The tribune. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1874-1876, 1875-06-30

ticant rattle of the odd. looking key in
the wards, and he kept his eyes open TO
all the strange maneuvers that seemed
necessary to perform the work. One
particular part of the unlocking was
evidently n secret, for Farley never ex-
planned it, or said anything about it. At
ter inserting the key he used to turn the
knob of the door certain number of
times, apparently counting or calculat-
ing as he did so, until the lock seemed
to give muffled signal inside and the
door was easily pulled open. The mys-
terry was in the number. Zack was sure
that this number was not always the
same, and that was all he could make
out.
The key itself was entirely unlike any
variety of the ordinary form of key, and
its use would scarcely be suspected by
an uninitiated person.. 1t was of the
combination sort, and was composed
of bits of steel, each stamped with q
number, and all fastened together with
n long slide, which ran through little
grooves. The place into which the key
fitted was arranged to correspond, and
whenever it was thought that too many
persons in or about the Office knew how
the key was made up, the one that had
charge of the safe had only to take the
key apart, change the positions of the
pieces, and make q similar change in
the lock. Then. so long as he kept
secret the combination, no amount of
guess-work would enable burglar or
any dishonest person to open the door.
The closing of the door was more sim
pie matter, for when once arranged by
the numbers, the lock would set itself
without the aid of key.
Zack, seeing that Farley was not dis
posed to explain the secret of the key,
of course said nothing about it, and con-
tented himself with trying to understand
fully what the good clerk was disposed
to explain, Meantime, the boy had to
sweep and dust the office rs ever, and on
the nights when Farley stayed late,
which he did usually at the end of each
month, 'Zack fastened his labors in
order to get the sooner into his friends
society. On other nights, when Farley
left early, Zacl1 was lonely enough, and
moped through his task without the
slightest enthusiasm. But he always
busted Farley's desks with the greatest
care, and emptied his waste basket, and
cleaned his pens, and filed his ink
stands, and arranged everything with
scrupulous and affectionate neatness.
1t vexed him to discover while moving
about among these desks great many
things that he did not understand, and
that seemed to be constantly used by
Farley. For instance, there were the
interest tables, and the foreign money
rates, and the mercantile agency rep ortS,
and, besides these, all sorts of canceling
stamps, and passbooks, and memoranl la,
that he could not make head or tell ot.
One thing i'll particular puzzled him
excessively. He dropped q large book
while he was dusting, and on picking it
ND. he found these words written family
in pencil at the top Of one of the leaves
"The landing of Columbus and the
days of the year make the key, Nov. 20,
1869"
"What on earth," queried Zack to
himself, "can that mean? ?" and he re-
peated it over and over again.
1t became fixed in his memory, but
no solution Of it came to hand. 1t re-
recalled, when he happened to catch
did not dream that these words would
have n ife-and- death Importance by-and-
bye. The writing was the work of Far
ley, done to aid his memory, and which
he had intended sometime to erase.
y,
ill much of the time, continued to in
struct his young friend, and Zack, under
his tuition, was initiated into the Sc
crets of double-entry bookkeeping. In
the course of q month or two he master
ed most of them, and was proud OF his
success. 1t seemed, too, to have bene-
fetal effect upon his personal habits.
He took pains to polish his shoes, and
to smooth his ha r, and to conduct him
self like gentleman. Though he still
discharged his duties rs sweeper, he wore
an old coat and an old straw hat to pro.
tect himself from the dust. In fact he
began to be and feel like new man, and
he attributed it all to Farley.
Poor Farley His tasks seemed to
grow more heavy every week, and he
bent under them SO perceptibly that
Zack's heart ached.
"Can't you go away, sir, for little
while on vacation 2" asked Zack one
day.
'No, I'm afraid not, Zack," said Far
ley, ct don't think the officers would
let me-"
"Then they must be brutes, that's
all !" cried the boy.
"Sh-sh-sh !" whispered Farley, look
ing around cautiously. Don't say
Sucn GnnBS, Lack anu his tn1n nanuS
trembled from sheer nervousness.
CT wish," said Zack, hardly able
to control his voice, "that knew how
to do something for you, sir, You have
done so much for me. But I can't. I'd
like to give you thousand dollars-and
let you go into the country for year or
two-or do all your work for you-or
something p Farley gazed at him with
thankful earnestness in his dim eyes, but
made no reply. But Zack had a chance