The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-09-20

might far better be losing his fortune on
the Stock Exchange, or throwing his
money away on turf speculations In
these there would be some remote
chance of profit, If not satifaction in
losing his property. His bark had up
to this time sailed smooth seas, had
even, hitherto, ,floated in sheltered bay,
unexposed to financial tempests or
breakers; but now leak of dangerous
sort had sprung, as likely, he imagined,
to ingulf him at his anchorage as any
buffeting of waves in open sea.
Mr.. Duff became changed man. He
was thin, worn and i'll with anxiety
and watching. They were all watching.
Trail was watching Hamilton Ham,
ilton turned a keen glance on the boys;
the boys kept their eyes very widely
open all round. Mr.. Duff was unwill-
ing to put the matter in the hands of
the local police, knowing that the first
to be suspected would be his clerks, and
that the affair would spec dily become
town gossip. Secretly Mr.. Duff began
to think the place was bewitched.
His partner, George Trail, being call
ed upon to pay up half of the five hun
dred pounds, resolved to get to the bot
tom of the matter He had bed fitted
up in the bankers business room, and
determined to spend his nights there
until some solution of the problem pre-
sented itself. His transfer from the Alb
erdeen branch seemed just then to prove
q bad bargain. The keys of the safe, it
should be mentioned, numbering eight,
were placed every night after the locking
up of the safe and the dropping of the
iron bolt from the bankers bedroom, in
a strong-box, the key of which was al
ways carried by Mr. Duff George Trail,
armed with a revolver, in spite of Mary's
protests and Mr.. Duff's jeers, occupied
the room when the bed had been fitted
there, and waited philosophically the
course of events. He slept little for the
first night or two but no intruder came
to disturb his repose. The long dull
hours crept on without adventure or
other resultthan to make Trail sleepy
and cross during the following days
The bankers were beginning to despair
of discovering the thief. Yet Trail
despite Mr.. Duff's perfectly reasonable
argument that if any man broke into
the safe it would not be merely five
hundred pounds that would satisfy him,
nor would he likely risk second or
third visit - continued to spend his
nights in the bank.
At daybreak, however, on certain
morning in the following week, Trail,
who slept very lightly, was suddenly
awakened and startled by hearing the
bolt that passed through the lock of the
outer door of the safe drawn sharply
up. He could hardly believe the evil
dence of his ears, thinking that perhaps
he dreamed. But the 'click" was still
reverberating, exaggerated as all sounds
are in the stiffness of night. If the
bolt was really lifted, the person that
drew it up must be in the room where
Mr.. Duff slept. Trail was courageous
man; but in spite of himself, he trem-
bled as he felt for and examined his re-
volver. When the reverberation sub
sided, there was silence for few mo-
ments as of Death, Sleeps twin brother.
Then he thought he heard, far off, a
door open, followed by step on the
stairs. Then light showed at a seam
under the door; presently the door open.
ed, and man entered, carrying in one
hand lighted candle, in the other a
bunch of keys. The revolver was firm
Iy held in Traill's grip,and before firing,
he was about to utter a cry of warning.
when he noted that the figure paid no
heed to his presence, but passed him.
making straight for the safe door. In
the dim light, to his astonishment, he
distinguished the fixed, even rigid feat
nres of his friend and partner Mr.. Duff
His eyes were wide open, and he moved
with his usual deliberation, but with an
air of stern preoccupation quite foreign
to his working habits. Trail saw at a
glance that the banker was walking in
his sleep.
His first impulse was to seize him and
wake him; but moments reflection
decided him to wait the natural issue of
events, Mr.. Duff, without hesitation or
fumbllng, chose the right keys for the
outer door, and pushed it, as the lock
sprang back, slowly open then the
wlcket-gate, the inner iron door, and 80
on, until he disappeared silently in the
vaultlike shades of the strong.room.-