Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-04-20
.Oyer the Wires"


how | came to be in the Baysville Banl
~ the ..wee sma' hours" one dreary DE
cen,ber night, some three years ago.
Nv name was then Olive Hudson, and
Uss II wears old that same Decenbel
,igbt and so small that Mrs. Knights
D5Ily. who was not y years old, wa
bsIf head taller than myself.
We were rich folks once, but father dieC
and left Us very poor. Mother struggled
slonr in a weary hand-tO-hand fight witt
,,ovfrty I'LL was Is, and then died. She
bsd rented two rooms of Mrs Knight,
widow. also, with two stalwart sons, ar
AGED father, and two daughters After
mo,her died | was adopted by the Knights,
and. although | was earning a support as
music teacher IN the Baysville Academy,
was ike one Of the family when l was
IN nv good landlady's home
They were all in good positions, but by
no means an aristOcratlc family. John,
the eldest son, was in New York in q
Wholesale sugar hoIse; Tom was the nigh,
watchman OF the Baysville Bank building,
and gTandpa-we all call him grandpa
was telegraph operator Of the town, while
Mary was d nllliner, and Dolly STAYED al
The Cficc, sending and receiving messages.
Bsvsville Bank building was a large
granite structure, containing the post-office
and bank on the first floor. the telegraph
office and a number of private law Offices
On the second floor, and other private
Offices on the third floor. In tie basement
we're post-office rooms for sorting the
mail. and also the large bank vault.
knew the building well, for was fond
Of telegraphing, and spent half my leisure
tune perch up beside grandpa while he
SEPT peacefully or read the newspapers.
And that was the beginning of nv
amusement at Dryden, the next station.
The operator at Dryden was a wit, and
flashed nonsense TO our Office when bust
ness was dull. 1t fell fiat when grandpa
was in the Cfiice but if 1 were there /
sent back Jest for jest, and sometimes an
hour slipped by like minute as we talked
over the wires of every topic under the
sun. He called hi,nself ''Lion," and 1,
for nG1sense. signed myself Elephant, u
laughing as l did so at the reflection of my
tiny figure in the Office mirror.
Beyond Dryden, and only five miles
from Baysville, was C, large com
mercial town, the nearest railway station,
and where an office was always opeL for
the accommodation of travellers.
As have said, Tom Knight was the
night watchman of Bsysville Bank build,
ing, and a lonely time he had of it. The
last mail came by stage at o'clock in The
afternoon, and the pos;-ofiice was vacated
al SIX The bank closed at thee, and by
SIX O'clock every office was deserted fol
the night.
At seven Tom was on duty, and grand,
pa, who was restless at night, was in the
habit Of taking down some coffee and lun.
cheon, as the building was only stone:
throw from the house.
On the December night l have already
mentioned, it had stormed heavily all day,
and had taken a new class al the Aca
deny, coming home later in the dap thar
usual, and excited over my increase il
salary.
Everybody else had gone to bed, and
was lingering over the kitchen fire witt
Mrs. Knight, dreading the plunge into my
cold room, where | had allowed the fire Il
90 out.
The clock struck twelve, and Mrs
knight, lifting her face from over the fire
said:
do call grandpa, Olive; he's asleep OF
the sofa in the sitting-room- I'll have
Ions basket ready by the time grandps
has his hat and coat on. hate to call him.
lor he was complaining of rheumatism al
day, and the ground is very wet, although
the storm Is over"
LET him Sleep" said; 'I'n run oyel
with the basket. 1t is but STEP"
but II Is so dark; are you not afraid 3
Not bit; Ill slip on my waterproof
and rubbers, and draw the hood of my
Cloak over MY head"
We'll, If you will, though / am afraiC
lom will scold at my letting you CO."
III put down the basket and run. anC
he viii never know who left it."
10 into the rear basement door; b,
leaves that open for grandpa"
Il know
gTasped the handle of the basket, anC
hurried across the space between the build
ing and the house, and stole softly in a
The basement door, in pursuance of m,
plan to drop the basket and run.
al my rubber shoes my steps wer
nolseless, and l had scarcely passed tn
threshold when stood rooted to the foo
In terrible amazement.
Somebody was talking.
crept forward and listened. Their
was man In the vault, and light shon
under the door.
While listened, some one said:
lDere Is confounded draft here; di
you shut the door, Smith?"
"les, but the wind might have blow
it OPEN
had just time to dart under the stan
case and crouch down, when tie door c
the vault opened and man came out.
lie crossed the entry, drew two heavy
NOISY bolts, fastened the door by which
had entered, and returned without closin
the vault door.
could look in by the dim light and Sc
Two men working at the safe 10 cks by til
stream OF light thrown from dark laI
tern.
There was the outline of man boun
ahd gagged upon the floor, but could oul
conjecture that it was Tom, for coul
not see distinctly.
There was nicely Gagged, for it woul
oe impossible for me to draw those heav
ooits without attracting notice. And th
Uank was being robbed, that was eviden
do" could | prevent itf l could not g
oul; l could not reach Tom. Suddenly
remembered the telegraph Office on Il
second floor. If l could summon he
from C., it was only five miles, er