Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-07-08

L
doors, see that things were all right
about the place, and sit down to my
newspaper in the little room which
served as my sleeping quarters.
Twenty years had passed since first
found myself installed at Red Ravine A.
telegraph operator in the railway sta
tion. Being content with the humdrum
sort of life, and faithful to nv duties.
had come by degrees to attend to al the
work which the place required. That
Is, l was ticket agent, baggage master
and keeper OF the station, besides acting
tor the express company and continuing
my charge OF the telegraph key. These
conpincd iabors made It pretty close
WORK for me, but they all yielded very
C smfortable income; and as I was
t'oubled with no unsatisfied ambitions
counted myself well fixed. AS have
lntlmated, | slept in the station, partly
to keep guard on the company's property
and partly from choice; being "A bach
elor and without kin, had nothing To
attract me elsewhere. MY duties had
grown part of second nature, and |
had lived IN the little town so long that
the younger generation had come to
speak of me rs "Old Billy" That " as,
L suppose, because my hair was getting
gray and my joints little stiff.
The Red Revine station was wooden
building, about forty feet long and
twenty wide. 1t was divided into two
compartments, the larger one being for
freight and baggage, and the smaller
one for passengers. My own little
room was only "A piece partitioned off
from the freight quarter, and ten feet
square, and connected by door with a
box oil an office in the passengers room,
which served both for selling tickets
and holding the telegraph key. In this
latter apartment. also, was placed the
old-fashioned iron safe, in wi ich /
locked up my valuable express packages
when any happened to come to Red
Ravine. The village, l ought to ex.
plain, had grown up entirely through
the influence of the great iron works of
Eldridge & Ricketson. There were rich
beds OF ore few miles to the north, and
these, as well as the foundry, which
employed 400 or 500 hands, were con-
trolled by the firm have mentioned.
There had been some trouble at the
works recently-a strike or something
growing out OF delay in paying the men
their wages. This is how it happened
that the Sl3,O 900 money package came
into my keeping for night.
Well, when | had made all snug
about the station, and got off my wet
| clothing, | sat down comfortably with
pipe and newspaper TO enjoy my GUS
tomary reading. The storm outside
continued to rage more and more fierce
ly, but within, things were COSY as
could be- But that night, things
seemed all out OF gear, as / have said.
My pipe didn't soothe me as was its
wont; try as | might, couldn't get in
terested in the newspaper; an uncom-
Portable feeling of dread--a feeling that
some shadowy but horrible thing was
about to happen possessed my mind
" 1t all comes from that pesky money
package" muttered to myself. why
couldn't it have got here on the IL: 30
and saved me the job of keeping 1t here
over nightf'
Just at this moment came n terrific
clap of thunder and 4 flash of Lightning
vivid enough TO make the lamp dim.
had locked up the package in the safe
and put the key-there was no combine
ton lock-in my pocket. But / had not
the largest faith in the security of the
old safe. 1t had occurred TO me often
that person could open It, even If he
wasn't n skillful cracksman. 1t was nv
custom to leave my door open between
my little room and the ticket Office, so
that il Red Ravine was called on the
telegraph key i could hear it. The in
strument had been clicking away at n
great rate for the past hour; but as II
was none OF my business had paid no
attention TO what was going over the
wires judged now from the nearness
OF the lightning and the jerking sounds
OF the instrument that the storm was
playing the mischief with the messages.
/ N N tcIa IN
light was left burning. and stood for
some time thinking whether the money
package would be less exposed in the
safe than 1t would be under the mattress
OF my bed, and | finally concluded that
the latter would be the hardest for any
possible thief to reach. So | took out
the heavy brown envelope and slowed
1t away under the mattress.
Once more / sat down to my newpaper
and pipe, but with no better success
than before. The storm seemed now To
have conferred right over the little sta
tion. Peal after peal of thunder rent
the air. and the lightning played about
the sky like phosphorus on an inky back
ground. III you have ever chanced to
be in atelegraph Office during thunder
storm, you may have seen the electric
ity dash down the wires in way to
make timid people nervous. Even
veteran operators, like myself, wouldn't
want to undertake to receive that )rt
of message. was tempted TO close he
key, but the meaningless ticking mad
sort of fascination for me in the mood |
then was.
To occupy myself about something !
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 MS /
was entering my own nest, the light OF
the lantern fell squarely on the wooden
box. Oddly enough. until that moment
/ had forgotten all about the dead young
woman. Thinking so steadily of the
$4,000 had, | suppose, driven the box
out of my mind. But can't say It was
any comfort to have 1t brought back
now; for a corpse is never the most |
cheerful of company, and. feeling as / |