one of nv legs into
my trousers, when bang strOp-dop-dOp. such 4
rattle st the knocker, AID / heard nv wife
hal 80
hiarkOys, our trump cards, who kept their on
Carriage and everything grand.
" So Kind Of you, dear" said ny wife kissing
Mrs. AIarksby most sffectionsteIy; L could he.T
the reports where / stood.
so Celghted! Really; how nicely, how
beautunily you arrange everything / cam
have things so nice, with ali my servants ana
hun upstairs, dear. dO!' SAID my wiie syou
KNOW me roon-my room, right hand at the tOI
OF the stairs
heard a futter of female wings on the stair
What was to do? Ii 4 could have managed
the other leg | wouldn't have minded, bat |
eOulda .. 4 hadn't worn those 6ress-things for
sOod while, and don't get any thinner As
grow Older. No, for the Life of me 1 cOuldn't
dispose OF that other leg at such short notice.
door, and set nv back against II DID I teII
you this was our house warming party? 1 think
rot. Did tell yOu our landlord az altered the
mouse n LOT u, making our bedrooms larger by
adding slip that had formed a separate room,
think not. And Vet ought to have told yO1
al these circumstances. to enable you to under
ceoAI luc Catastrophe mat follow In "A
WORD The door opened outwaTds- Id forgotten
mat pecuharity-neyer having had room 50
coh>uluted oefore-sEd never Will agasS. The
SOOI Nebt open with a crash, and / bounded
DaeAHhus INTO Mrs. Earkby's arms. Smell
1ng-salts and sal volatile wss thers avaT sue,
an unt0ward affair. " S " ~
Rum itimity- tum-Ge- de! The music s,ruck
mp Tor the dances s. hoped hack into nv
room hid my head aEaon gst the holsters an
murs, anc almost cried, Tor "a such a daJirate
minded man \ e., it hurt ne a good dsal mar
n an II die Mrs. AsTksby. Cor, would W. h.
heve itf-she told the story down bslo. 70 ~ a
whole company, with pant0 = imic action .Dd
when showed myself az the door OF the iraw-
Ing-room, was received with shouts OF inex
tnguished laughter lux
think called the Yorkshire peopls tansa
Just nov, did1't L? Well, I'll adj another eni
thet, coarse. dense and coarse. 4 told 'sn e.
but theS only laughed the more.
Inc guests were gone, the Ngats vsra On.
slumber had tnst visited my ewes when rigb,
into my brain, starring me up As n ia been
shot, came noise, q sort Of dull burstiGx MOI Sc
wasn't really certain at first Whistler 1 hari
heard noise or only dtsamed OF it. 4 sat mn
in bed and listened intsntly. Was II ouIy M
pure thamPing in nv ears, or were those Tegu-
lar beats the tramp OF somebody's mutt sd feat
Then heard an unmistakab!e sound-creak
creak, creak-a door being opened slowly and
cautiously. AL in a moment the idea flashed
into my hesd-freEty-tco Tio1sand POznds