St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-07-05
Over The Wires.
BY S. ANNIE FROST.

BY S. ANNIE FROST.
First, ] must tell you who | am, and
how | came to be in the Baysville Bank
in the ''wee sma' hours" one dreary
December night, some three years ago.
My name, then, is Olive Hudson, and
| was seventeen years old that same
December night, and so very small, that
Mrs. Knights Delly, who was twelve,
was half head taller than myself.
We were rich folks once, but father
died and left us very poor. Mother
struggled along in weary hand to
hand fight with poverty till l was six
teen, and 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 al
though l was earning support as
music teacher 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 eldest son, was in
a wholesale sugar house; Tom was the
building, and grandpa-we all called
of the town, while Mary was milliner,
and Dolly still at school.
Baysville Bank building was large
granite structure, containing the post
office and bank on the first floor, the
telegraph office and 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.
l knew the building well, for was
fond of telegraphing, and spent half my
leisure time perched up beside grandpa
in his Office, sending and receiving mes
sages, while he slept peacefully or read
the newspapers.
And that was the beginning of my
amusement at Dryden, the next station
The operator at Dryden was wit, and
flashed nonsense to our Office when
business was dull. 1t fell flat when
grandpa was in the Office, but if l were
there, 1 sent back jest for jest, and
sometimes an hour slipped by like a
minute as we talked over the wires OF
every topic under the sun. He called
himself Lion, and l, for nonsense, sign
ed myself Elephant, laughing while
did so at the reflection of my tiny figure
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 travellers.
AS have said, Tom Knight was the
night watchman of Baysville Bank
building and lonely time he had of it
The last mail came by stage at foul
o'clock in the afternoon, and the posi-
Office was vacated at six. The bank
closed at three, and 10y six every office
was deserted for the night.
At seven Tom was on duty, anC
grandpa, who was restless at night, was
in the habit of taking down some coffee
and luncheon, as the building was only
a stones throw from our house.
On the December night | have al
ready mentioned, it had stormed heavi-
ly all day, and had taken a new class
at the Academy, coming home later il
the day than usual, and excited ovel
my increase of salary.
Everybody else had gone to bed, anG
1 was lingering over the kitchen fire
with Mrs. Knight, dreading the plunge
into my cold room, where l 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 asleeI
on the sofa in the sitting room. II
have TOMS basket ready by the timt
grandpa has his coat and hat on.
hate to call him, for he was complain.
ing of rheumatism to-day, and the
ground is very wet, although the storm
is oveI.n
''Let him Sleep" 1 said '1'll ru1
over with the basket. 1t is not STEP
"But it is so dark. Are you no
afraid ?r
mot a bit. I'll slip on my water
proof and rubbers, and draw the hoot
of the cloak over my head"
''Well, if you will. Though l an
afraid Tom will scold at my letting yol
CO."
"Tll put the basket on the table an,
run, and he will never know who LET
it.n
"Go into the rear basement door. HI
leaves that open for grandpa"
, 81 know.n
grasped the handle of the basket
, hurried across the space between th
building and the house, and stole softl
: in at the rear basement door, in pursu
ance OF my plan to drop the basket an
run.
, In my rubber shoes my steps wer
noiseless, and had scarcely passed th