The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-05-05

"Ill have to ask yer to keep quiet
miss" said he, with harsh, determined
voice.
I turned upon him Indignantly. "I
suppose ] may change my seat il ]
like" said I.
And without waiting for his permis.
sion I walked deliberately over to the
desk and set down in the revolving
chair that stood before it. At the same
time | threw my work down on the
desk in such way as to cover COM
pleteiy the battery, which instrument
my companion had probably not no
ticed at all. Perhaps he would not
have known what it was IL he had.
l sat there moment, listlessly twist.
ing the chair back and forth, and trying
I to make up my mind what was best to
do.
just then there was slight noise on
the hall stairs and the man became
uneasy, stood up and looked at the
library door, as i rs hs yHfhsa %af saaoSs Sta S
me, and with threatening gesture,
said:
You just set there, while step inter
the hall bit, And il ye stir or make
noise it viii be the worse for We. Do
ye mind that r.
He went softly into the hall.
Feeiing that now was my opportunity,
with atrembling hand l put my finger
on the knob, and as silently as possible
sent my signal out over the wire into
the night, down to the mills and to
Harry Randall.
Harry, arey you there?"
In another instant I was leaning
back in my chair and moving an ink
stand on the table to mako noise.
How my heart was beating, and my ear
was strained to catch the sound that-if
1 might in Gods goodness hope it
might presently come back to me
Almost minute-it seemed an age
listenedi and my heart sank as no
answering signal was heard. Then
Click ! Click Click came the sounds.
sweeter to my ears than the sweetest
mgsc and ness .5aSs snsw xeis teAt Hs5S5e E55Se
tent covered by the drumming Of my
thimble, and were to me as ploin as
spoken words.
eyes"
Instantly I sent back my answer
Two excited words, run all together:
"Robbers! Helrr
The total silence that followed as
sured me, after u minutes anxious
waiting, that Harry had comprehended
my message, and that doubtless he
would at once come to the house. For.
tune had favored me, for I had heard
the man creeping up the hall stairs,
and thus l had escaped the results Of
any suspicious lie might have had had
he heard the clicking OF the instru.
ment.
I did not look at the clock, and can.
not say exactly how long I sat there in
silence. It seemed to me that it was
hours.
Then there was the sound OF whis.
pering in the hall. The next moment
there appeared in the doorway second
If possibleyin appearance than the first;
and close behind him, to my great sur
prise and indignation, was our man JOS
eph. They. both advanced into the
room, the one looking angry and dis
appointed, and the other with q sheep
ish air as he caught my eye.
ave have found the key OF the safe"
growled the second stranger. "But all
for nothing. The money wasn't in it,
and we've looked high and low and can't
find it. But Joe here sticks to it that
it's somewhere in the house and he
thinks" looking fercely at me, "you
know where. It's no use, Miss -;
We haven't any more time to spare and
We won't stand no nonsense. l see il
in your eye; you know where the
money ir. And you've got to tell"
He had advanced while he had been
speaking and was now quite near. 1
arose from my chair fearing that he
meant to lay hands upon me. And at
that instant-my ears painfully alert to
any noise-I was certain l caught the
ana / gained fresh courage.'
"And why have got to tell ?" de
manded |, purposely raising my voice
80 that it could be heard outside the
house. "What right have you to break
into this house in this way"
The man suddenly caught me- by the
wrist, uttering ut the same time fear.
full oath.
"You make another sound above a
whisper" he cried, in voice hoarss
with rage, "and rn"-
He did not finish his sentence. There
came loud crash at both winoows at
once, and the next instant Harry Ran.
dali with two watchmen from the mills
burst into the room.
The rescue was complete, so far "a
saving our lives aud saving tho money
was concerned. The robbers att, mpted
no resistance
In an instant, before word could be
said or blow struck, the man raisel
his hand and dashed the lamp from the
table. In the darkness and oopfusfoa
the burglars, Joseph among them, made
their escape. And although every effort
was made, both then aud late~, to So
cure their arrest they were never taken.
However. as said, our lives and the
money that had been confded to my
keeping were safe; and we we're all
thankful for that.
And may say again that am very
glad that, at that time at lelst, the tele-
graph had not been superseded by the