Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-02-25
PLUNDERING A SAFE.
A Sleep w Wallring Merchant Caught
In His Own Trap.

/ was clerk TO Mr.. Parkman-con-
lidential clerk-and knew as much OF
the business as he did He was an old
bachelor, and lyed IN the rooms over
the contingencies. His servant was a
fellow about 40 years old, q native OF
Africa, and so black that ebony was
nothing TO him. | never liked him,
but Mr.. Parkman thought him treas
ure. His name was Scipio. He al
ways dressed In white, too, winter or
summer. / don't really think that my
dislike began until the day Mr.. Park
man missed the first money from the
safe. That was i'm winter, about the
end of December. had locked the
money up the night before, in Mr..
Parkman's presence. 1t was a pay
ment made just as we were about to
close-not a great sum, only hundred
dollars. Only Mr. Parkman and /
knew the combinations of the lock.
Yet when came in the morning III was
gone.
l confess that my mind flew at once
to Scipio. L yentured TO hint this to
Mr.. Parkman but thought he would
have knocked me down for the sugges-
ton.
'Scipio would die for me- he said.
Il should be more apt to suspect that
fiy-away young Robinson of ours
Robinson was a young fellow of
twenty-six, Mr.. Parkman was about
fifty. He had taken Robinson into his
employment on the recommendation of
the silent partner of the firm, Mr..
Oakes. He would have. been glad of
some decent excuse to be rid of him,
but the young man did his duty so well
that no one could find fault with him
and was SO polite that he could not be
quarreled with.
Miss Merivale couldn't help liking
him best. / should think, and both
wanted her. Fathers generally go with
the money-bag but, naturally enough,
Mr.. Parkman disliked Robinson very
much. When a man has such n reason
for disliking another he's not likely to
show it openly. He tried to hide it ;
bat saw it plainly.
Six months after fifty dollars went
in the same mysterious manner. A
little while more much larger sum,
and, at last, one night, a great package
of bonds, worth twenty thousand dol
lars. Mr.. Parkman had set detectives
on the watch before. He did it again !;
but they could discover nothing. They
decided that Scipio was as ignorant OF
the proper means OF opening the safe as
a monkey. made up my mind that
he knew ell about it, but though tried
to catch him he baffled me. Mr.. Park
man swore he would find the rascal If
he were above ground, and abused the
detectives for their stupidity. at last i.
one day, he called me into his private
office, and opening square box. show
ing me something that puzzled me.
It's thief trap, said Mr.. Parkman-
Let the thief get his hand into this
and he'll never get it loose again with
out help. 1t will spoil his beauty too,
fancy
Then he locked the horrible box
again, and told me that he should put
it in the safe that night.
Remember said he, mot word to
anyone
slept soundly until about one o.
clock i'm the morning, when / was a
wakened by a terrible explosion.
started to my feet in an insta Mt,
but at first l could not remember where
l was. When l did, however, guess
ed at once that the sound I heard came
from the office where the safe stood.
and that the thief had been caught at
last i'm the internal machine. hurried
on my clothes, rushed to Mr.. Park
mans room and found his bed empty,
and, expecting L know not what hor-
ror, made my way to the office.
A man had been caught In the trap,
but it was not Scipio. The poor fellow
bowling and wringing his hands, stood
staring oyer my shoulder. The man at
the safe was dressed in his night
clothes. He had sunk down upon his
knees, and blood was streaming oyer
his body. A moment more and [ bent
over him, aud saw Mr.. Parkman him-
self. He was not mortally wounded,
and the first words he said to me as he
came to were these
Hubble, don't tell any one what a
fool I've been. used to walk in my
sleep when boy. I forgot that. I
must have taken to it again.
All the missing money, as well as the
bonds, were found in an old hair trunk
i'm an attic. Mr.. Parkman said he was
thinking about that trunk when he felt
his hand gripped and heard the explo-
sion, as he had felt and heard things in
dreams and when he recovered, which
was not for many months, Robinson
and Miss Merivale were married. [
must say Mr.. Parkman came out bright
just then. / was proud of him. He
sent the young pair set of silver with
his compliments.