Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1873-01-25

company, with pantomlinlc actlQn-and
when I showed myself at the door of
the drawing-room, was received with
shouts of inextinSuishable laughter!
I think I called the Yorkshire people
dense just now, didn't I? Well, I'll
add another epithet-- coarse-dense
and coarse. I told 'em so; but they
only laughed the more. :.
The guests were gone, the lights were
out, slumbcr had just visited my eyes,
when right into my brain, starting me
up as if I'd been shot, came noise, a
sort of dull bursting noise. I wasn't
really certain at first whether I had
heard Il noise or only dreamed of it. I
sat up in bed and listened intcntly.
Was it only my pulse humping in my
ears, or were those regular beats, the
tramp of somebody's mufllcd feet?
Then 1 heard an unmistakable sound
creak, creak, creak-a door being opened
slowly and cautiously. All in moment
the idea flashed into my head-Iuenty-
hco Thousand pounds. You see, all this
dancing and junketing, and laughing
and chatting, had completely driven out
of my mind all thoughts of the large
sum had in my possession. I had
left it in my grcat-coat pocket, which
was hanging up in the hall, down
stairs.
Puff! gust of wind came through
the house, rattling the doors and win
dows; and then heard door slam,
and q footstep, outside, of some one
stealing cautiously away.
Away downstairs I went like mad
man, my one thought was to put my
hand on that great-coat. 1t was a
brown great-coat with long tails, and
two pockets behind, and a little cash
pocket on the left-hand side in front,
and this breast-pocket in which I had
put the bag of money. The pocket
wasn't, as is usual, ON the left-hand
side, but on the right. There was no
other coat hanging on those rails, only
my wife's waterproof. What swoop
I made to get hold of that coat! Great
heavens! it was gone!
l had carefully barred and chained
the front door before l went to bed
now it was unfastened. 1 ran out into
the street, and looked up and down,
hopeless and bewildered. 1t was dark,
damp night; the lamp at the corner
threw a long sickly ray down the stream
ing pavement, but there wasn't a soul
to be seen. Everything was still, and
cold and dark.
The money was clean .gone-ycs, it
was gone. I repeated these words
mechanically TO myself, as I crawled
upstairs. All the results of this loss
pictured themselves clearly before me
dismissed from the bank, ruin of all
my prospects, utter ruin, in fact! What
could / do? to what turn? The blow
that had fallen upon me was so heavy
and sudden that it had benumbed my
faculties. My chief desire was to crawl
into bed and fall asleep, hoping never
to wake. But morning would come,
surely enough-and it's attendant mis-
cries.
Then the thought came to me; Should
I go to bed and say nothing at all about
it? No one knew of my having received
the money, not soul but Black, the
man who had depositedit. I Ihad given
no receipt for it, no acknowled gment.
Black had go to America--a hundred
things might happen-he might never
return; at all events, here was respite,
immediate relief. I could go to the
bank next morning, hang up my hat as
usual, everything would go on as be-
fore. If Black returned, my word was
as good as his. The notes and checks
cauld never be traced home. But I
don't think I retained that thought
long. Do you ever consider how much
resolution and force of will it takes to
imitiate course of crime and deception
I'd neither the one or the other; I
should have broken down at once. I
couldn't have met that fellows eye and
told him had never had his'money.
I Iwoke my wife-she'd slept through
all the trouble. Mary" said, we're
ruined-there's been robbery"
"a robbery" cried she, claspins
her hands: and arc the men gene p
Yes said.
Oh, thank Heaven!" she said, "then
we're safe! Never mind the rest, Jack,
so long as otir lives are safe. But
where's nv waterproof. ,Jack-oh! do