The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-10-08
HOW PHIL CAPTURED A BURG
LAR.

and the youngest clerk in Covert Saw
gs-Bank. The cashier is my uncle
Jack, and he began at the bottom,
where am, when he was boy He
says that a boy had better grow up
with country bank than go West and
grow up with the country. He thinks
there's more money in it.
&c If there's anything in you," he
said one day, you'll work your way
up to be bank President at some time"
Uncle Jack says and does such queer
things sometimes that people say he's
odd They tell about his being so
wrapped up in our bank that he never
had time to hunt up a wife. | notice,
though, that when father and mother
died and left me a wee little baby,
Uncle Jack found time to bring me up,
and give me good education, to boot.
Oh, he's as good as gold or Govern
ment bonds. Uncle Jack is.
We live in rooms over the bank,
where old Mrs. Halstead keeps house
for us. Underneath, we do the bust
ness. There's heaps of money in our
two big vaults. Last summer and,
mind you, this was while was away
on vacation-two men broke into the
building. They came up stairs and
into Uncle Jacks room. One had a
bul's-eye lantern that he flashed in
Uncle Jacks face as he sat up in bed,
and the other pointed big pistol right
at his head.
"Tell us where the vault keys are, or
I'll shoot YOU" he said.
"Oh, Uncle jack l broke in, when
he was telling me about it, "what did
you do?"
"What would you have done?" he
asked, in his odd way.
81 know what l oUoatICla1't have done. :"
answered him, Strengthening up bit
- wouldn't have given 'em the
keys"
''Ahr' Uncle Jack says, kind of half
doubtful, and then went on: "Well, l
told them to shoot away. And they
knew as we'll as | did that shooting
wouldn't bring them the keys. So when
they found they couldn't brighten me,
the scoundrelS tied me, and went off in
rage, with my watch and pocket book. I"
That was last summer One night
along in the fall Uncle Jack started off
down town. "It's Lodge night, and 1
may not be back until late," he said.
"You won't mind staying alone-a
great boy like you" And of course 1
said mo"
But somehow, after Mrs. Halstead
went to bed found / dido mind it.
don't know what made me feel so fidg-
ETY.. Perhaps it was reading about a
bank robbery in Bolton, which is the
VT 4 n Nouaut fhD,,o.l4
to be the work of Slippery Jim, noto-
rious burglar. And while was think
ing about it, dozed off in Uncle Jack s
easy-chair.
"Ow-w-wr' l sung out all at once
And if YOU d woke up of sudden to
see rough looking man, with SLOUGH
hat pulled over his e es, standing right
in front of you, you'd have done the
same. "What-what do you want
hereP" | sort of gasped; and | tried to
speak so he wouldn't hear my teeth
knock together.
1.-The vault keys-where are thew"
he answers, short and gruff. And then
he kind of motioned with his hand
suppose to show the revolver he was
holding. .
was pretty badly scared; but all the
same, didn't mean he should have
those vault keys, if he shot the top of
my head off.
"Come, hurry up" he said, with a
sort of grin. And 1 noticed then that
he had red whiskers, and some of his
upper teeth were gone, so that he
didn't speak his words plain.
81 should know you anywhere" l
thought. Strategy, Phil Norris" l
said to myself, bracing up inside; for
story I'd read about how lady caught
q live burglar came across me like a
flash. please don't shoot. SIR" be-
gan to say, with all sorts of demi-semi-
quavers III my voice--''please don't;
indeed I'll show you where they're
kept" So, making believe to shake
all over, took the lamp and led the
way into Uncle Jack bedroom. 1.-The
k-k-k-eys are in th-there. SIR l told
him.
You should have seen how my fingers
trembled when pointed to the little
store-room that opened out of the
chamber. The keys were there true
enough, but L d like to see any one ex-
cept Uncle Jack or / find them. | sup
pose you have of such things as secret
panels.
: The store-room floor is lower than
the chamber floor. Many time, when
haven been thinking, I've stepped
down with jar that almost sent my
backbone up through the top OF my
head.
"In there, eh?'' said my bold burg
lar, quite cheerful like, and pushed by
me to the open door. .4.,....
/ set the lamp down, and my heart
began to beat so that [ was almost
afraid he could hear it. snow or
never l whispered.