The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1879-04-03

E4I5b 4 nu5b tell you WHO i am ana
how came to be in the Baysville bank
in the "wee, sma' hours" one dreaTy
December night some three years ago.
My name, then, is Olive Hudson, and
/ was seventeen years old on that same
December night, and so very small that
Mrs. knights Dolly, who was not
twelve, was half head taller than my
self.
We were rich folks once, but father
4 died and left US very poor. Mother
i struggled along in a weary, hand-to-
hand tight with poverty till was six
teen, and then died. She had rented
two rooms Of Mrs. Knight, a widow also,
with two stalwart sons, an aged father,
and two daughters. After mother died
I was adopted by the Knights, and al
though I was earning a support as music
teacher in the Baysville Academy, 1 was
like one Of the family when l was III my
good landlady's home.
They were all in good positions, al
! though by no means an aTistOcTatiC
] family. John, the eldest son, was in
New York in a wholesale sugar house;
/ Tom was the night Watchman of the
Baysville bank building, and grandpa
we all called him grandpa-was tele-
graph operator of the town; Mary was
Ia millineT, and Dolly still at school.
Baysville Bank building was a large
granite structure, containing the post
Office and bank on the first floor, tele-
graph Office and a 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.
7 I 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 be-
ginning of my amusement at Dryden,
the next station.
The operator at Dryden was q wit, and
flashed nonsense to our Office when bus
mess was dull It fell fiat when grand
pa was in the Office, but when 1 was
there, I sent back Jest for Jest. He
signed himself Lion, and ], for nonsense,
signed myself Elephant, laughing as 1
did SO at the reflection of my tiny figure
in the Office mirror.
Beyond Dryden, and only five miles
from BaysYille, was c., a large COM
mercial town, the nearest railway sta
ton, and where an Office was always
open for the accommodation Of trav-
elers.
AsI have said, Tom Knight was the
night WatChman of Baysville Bank
building. The bank closed at 8, and by
8 every office was deserted for the night.
At 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 a
stones throw from our house.
On the December night already men
toned, it had stOrmed heavily all day,
and l had taken a new class at the aCad-
emy, coming home later in the day than
usual. Everybody else had gone to bed,
and I was lingering over the kitchen
fire with Mrs. Knight. The clock struck
IL, and Mrs. Knight said:
''Do call grandpa, Olive he's asleep
on the sofa in the sitting-rOOm. III
have Toms basket ready by the time
grandpa has his hat and coat on"
"Let him sleep" l said. "PL run
over with the basket. 1t is not a step"
"WeII. ifyou will. Though am afraid
Tom will scold at my letting you 60. Go
in the basement door. He leaves that
open for grandpa."
I hurried across the space between
the building and the house, and stole
softly in at the rear basement door, in
pursuance of my plan to drop the basket
and run. In my rubber shoes my steps
were nOiseless, and 1 had scarcely passed
the Threshold when l stood rooted to
the floor in terrified amazement. Some
body was talkingl
IA b7T6 I 1icfonad c0T11a NV1n cold
There's a confounded draft here. DID
you shut the door, SmithP
eyes, but the wind may have blown it
open."
/ had Just time to dart under the stair
case and crouch down when the door Of
the vault opened, and a man came out.
He crossed the entry, drew the two
heavy, noisy bolts, fastened the door by
which I had entered, and returned with
out closing the vault door.
l could look in by the dim light to see
two men working at the locks by the
stream of light thrown from a dark Ian
tern. There was the outline of man
bound and gagged upon the door, but
could only conjecture that it was Tom.
There 1 was nicely Gagged, for it would
be impossible for me to drag those
heavy bolts without attracting notice.
Suddenly 1 remembered the telegraph
Office on the second floor. If I could
summon help from C-I 1t was only
five miles, and there was a long job be-
fore the burglars before tney could open
the safe.
COuId I creep around the staircase? ?
If one Of those busy men turned his
head I was lost. 1 softly crept out on all
Fours SLOWLY wafcbfIIIv and GAINED fh,
stairs, up ! darted, blessing my india
rubber shoes, till gained the door of
the telegraph Office. All dark there,
and 1 dared not strike a match.
listened, and then groped my way to
the well-known desk, and sent this mes
sage:
Burglars in the BaysvilIe bank vault.
Watchman gagged and bound! Can
you send helpP
Again the agony Of suspense in listen