The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-01-21

secOnd-nature. and had lived in the little
town so long that the younger generation had
come to speak of me as "Old Billy" That
was, suppose, because my hair was getting
gray and my joints trifle stiff.
The Red Ravine Station was wooden
building, about 40 feet long by 20 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 piece partitiened off
from the freight quarter, about 10
feet square, and connected by
a door with the box of an Office in the pas
sengers' 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 which locked up
valuable express packages when any happen
| ed to come to Red Ravine. The village. /
ought to explain, had grown up entirely
| through the influence of the great iron works
| of Eldridge q Ricketson. There were rich
| beds of ore few miles to the north, and
these, as we'll as the big foundry which en-
ployed four or five hundred hands, were con-
| trolled by the firm j have mentioned. There
| had been some trouble at the works recently
"a strike or something growing from delay
| in paying the men their wages That is how
it happened that the $4,000 money package
came into my keeping for night.
Well, when / had made all snug about the
station, and got off my wet clothing, l sat
down comfortably with pipe and newspaper,
| to enjoy my customary reading.
The storm outside continued to rage more
and more fercely, but within things were
coy as could be. 1 had a blazing fire in the
stove, cheerful light, an easy chair plenty
of good tobacco-the one luxury in which
was really extravagant-a fresh newspaper,
and bottle of good Holland gin, wherewith
| to make my regular nocturnal toddy. Ger
tainly, these were pleasant surroundings for
an old fellow like me, and, as a rule, they
yielded as much solid comfort as a man has
a right to expect in this world. But that
night things all seemed out of gear, as / have
said. My pipe didn't soothe me as was its
wont; try as L might, l couldn't get interest
ed in the newspaper; an uncomfortable feel
ing of dread-a feeling that some shadowy
but horrible thing was about to happen
possessed my mind; and even when / mixed
up toddy considerably stronger than usual
il failed to bring the relief had hoped for.
at all comes of that pesky money pack
| age" l muttered TO myself "Why couldn't
| it have got here on the ii 80, and saved me
the Job of keeping it over night?"
Just at that moment came terrific clap Of
thunder, and flash of lightning enough
| to make the lamps seem dim. | had locked
up the package in the safe, and put the key
there was no combination 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 a skillful craftsman. 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 the telegraph
| key 1 could hear it. The instrument had
been clicking away at a great rate for the
last hour; but as it was noEe of my business,
L had paid no attention to
what was going over the wires. L
| judged now, from the nearness of the light
ming and the jerky sounds of the instruments,
that the storm was playing the mischief with
the messages. passed into the ticket Office,
where light was burning, and stood for
some time thinking whether the money pack
age would be less exposed in the safe than it
would be under the mattress of my bed; and
1 finally concluded that the latter place
would be hardest for any possible thief to
reach. So l took out the heavy brown en-
velop, and slowed it away under the mat
tress. Then / took second glass of toddy,
which was usually against my rule, but which
| | thought the circumstances warranted.
Once more l sat down to my newspaper
and pipe, but with no better success than
before The storm seemed now to have CEN
tered right over the little station. Peal
after peal of thunder rent the air, and the
lightning played about the sky like
phosphorus on an inky background. If
you have ever CHANGED to be in a telegraph
Office during thunderstorm, you may have
seen the electricity dash down the wires in a
way to make timid people nervous. Even
veteran operators, like myself, wouldn't want
TO undertake to receive that sort of message.
1 was tempted to close the key, but the mean
ingless ticking had sort of fascination for
me in the mood / then was. 1t was like he
incoherent mutterings of a maniac, where
now and then, at long intervals only, could
one distinguish word or sentence. Maybe
the extra allowance of toddy had made me
more imaginative than usual, and given a
weird cOlOring to my thoughts; for listening
to the rapid click-click, l remember of fancy
ing that some spirit-hand had got hold of the
key, and was pouring out a wall of woe over
the wires.
was too restless to sit still and too nerv.
Gus to go to bed. Besides, even if / hadnt
been so upset in my mind, it is doubtful
whether l could have slept through such 8
storm as that. To occupy myself about
something l relighted my lantern, went out
into the freight-room, examined again the
bolts of the doors and the fastenings of the
windows, and returned to my room more
worried and upset than ever. Just as / wa.
entering my own nest, the light Of the Ian
tern fell squarely on the wooden box. Oddly
enough, until that moment l 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
say it was any comfort to nave it brough
, back now; for a corpse is never the mos
, cheerful of company, and, feeling as 1 die
, then, / would great deal rather have haC
J no company at all.
3 1t must have been the imp of the perverse
( l suppose, that compelled me- after the boz
D | had been brought back to nv mind TO leav,