The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1877-08-30
OVER THE WIRES.
BY $. ANNIE FROST.

BY $. ANNIE FROST.
First must tell you who am, and
how l came to be in the Baysvill,
bank in the ''wee sma hours" on,
dreary December night, some three
years ago.
My name, then, is Olive Hudson
and was seventeen wears old on tina,
same December night, and SO very
small, that Mrs. Knights Dolly. whs
was not twelve, was half head taller
than myself.
We were rich folks once, but father
died and left us very poor. Mother
struggled along with weary hand tc
hand fight till / was sixteen, and died
She had rented two rooms of Mrs
knight, widow also, with two stal.
wart sons, an aged father, and two
daughters. After mother died / was
adopted by the Knights, andalthough
I was earning a support as music teach
er in the Baysville Academy, l was
like one Of the family when | was in
my good landlady's home.
They were all in good positions, al
though by no means an aristocratic
family. John, the oldest son, was in
New York in wholesale sugar house;
Tom was the night watchman of the
Baysville Bank Building, and grand
pave all called him grandpa-was
telegraph operator of the town; Mary
wasa milliner, and Dolly still at school.
Baysville Bank Building was large
granite structure containing the post
office and bank on the first floor, and
q number of private law offices on the
second floor, and other private offices
on the third floor. In the basement
were post office rooms for sorting the
mail, and also the large bank vaults.
Iknew the building well, for was
fond of telegraphing, and spent half
my leisure time perched up beside
grandpa in his Office sending and re-
ceiving messages while he slept peace
fully, or read the newspapers.
And that was the beginning of my
amusement ut Dryden. the next sta
tion. The operator at Dryden was a
wit, and flashed nonsense to our Office
when business was dull. 1t fell fiat
when grandpa was in the Office, but if
| was there, l sent back jest for jest,
and sometimes an hour slipped by like
a minute as talked over the wires of
every topic under the sun. He called
himself Lion, and /, for nonsense
signed myself Elephant, laughing as !
did so at the reflection of my tiny fig
ure in the office mirror.
Beyond Dryden, and only five miles
from Baysville, was c., large COM
mercial town, the nearest railway sta
ton, and where an Office was always
open for the accommodation Of travel
ers.
As have said, Tom Knight was
the night watchman of Baysville Bank
Building, and a lonely time he had of
it. The last mail came by stage at
four O'Clock in the afternoon, and the
post office was vacated at six. The
bank closed at three, and by six every
office was deserted for the night.
At seven Tom was on duty, and
grandpa, who was restless at night,
was in the habit of taking down some
coffee and luncheon, as the building
was only stones throw from our
house.
On the De cember night / have al
ready mentioned, it had stormed heav-
lily all day, and had taken new class
at the Academy, coming home later
in the day than usual, and excited over
my increase in salary.
Everybody else had gone to bed, and
l was lingering over the kitchen fire
with Mrs. Knight, dreading the plunge
into my cold room where had allow
ed the fire to go out.
The clock struck twelve, and Mrs.
Knight, lifting her face from over the
fire, said:
"Do call grandpa, Olive he's asleep
on the sofa in the sitting-room. I'll
have Toms basket ready by the time
grandpa has his hat and coat on. l
hate to call him, for he was complain
ing of rheumatism to-day, and the
ground is very wet, although the storm
is over"
"Let him Sleep" said, I'll run over
with the basket. 1t is not a step.'
"But it is so dark. Aren't you araid?"
mot bit. I'll slip on my water
proof and rubbers, and draw the cloak
of the hood over my head"
"Well, if you will. Though l am
afraid that Tom will scold at my let
ting you 60"
"I'll put the basket on the table, and
run, and he will never know who left
it."
"Go in the rear basement door. He
leaves that open for grandpa"
II KNOW
grasped the handle of the basket,
hurried across the space between the
building and the house, and stole soft
ly in at the rear basement door, in
pursuance of the plan to drop my bas-
ket and run.
In my rubber shoes my steps were
noiseless, and had scarcely passed
the threshold when l stood rooted to
the floor in terrified amazement.
Somebody was talking!
crept forward and listened. There
were men in the bank vault, and u
glimmer of light shone under the door.
While listened, some one said
There's q confounded draft here
Did you shut the door Smith,"
Eyes, but the wind may have blown
it open."
/ had just time to dart under the
staircase and crouch down, when the
door of q vault opened, anda man
came out.
He crossed the entry, drew the two,
heavy, noisy bolts, fastening the door
by which had entered, and returned,
without closing the vault door.
Icould look in by the dim light to
see two men working at the safe locks,