Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1878-10-01
9tlGttro StOrp.
A BRAVE GIRL.

AAett NUS Ntil y ou " no alu ALN uON
/ came 10 Je IN The BAysvillo Bauk in tn,
"wee SmA' hours" one dreary December
night, somo thyee years ago.
My name. then. is Olive Hudson, anC
| wss seventeen ears old on that same
December night, and So vsry smal! that
Mrs. knights Dolly. who was nottwelve,
was half q head taller than myself.
We were rich folks once but father died
s1d eft Us very poor. Mother struggled
S.oSE in a weary hsndto-hsnd fight with
poverty Ill 1 "as sixteen. and died. She
had rented Two rooms yt Mis-. knight, s
widow also. with two slG.wart sous. an
aged ia'her and tao daughters. Alter
mother died was adopted by the Knights,
and although l was earning support as
music teacher in iho Baysvliio Academy,
was ike one OF the family when was
in ms good lsnGlsdY's home.
Tncy were ali in good positions, al
though BY no means an eris;ocTa,ic lami'
". John, the oldest son. was in New
York IA wholesale sugar house Tom
Was the night wstchm&u OF the Bsysyille
Bank bUiidirS. and grandpa-we All call
Cd him grandpa-wes telegraph operator
Of the town. Mary was miAiueT, and
Dolly still a; school
BaysviIie BauA building has large
granite structure. containing lie posi-ot-
ice and oaus on the frs; floor. and the
telegraph Office and number Of private
law Offices ou The third floor. In the base
ment wege p0sI-oGice rooms for sorting
the mail, snd also the large bs,uk vaults.
knew the building vel. Tor was fond
OF lelegTspbirg, and spent half my leis-
nre time perched up beside grandpa in
bis Office sending aud receiving messages,
while be slept peacefully or read the
newspapers. And ihA; was the beginning
OF ny amuso ment at Dryden, the next
station.
The operator a. Dryden was wit, and
flashed nonsense 70 our Office when busi-
ness was dull. l; :ell ila, when grandps
Was in The Office, bu. Il We. ,hole / sen,
back Jest for Jest lie called himself Ly-
on, and | tor nonsense signed myself Ele-
phant, Laughing as l did 80 s; the re1ec-
lion Of my tiny figure in the Office mir
rCr.
Beyond DYion, and only five miles
from Baysviile, was c., a large COM
merciAi town, the nearest railway station,
and where sn ofioe vas open for the &C.
cOmmodatiOn Of travellers.
As l have said. Tom Kuigh. was the
night Sstchmsr OF R=ysvillo Bank build.
iBg. The bank closed at throe, and by
six every Office was deserted for the night
At seven Tom Was on duly,aud grandpa,
who was restless ST night. was ir the habit
OF taking down some coffee and luncheon
as the building was onll = s...,'s throw
from the house.
On the December night already men.
toned It had s,ormed heavily all dsy and
had taken 3 new class al the Academy,
coming home later in the day than usual
Every body else had gone to bed. and
stood lingering over the kItchen fire with
Mrs. Knight. The clock struck twelve
and Mrs. knight said
"Do call grandpa, Olive; he's asleeI
on the sofa in the sitting room. I'll have
Toms baske, ready by the time he has
his ha. and coat on"
Let him sleep" l said, "rIl run over
with The basket. It's not q step"
We'll, if you will; though I'm afrait
Tom will scold at my letting you 20. &c
in the basement door. lie leaves thai
open tor grandpa"
/ hurried across the space between the
builci1g and the house. and stole softly
in a, the resr basement door, in pursuance
OF my plan to drop my basket and run
ln my rubber shoes my steps were noise
less. and had scarcely passed the thresh
old when | stood rooted to tie floor il
terrified Amusement. Somebody Was talk
ing.
While ! listened some one said:
There's s coDfoUrded draft here. Die
YOU shut the door, Smith ?a
Yes, but the wild may have blown il
open
had jus. time to dart under the stair.
case and crouch down, when the door oi
the vault opened and man came out
He crossed the entry drew the two heavy,
noisy bolts, fastened the door by which