New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1880-09-01

instant of my sitting down at the table
the clicking stopped short, as it had
done before, and then these words were
repeated: Watch tie boz.
Every dot, every dash, every letter,
every word. camo with such horrible
distinctness. that it seemed to send
sharp pain tingling through my ears. It
was like the loud whispering of some
ghostly voice. Then again, broke out
the jargon of sound that turned the
clicking into meaningless confusion. j
Isprang up from The table and with
the now strengthened conviction that it
was no delusion, no fancy, but that the
sound had come plainly over the wires
l felt my courage returning and resolved
to heed the mysterious warning. The
rolling of tho thunder and the mad roar
of the storm no longer depressed ME. I
stepped boldly back into my own room
and rested my eyes unfiinchingly on
the mysterious box. What was its
mysterious freight? Why had the phan-
tom of the storm sent those startling
words over the wires? What unknown
hand had reached out from the very
lightning itself to warn me of some i'm
pending danger? These questions rushed
through my. mind as felt the dread
fear disappearing and found myself OF
sudden growing strangely calm.
The clock struck ten. l turned to
the shelf and with hand that no longer
trembled inserted the key and wound
it composedly. Would it be the last
time that l should perform that simple
task? No matter. Happier than most
men, because content with my humble
lot, it should never be said that old Billy
f]inched in the face of duty. For that
night it was my duty-my one sacred,
all-important duty-to guard the treas
ure left to my keeping And guard it
l would while life remained.
When had finished winding the clock
took down from the shelf an old rusty
pistol which had lain for years undis-
turbed. It was not loaded, nor had
either powder or bullet anywhere in tho
station. But the weapon was IN ugly
looking one and carried sort of silent
force in case of too aggressive argument.
After examining the rusty lock put tho
pistol on tho table, made fresh glass
Of toddy, drank it, lighted my pipe and
closed the door that opened into the
freight-room. Now that l was thor
oughly myself again l found it easy
enough to shut out the sight of that ON
nous oblong box.
It was not until the clock struck again
that is elevcn-that made up my mind
to 20 to bed. All that time the storm
held on, although the thunder had be-
gan to rumble more distantly. threw
off my coat and slippers, put out
the light in the ticket Office and turned
that in my sleeping room down to a low
flame. Then drew the money package
from under the mattress and pinned it
securely to my wooden shirt under my
vest. This done, and the table 80 placed
that could reach both the lamp and
the pistol, opened the door into the
freight room some three or four inches
and then threw myself upon the bed.
Just as my head touched the pillow the
instrument, which had grown quiet now,
clicked off for the third time, loudly,
distinctly, slowly, its words of warning:
Watch the boz!
This time tho warming was not needed.
had not gone to bed to sleep, but for
the very purpose of watching the box.
Standing rs it did, with the head close
to the door, and therefore close to tho
box itself, the bed afforded the best
point from which to keep an eye on the
suspicious freight Had my faith in the
telcgraphic clicking been less, or had
my own sense Of great responsibility
deserted me for a single moment, I
should have certainly given up the job
of watching rs foolish, and in that case
it is not likely that this narrative would
ever have been written. But believed
in the thrice-repeated message and did
not let drOwsiness overcome patience.
Twelve, one, two-how very slowly the
hours seem to drag themselves. The
low flame of the lamp went out rs the
oil ran dry. What relief it was to
hear the clock strike! At last, some-
where about midnight, the storm had
broken. could see the stars as they
came through the window in the freight
room, which was on line of vision
with the box. How strangely still it
seemed after tho mighty roar of tho
storm and the sharp clap of thunder!
Not click from the instrument now.
Not n sound save the sturdy ticking Of
the clock. Still lay listening, watch
ing, with faculties Ill alert and my eyes
always on the Oblong box
A little past two-pcrhaps ten min
utcs. The silence almost painful in its
pr0foundness. Nothing but the tick.
tick of the clock, Which, to my eager
car, had taken on this sound, which it
kept, repeating over and over:
\Vatch-thc-box! Watch-the-
box!' .-,s 81. ,.~. &c.. go
What was that? .. -. '.--. ~ .-
Not the clock, not the telegraph in
strument. No, it was tho sound as Of
the grating of iron. Faint, very faint,
yet still audible to my ear! Breathing
regularly and deeply, as ono breathcs
in sleep, lay and listened. Another
interval of silence and then the
grating sound came again, this time a
trifle louder than before. The light of
the stars shining through the window
made the objects in the freight-room just
visible. Almost simultaneously with
the second grating noise 1 saw tho cover
of the wooden box rising slowly from
the end furtherest removed from the
Do>1' SOUAAesS9OA NY ACbIt InulAylAS
away like sledge hammer, but l con-
tinued to breath heavily and to watch
kcenly. Gently and noiselcssly the
cover was pressed upward until it
reached an angle which completely
shut out from my view the window be-
yond. A moment later the figure of a
man came out of the shadows, while the
bOx-cOver was let down as nOiselessly
as it had been raised.
This, then, was the burden of the box.
This was the meaning Of the mysteriouy
warning which the sounder had spoken.
With cat-like tread the figure moved
toward the door of my bedroom. Still
l lay as in deep sleep. On the thresh-
old the figure paused and in a moment
later single ray Of light like silver
thread pierced the darkness and fell
upon the bed. Luckily it did not strike
my face and in an instant closed my
ewes, As had anticipated. the raw If