Sword and shield., 1885-06-13
ONE NIGHT OF HORROR.
Bill Nye Goes Back to Early Youth and
Tells Tales.

IellS AhieNs
Much loss and annoyance might be
avoided in this world by reasonable
care in securing our property in such
way that it would be perfectly safe, and.
while sroa precautions do not cost
much. tho neglect may be productive
TO us of serious loss How often are We
led to regret the oversight of some
trifing duty ia this direction, the per-
formance of which would have saved
O9many and bitter regrets.
Many years ago. when was stu
dent in the law Office of Bingham &
Jen. ms, there were two Of us, young
law cubs, who not only labored in the
otlicC lays, but camped in a back room
adjoining during the night This room
was one of the suite iowhich the offices
belonged So we had to do up our bed
lounge daYfimes, and put our blankets.
etc. IN SO ne place where they would
be o1t OF the way. FoldinS-beds that
look like an upright piano were not
very common, then, 50 we had to do the
best we could. / favored putting the
blankets in gne end of the firc-proof
vault days, So that they would be out
OF sight but.more especially because
they would b. perfectly safe there in
case OF fire. u the city should burn
down and ever body be left homeless
and bedless, | maintained that we
could 60 to oRr lire-proof vault when it
got cool and lake our bed out in good
order, whiie iothers looked on and en-
siGS ~. a.rg rgshoughi-
~ HlJ bom-mals, agreed to this.
anp, iJst = trv y II learn fss aSnbnathfo5aa bbh th5a OF
the ioek on Abe yaa,lt door. My duties
consisted inf Keeping up the fire and
sweeping iii I room on legal holidays if
it needed il. ASometimes holidays came
SO close together that we would let
them 90 by Without celebrating in the
above manneA
Every evening Bob would 90 to the
vault about ig or ! o'clock, reverse
the nickel kndb on The lock three or
four times TO be left then two or three
times to the i ghs stopping on a GER
tain number. hen back three or four
times to the left, and SO on till the
handle turuetg its bolts shot back, and
the door would swing open. Then he
wtuld get the bedding and make up
our lowly couch. After that we would
froiic around II the lamplight, she'd
Iii lg our Clothes IS we chased each
otner througn the other rooms, and
when got tired Ne would sing some
little simple song that would reduce the
price OF rent for half il mile in every
direction. Then we would 60 to sleep.
One day Bob had 10 90 away for
week between Christmas and New
Years, 50 got him to tell ME the
combination OF the vault. At the usual
hour that night | cot sleepy and lone
some, and rs the fires had all zone out
thought | would make up the bed and
retire. Ii was about the coolest night
Of that extremely cold winter in very
cold state. took the lamp and began
on the combination. | got TO thirty
six on the second turn, and carclessly
allowed the knob to move Il little too
far. Then went back to the place of
beginning and reversed the thing back
and forth till rot TO where the lock is
supposed to click and the door swing
open, but it did not do so. 4 wild feel
ing of doubt and uncertainty came over
me, and my fingers got stiff with the
great wealth OF cold that now peryaded
The apartments. ] went through it
again, slowly and carefully, warming
nv hands every now and then in my
capacious mouth. | did this till the
CLOAK in thu Stanuln struck T. Then T.
nut on my overeoat, kicked the vault
iloor with all my remaining strength,
and went to the Central hotel. The
clerk woke up ami told me that as it
was Christmas-time the house was
plumb full, and | could not be accom-
modated. | went TO the Mailman
house. and they told me the ''Yule-tide
yarn there, and elected me from the
place. 1t WAS then | o clock q. NJ.
| went back TO the office. lit the gas,
and began again OH the combination. |
knew that there were only three or four
million permutations and combinations
OF numbers, and 50 thought | would
run through them all. 1t wouldn' t take
long, and one of them of course would
be the right one. Winding up the dial
on fire. proof sarcophagus all night
with the thermometer 45 degrees be-
low is exciting, but the excitement does
not repay one for the nervous exhaus-
ton and resultant fatigue. Well, l
SCrGWcu lnaL NOElu
around to right and left as long as
can remember, and when the senior
partner came down at o'clock he said
| sat there with a small lamp in my
hand mechanically turning that knob
beck and forth and yearning for my
bed-clothes.
When we opened the vault we found
tn beddlSNx.in there all right and per-
fe' fly safes% never saw anything SO
sa as that bedding was. 1t seemed
to me that it was almost too safe.
w zen Cd he is so secure that you
ca IL get il tourselfyou naturally think
tn i the matter Of security can be over
lole,
1hs foregoing incident, as | give it,
Is absolutely and entirely true. with
ore excepti3n. Bob was the hero of
ths whole tRing instead of myself.
tod him yTas going to give it to the
pr bic, and he consented on condition
that ! w0'ald make myself the victim,
ard he ~ so sensitive about it that
put it th 1T way. People can laugh at