The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1882-07-12
raE orEnAToK's STORY.

Concluded from yesterdays poper.
The clock struck ten. 1 turned to the
shelf, and with n hand that no longer
trembled inserted the key, and wound it
composedly. Would II be the last time
that l should perform the simple task 2
No matter. Happier than most men be-
cause content with my humble lot, it
should never be said that Old Billy
fiinched in the face Of duty. For that
night it WINS my duty-my n sacred,
all-important duty-to guard the treas
ure left to my safe-keeping. And guard
ii | would while life remained.
When I had finished winding the clock
/ took down from the shelf an old rusty
pistol which had lain for years undis-
turbed. 1t was not loaded nor had l
either powder or bullet anywhere in the
station. But the weapon was u~gly-look-
ing, and carried a sort of silent force in
case of too aggressive argument. After
examining the rusty lock, l put the pis-
toll on the table, made n fresh glass of
toddy, drank 1t, lighted my pipe, and
closed the door that opened into the
freight room. Now that j vas thoroughly
myself again, | found it easy 10 shut out
the sight of that ominous oblong box.
1t was not until the clock struck again
that is, eleven-that / made up my
mind to go bed. All this time the storm
held on, although the thunder had be-
gun TO rumble more distantly. l threw
of my coat and slippers, put out the
light in the ticket office, and turned that
in the sleeping room down to n low
fame. Then / drew the mon~ey-package
from under the mattress and pinned 1t
securely to my wooden shirt under my
vest. This done, and with the table so
placed that l could reach both the lamp
and the pistol, l opened the door into
the freight room some three or four
inches, and then threw myself upon
the bed. Just as my head touched the
pillow the instrument, which had grown
quie now, clicked of for the third time,
distinctly, slowly, its words of warming
. Watch Re borP
This time the warning wasnot needed.
| had not gone to bed to sleep, but Cor
Standing as it did, with the head close to
the door, and therefore close to Me box
itself, the bed afforded the very best
point from which to keep an eye on the
suspicious freight. Had my faith in the
Geographic clicking been less, or had my
own sense of great responsibility de-
serted me for n single moment, 1 should
certainly have given up the job of
watching rs foolish; and, in that case, it
is not likely that this narrative would
ever have been written. NJ l believed
in the thrice-repea.ed message, and |
did moi let drowsiness overcome patience.
Twelve, one, two-how very slowly the
hours seemed TO drug themselvesi The
low flame of the lamp went out, us the
oil had run dry. What II relief II was 10
haor fila nlppL ptrfLaI A. lnat n,na
where about midnight, the storm had
broken. l could see the stars as they
came out, through the freight-room,
which was on n line of vision with the
box. How strangely still il seemed after
the mighty roar Of the storm and the
sharp claps of thunderl Not q click from
the instrument now. Not q sound save
the steady ticking of the clock. Still l
lay listening, watching, with faculties
all alert, and my eyes always on the OBJ
long box.
A little past two-perhaps ten minutes.
The silence most painful in its profound
ness. Nothing but the tick tick of the
clock, which to my eager ear had taken
on this sound, which IL kept repeating
over and over:
"watch-the-box' wotch-the-
boxr'
What was thatP
Not the clock, not the telegraphic In
strument. No, it WINS n sound as of the
grating of iron. Faint, very faint, yet
still audible TO my ear. Breathing regu-
larly and deeply, as one breathes in
sleep. | lay and listened. Another in
terval OF silence, and then the grating
sound came again, this time II trihe
louder than before. The light of the
stars shining through the window made
he objects in the freight-room just visr
BILE. Almost simultaneously with the
second grating noise | saw the cover OF
the wooden box rising slowly from the
end furthest removed from the bed. /
could feel my heart humping away like
a siedge hammer, but l continued to
breath heavily and to watch keenly.
Gently and noiselessly the cover was
pressed upward until il reached an angle
which completely shut out from my view
he window beyond. A moment later
the figure of a man came out from the
shadows, while the box cover was let
down MS noiselessly as it had been raised.
This, then, was the burden of the box.
This was the meaning of the mysterious
warning which the sonnder had spoken.
With cat-like tread the figure moved
toward the door OF my room. Still / lay
as in deep sleep. On the threshold the
Lgure paused, and n moment later a
single ray of light like q silver thread
pierced the darkness and fell upon the
bed. Luckily, it did not strike my race,
and in an instant l had closed my eyes.
As l had anticipated, the ray OF light was
directed coward my pillow, and by tho
sense of feeling l knew it rested a mo-
mont on my face. Satisfied that l M
In deep slumber, the figure, still with
cat-like tread, glided through the bed
room and into the ticket office. My eyes
| wers wide open again by this time. Tho
| light from the dark lantern had Increased
] but its rays were now turned toward the