Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1875-09-16

and Farley often wondered how it was
that so little fellow came to know sc
much. In return for these entertain
ments, Farley taught lack many of the
small mysteries of account-keeping
! showed him how to take eare of books,
and various Office duties. lack looked
with wonder on the huge ledgers and
journals, and at the mighty safe, sci
like great cupboard in the walls
large enough for man to walk inside
and stand erect. He grew to have 8
sort of affection for the broad white
pages of Farleys foiios, with theil
beautiful writing and figures. At odd
hours he learned to do a great deal in
the way of adding columns and filing
papers, while poor Farley, with his
bent back and red eyes, was leaning
over his desks and toiling through the
long reckonings, making no sound save
the scratching of his pen and the lay
ing down of his pencil.-this hard
work told upon Farley severely; SC
much so as even to cause him to faint
at times and lack had more than
once revived him by bringing ice water
and ammonia, and throwing open the
windows for air. Thus the two be-
came fast friends
lack took a great interest in the
huge locks on the safe, and two or
three times he had happened in the
morning when Farley was alone, and
stood by to see him open the one under
his care. He listened with curious
wonder TO the heavy clink of the bolts
and the significant rattle of the odd
looking key in the wards, and he kept
his eyes open to all the strange ma
neuvers that seemed necessary to per-
form the work. One particular part of
the unlocking was evidently a secret,
for Farley never explained it, or said
anything about it. After inserting the
key, he used to turn the knob of the
door a certain number of times, appar-
emily counting Or calculating as be did
so, until the lock seemed to give q
muffled signal inside, and the door was
easily pulled open. The mystery was
in the number, lack was sure that
this number was not always the same,
and that was al 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 COM
posed of bits of steel; each stamped
with number, and all fastened to-
gether with 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 pie
ces, aud make similar change, IN the
lock. Then, SO long as he kept secret
the combination, no amount of guess
work would enable burglar of any
dishonest person to open the door.
The closing of the door was more
simple matter, for when once arranged
by the numbers, the lock would set
itself without the aid of key.
lack, seeing that Farley was not
disposed to explain the secret of the
key, of course said nothing about it,
and contented himself with trying te
understand fully what the good clerk
was disposed to explain. Meantime
the boy had to sweep and dust the
Office as ever, and on the nights when
Farley stayed late which he did US
ually at the end of each month, lack
fastened his labors in order to get the
sooner into his friends society. On
other nights, Farley left early, Zack
was lonely enough, and moped through
his task without the slightest enthu
siasm.-But he always busted Farley's
desk with the greatest Cafe, and emp
tied his waste basket, and cleaned his
pens, and filled his ink stands, and ar:
ranged everything with scrupulous and
affectionate neatness.
1t vexed him to discover while NOV.
ing about among These desks great
many things that he did not under.
stand, and that seemed to be constant
ly used by Farley. For instance, there
were the interest tables, and the for
eign money rates, and the mercantile
agency reports, and, besides these, all
sorts of cancelling stamps, and pass
books, and memoranda, that lie could
not make head or tail of.
One thing in particular puzzled him
excessively. He dropped large book
while he was busting, and on picking
it up, he found these words written
family in pencil at the top Of one Of
the leaves:
"The landing of g olumbus and the