The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-30
!" OVER THE WIRES. -

First, must tell you who am and how !
came to be in the Baysville Bank In the "wee
sfla' hours" one dreary December night
some three years ago,
NV name was then Olive Hudson, and was
seventeen years old that same December
night, and SO small that Mrs. Knights Dolly,
who was not twelve years old, was half head
taller than myself. .
we were rich folks once, but father died and
left us very poor. Mother struggled along in
d weary hand-to-hand fight with poverty till
j was sixteen, and then died. She had rented
two rooms OF Mrs. Knight widow also, with
two stalwart sons, an aged father and two
daughters. After mother died was adopted
by the Knights, and although ] was earning a
support as music teacher In the Baysvile
Academy, | was like one Of the family when
was In my good landlady's home.
They were all In good positions, but by no
means an aristocratic family. John, the eld-
est son, was In New York in wholesale sugar
house; Tom was the night Waterman of the
Baysvile Bank building, and grandpa--we all
call him grandpa-was telegraph operator of
the town, while Mary was a milliner, and
Dolly stayed at the Office sending and re-
ceiving messages,
Baysville Bank building was q large granite
structure, containing the postOi1ice and the
bank on the first floor, the telegraph office
and number OF private Offices on the second
floor, and other private offices on the third
floor. In the basement were postotfice rooms
for sorting the mail. and also the large bank
vault.
/ knew the building well, for was fond of
teiegraphing. and spent half my leisure time
perched up beside grandpa, while he slept
peacefully or read the papers.
And that was the beginning OF my amuse-
ment at Dryden, the next station. The oper-
ator at Dryden was q wit, and flashed nom
sense at our office when business was dull It
fell flat when grandpa was in the office, but II
j were there / sent back jest for jest and
sometimes an hour slipped by like minute
as we talked over the wires of every topic un-
der the sun. He called himself Lion" and
i, for nonsense, signed myself Elephant, F."
laughing as / did 80 at the reflection of my
tiny fingers In the office mirror.
Beyond Dryden, and only five miles from
Baysville, was CT, a large commercial mn
an Office was always open for the accOmmo-
datfon of travellers.
AS / have said, Tom Knight was the night
Waterman OF Baysville Bank building, and a
by stage at o'clock in the afternoon, and the
postotfice was vacated at g. The bank closed
at 3, and by o'clock every office was deserted
for the night.
At a Tom was on duty, and grandpa, who
was restless at night was in the habit of TAX
ing down some coffee and luncheon, as the
building was only stones throw from the
house.
On the December night have already men
toned, 1t had stormed heavily all day, and
home later in the day than usual. and excited
over my increase in salary.
Everybody else had gone to bed, and was
lingering over the kitchen fire with Mrs.
Knight, dreading the plunge into my cold
room, where had allowed 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 bas-
ket ready by the time grandpa has his hat
on hot fD nnn for no c
complaining OF rheumatism all 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 but a step"
But 1t is SO dark; are you not afraid?'
"Not bit; I'll slip on my waterproof and
rubbers and draw the hood of my cloak over
s.Well, if you will; though am afraid Tom
will scold at my letting you GO
'sI'll put down my basket and run, and he
viii never know who left it"
go into the rear basement door; he leaves
that open for grandpa"
81 know"
hurried across the space between the building
and the house, and stole softly in at the base
ment door, in pursuance OF my plan to drop
the basket and run.
In my rubber shoes my steps were noise.
less, and had scarcely passed the threshold
amaZement.
Somebody was talking.
/ crept forward and listened. There was
man in the vault, and light shone under the
door.
While listened some one said:
There is a confounded draft here; did yor
shut the door, Smith p
''Yes, but the wind might have blown il
open
/ had just time to dart under the staircase
and crouch down. when the door of the Vauli
opened and man came out.
He crossed the entry, drew two heavy, noisy
bolts, fastened the door by which I had en-
tered, and returned without closing the vault
door.
/ could look in by the dim light and sex
two men working at the safe locks by thu
stream of light thrown from dark lantern
There was the outline Of a man bound anC
gagged upon the floor, but could only con
lecture that it was Tom, for / could not SCI
There was nicely Gagged, for it would b