River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-12-16

bright business OIllcc, where the night
clerk was making preparations for
closing the doors.
''See Fere, Benson" said the fore
man, this youngster is sick tonight,
and has no place to sleep. He's pretty
nice little chap, and | want to fix him
up comfortable like. There's that sofa
in the managers room, and here's a
lot of the bows office coats and some
other things that'll make up into nice
bed. want To put the little chap on
that sofa for tonight, and III answer
for everything that isn't all r. -ht in the
morning.
"Oh 20 ahead!'' was the clerks re-
ply Put the kid in his little bed if
you want to. He'll be up and out be-
fore the manager gets here. as he don't
come down until after ten in the morn
ing
Dan never in all his hard life had had
such a bed as that. The comfort and
pleasure ofitwas so great he tried to stay
awake to enjoy it. The sofa was wide
and very soft, and had a pillow the like
of which Dams head had never rested
upon before. The foreman had
covered him up SO snug and warm. and
had tied his own silk kerchief around
Dams throbbing temples. But the
luxury and warmth of his bed in the
carpeted and handsome room did not
give Dan one-half the pleasure he felt
over something the foreman had said to
the clerk. Dan thought he never would
forget these words;
Hes pretty nice little chap" and
In answer for everything that isn't all
right in the morning
Il wouldn't take rs much a pin OF
scrap of paper after him sayin' OF
that" thought Dan, as ne went 10
sleep.
He slept very soundly until nearly
four in the morning, when he suddenly
became very wide-awake. He felt sure
that some one had passed by the sofa,
which was in the furthest corner Of the
room, near door.
In the opposite corner was an iron
door opening into the vault. in which
the office safe was kept. Dan had often
seen the night clerk putting rolls of
bills and shining piles of silver into the
safe drawer at night.
He could look toward the vault door
without moving, and as he looked he
saw the reflection of dark lantern fall
on the door. When he had become
accustomed to the dark, he could see
the figure of man kneeling before the
safe, and silently working at the door
of the vault.
Evidently the man had not seen Dan,
and he felt sure that there was no one
in the room but himself
Dan sat mp in his bed. with his heart
heating wildly, and the blood running
cold in his veins.
He thought of the foreman's kind
words.
IN answer for ev'rything that isn't
all right in the morning"
Those words gave Dan courage and
strength.
His fear and trembling left him. He
gathered his scattered wits together,
and thought lawful hard as he said
afterward
There was police alarm box above
a desk near him.
He had seen 1t often. and had once
or twice heard it rung. But it made a
loud, whirring noise. aud the burglar
would certainly hear and make his
escape before help came. While Dan
sat racking his brain, he was Mortified
TO see the great door of the vault swing
slowly back, and the burglar enter to
begin work on the safe. When he had
stepped inside, Dan was left in total
darkness.
a tnought came to him suddenly
He trembled little in spite of himself
at his holiness in thinkingofSu such thing.
Summing up all his courage, Dan
glided stealthily across the floor. put his
trembling hands against the door Of
the vault and closed it with bang.
The lock had been broken bv the
burglar, but there were bolts that Were
easily turned by moving a small silver
knob Dan knew this. and slid the
bolts into their places. As lie did so,
he heard smOthered curses inside, and
felt the robber kicking against the door.
Dan ran to the police alarm box.
turned in an alarm, and then began to
scream Justify for help. He had cried
out but once or twice when he felt
mans fingers close in a vice-like grip
around his throat, and man hand
struck him a cruel blow in the face.
shut upr' a gruff voice Kissed in
his ear. I'm kill you dead if you open
your mouth in even a whisper
The burglars assistant evidently
thought Dan had locked the door, for
he said:
How do We unlock that door? III
kill YOU if YOU don't tell ne
He looseneI his grip long enough for
ban 70 answer. and the answer the
plucky boy made was to cry, Help!
help" in voice that penetrated to the
second floor. where the foreman was at
work. He ran down stairs. with a
dozen lnen following him. They
reached the Office door just as two po-
licemen came running into the entry.
In IN instant they were in the managers
room, and by the light of their lanterns
found poor Dan lying insensible before
the door of the vault, with a face COW
cred with blood.
"a pretty small Waterman, said a
policeman; he done his best, | reckon.
but the birds have flown. See that
open window back of this book case.
They've cut out light. pushed the
case in little. and had things their
own way. The kid was pretty plucky
anyhow. ! reckon, the safeis all right.
As he spoke the policeman turned the
silver knob the bolts flew back; he
opened the door few inches. closed it
with bang. and said: "Jeewhillikens"
Oh, bat wasn't Dan a hero then?
And didn't the Morning Advertiser
have his name in letters a quarter Of an
inch long in its head lines next day?
Indeed 1t did!
The man in the vault was notOri-
Gus burglar. for whose capture there
was a standing reward Of three hun
dred dollars; and Dan got every cent
of it. The boys in the office made him
up a handsome purse; the manager of
tile Advertiser fitted him out from the
crown of his head to the soles of his
feet in new clothes, and in one of the
pockets was something so much ike a
twenty dollar gold piece t1at it couldn't
hat-a hsna, o. fvsttifs a1sa