New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-09-01
tobacco-th6 only luxury in which I
was really extravagant- fresh news
paper and a bottle of good Holland gin,

tobacco-th6 only luxury in which
was really extravaganza fresh news
paper and q bottle Of good Holland gin,
wherewith to make my regular noctur-
nal toddy. Certainly these were pleasant
surroundings for an old fellow like me,
and as rule they yielded as much
solid comfort as man has right to
expect in this world. But that night
things seemed all out of geer, as have
said. My pipe didn't soothe me as was
its wont; try as might couldn't get
interested in the newspaper; an uncom-
Portable feeling of dread "a feeling that
some shadowy but horrible thing was
about to happen-possessed my mind
and even when had mixed up q toddy
considerable stronger thsn usual Il
failed to bring the relief I had hoped
for.
-" 1t nil comes of that pesky money
package, I muttered to myself. "Why
couldn't it have got here on the 1880
and saved me the job of keeping it hero
over nightp'' 49,.
just at this moment came n terrific
clap of thunder and flash of lightning
vivid enough to make the lamp dim. I
had locked up the package in the safe
and put the key-there was no combi-
nation lock-in my pocket. But I had
not the largest faith in the security of
the old safe. 1t had occurred to me
often that person could open it oven
if he wasn't 4 skillful cracksman. 1t
was my custom to leave my door open
between my little room and the ticket
office, so that if Red Ravine was called
on tho telegraph key I could hear it.
Tho instrument had been clicking away
at a great rate for the past hour; but as
it was none of my business 1 had paid
no attention to what was going on over
the wires. I judged now from tho
nearness of the lightning and the jerky
sounds of the instrument that the storm
was playing the mischief with the mes
sages. l passed into the ticket Office,
where a light was left burning, and
stood for some time thinking whether
the money package would be less OK
posed III the safe than it would be under
tho mattress of my bed, and finally
concluded that tho latter place would
be hardest for any possible thief to
reach. So I took out the heavy brown
envelope and slowed it away under tho
mattress. Then l took a second glass
OF tOddy. which was usually against my
rule, but which thought tho circum-
stances warranted.
Once more l sat down to my news
paper and pipe, but with no better sue
cess than before. The storm seemed
now to have conferred right over the little
station. Peal after peal of thunder rent
the mir and the lightning played about
the sky like phosphorus on an inky
background. If you have ever Glanced
to be in a telegraph office during thun-
der storm, you may have seen the cleo
tricity dash down the wires in way to
make timid people nervous. Even vet
eran operators, like myself, wouldn't
want to undertake to receive that sort of
message. Twas tempted to close tho key,
but the meaningless ticking had sort
OF fascination for ME in the mood then
was. 1t was like the incohcrcnt NUT
terings of maniac where now and
then, at long intervals only, could one
distinguish q word or sentence. Maybe
the extra allowance of teddy had made
me more imaginative than usual, and
given a weird coloring TO my thoughts;
for listening to the rapid click-click, 1
remember of faucying that some spirit
hand had got hold Of the key and was
pouring OUT wall of woe over the
wires.
was too restless to sit still and too
nervous to 90 to bed. Besides, even if
hadn't been 50 upset in my mind, it is
doubtful whether l could have slept
thr ough such a storm as that.
10 occupy myself about something l
relighted my lantern, went into the
freight room, examined again the bolts
of the doors and the fastenings of the
windows and returned to the room
more worried and upset than ever. Just
as was entering my own nest the light
of tho lantern fell squarely on the wood
en- box. Oddly enough, until that mo-
mcnt l had forgotten all about the dead
young woman. Thinking so steadily of
the $13, 900 had, suppose, driven the
box out of mind. But can't say it was
any comfort to have it brought back
now; for corpse is never the most
cheerful of company, and, feeling as l
did then, I would a great deal rather
have had no company at all.
1t must have been the imp of tho per-
verse, l suppose, that impcllcd mo,
after the box had been brought back to
my mind, to leave tho door open so
that l could sit and stare at it with
morbid curiosity! As I have already
said, my sleeping apartment was par
titioned off from the freight room and
was connected with the latter by door
The body had been placed in such
position that when this door was open
the head of the box was in sight. Two
or three times got up to shut the door,
but some strange fatality drove me back
to my chair and caused me to keep in
view the box with its sad freight. All
this time the storm ragged, the thunder
discharged its mighty batteries, the
lightning flashed and the mad rawlings
of the telegraph continued. 1 caught
my hand trembling as l tried to refill
my pipe. Nervousness, no doubt; but
possibly an observer might have thought
old Billy was frightened.
had just risen to wind the little clock
on the shelf, when suddenly out of the
hitherto meaningless ticking of the in
strument sharply and distinctly came
10 myears these sounds: .-
'--S--S. - So.
which in spoken words meant, Watch
the box!'
started as if charge of electricity
had shot through my frame. l could
fairly feel my face growing white. 1
stood motionless. clutching the back of
the chair, and with my eyes riveted in
vacant stare at the table in the tele-
graph office. knew this was no work
of an excited Imagination. The words
to my practiced ear, were as plain as if
shouted in clarion tones. There had
come no call for Red Ravinc and the
message ended without signature or
mark, but abruptly. as it had begun.
Moro than that, it was not the writing of
any operator on any section of the line.