The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-04-25
ONE MloHr or HORROR.
Bal Nye, tn Cleveland sua.l

| ottt NV tn NtGNctAN0 Su1Al
 Much loss and annoyance might hs avoided in this world hy reasonable care in securing our property in such . way that 1t would be perfectly sAte, an l, while such precautions do not cost much, the neg- loct may be productive to us of serious loss, How oiten arc we led to regret the oversight of some rltilnG duty in this di. secsion, the performance of which would have saved us many bitter regrets.
 Many years ago when was a student in the law office of Bingham X Jenkins, there were two of us, young law cubs, who not snly labored in the office days but camped in q back room adjoining during tue night. This room was one oi the suite to which the offices belonged, So we had to do up our bed-lounge day. times, and put our blankets, etc, tn some place where they would be out ol the way. Folding beds that look like an upright piano were not very common then. so VIC had to do the best we could, favored putting the blankets in one end of the 6re-proof vaul, days, so that they would be out of sight, but more especially because they would be perfectly sate there in case of fire. lf the ely should burn dosn and everybody be left homeless and hedless, 1 maintained that we could go to our fire prooi vault when 1t got cool and take our bed out in good order, while others looked on aud envied our foreshought.
 Rob, my room mate agreed to this, and as he always made up the bed, didn't try to learn the combination cf the lock on the vault door. My duties consisted in keeping up the fire and sweeping the room on legal holidays ii 1t needed tt. Sometimes holidays came so close toEeih CT that we would let them go by without celebrating in the above manner.
 Every evening Bob would go to the vault about ten or eleven o'clock, reverse the nickle knob on the lock three or four times to the Jeff, then two or three times to the right, stopping on certain number, then back three or four times to the left, shot back and the door would swing open. Then he would ct the bedding and make up our lowly couch. Aher tha, we would irolic around in the lamplight, shedding our clothes as we chased each other through the other rooms, and when we got tired we would sing some little simple song that would reduce the price of rent for fl mile In every direc- tion. Then we would go to sleep.
 One day Bob had to go away for a week between Christmas and New Years, so got him to tell me the combination of,he vault. At the usual hour that night got sleepy and lonesome, and as the fires had all gone out, l thought would make up the bed and retire. lt was about the coldest night Of that extremely cold winter in very cold state. took the lamp and began on the combination. I Ko; :o s:s:yy six an the second turn and carelessly allowed the knob to move a little 100 far. Then 1 went back to place of beginning and reversed the thing back aud forth till got to where the lock iS supposed to click and the door swing open, but il did not do so. A wild feel ing of doubt and uncertainty came over me, and my fingers go, s,iG with the great =e.i.h ai cold that now nc ervaded the apartments. 1 went through u again, slowly and carefully, warming my hands every LOW sad then in my capaciouS mouth l did this until the clock in the steeple struck i2 Then put on my overcoat, kicked the vault door with all my remaining strength, and went to the Central Hotel. The clerk woke up and told me that AS il wax Christmas time the house was plumb fuli, and could not be accommodated. l went to the Wal,man House, and they told me the "Yule tide yarn there and elected me from the place. IL was then ociock (. III.
 went back to the office, litt he gas and began again on the combination. ] knew that there were only three or four million perm utstiops and combinations of num- bers, and SO l thought ] would run through them all. It wouldn't take long. and one of them of course would be the right one. Winding up the dial On hre-proof sarcophsgus all night with the thermometer $ degrees below is excit- ing, bst the excitement does not repay one for the nervous exhaustion and Ec. sultant fatigue. We'll, l screwed that North American dofunny around to right and left as long as can remember, and when the senior partner came down st 2 o'clock he said sat there with small lamp in my hand mechanically turning the knob back and forth and yearnipg for my bed clothes.
 When we opened the vault we found the bedding in there all right and per iectly safe. never saw anything so safe as that bedding. l. seemed to me that it was almost too safe When . thing is 90 secure that you can't get it yourself, you naturally think that the matter oi ss- curity can be overdone.
 The foregoing incident, as 1 give 1t, is absolutely and entirely true, with one ex ception. Bob was the hero of the whole thing instead of myself. told him vas going to give 1t to the public, and he cen sented on condition that l would make myself the victim. and he was 60 sensi. tive about |, tha, put is that way. Peo- pie can laugh at me all they please. .s sa ..sa A, ia aaA 1 Aoala casa