The Springdale news., 1889-08-09

turns and then started to work the combination. To my great surprise. to my horror l may say, found chat the combination was completely oblit eratcd from my mind. l couldn't re- mem Der a turn nor figure. l was as utterly helpless as if had never seen a combination lock in my life. l shut my eyes and rubbed my forehead. It was no use. The combination wouldn't come It was something that never had occurred before, the combination being always so ready in my mind that l worked it almost mechanically. But tonight it was no go. Some influence had so upset my mind that the combi nation was entirely wiped out of it.
 Hurry up, Tom," said Bob, 'and let's get through with this business. !"
 But I can't" said I, helplessly; live actually forgotten the combina- tion.n
 Come, come, Tom" said Bob, that won't do, you know If you don't want to let me have the money why Say so. but don't reso,t to subterfuge like that
 It's no subterfuge at all," an swered. indignantly. You shall have the money if l can unlock the vault, but l declare to you positively that l know no more how to work this com bination than you do."
 Well, that's singular" said Bob. Haven't you memorandum of the combination sOmewhere?"
 Yes" said I. "I have-and it is locked up in the vault"
 The deucem exclaimed Bob. "Well, wait little while and 1t may come back to you.
 We sat down and tried to converse on other matters, but l couldn't help cudgeling my brain to try to make it yield up that combination. But it was of no use, my mind was a blank 50 far as those numbers were concerned.
 There's no help for it, Bob, Y said l, at length. "If my life depended on ii couldn't open that vault at this time. Deuce take the luck, anyhow. Six thousand two hundred and fifty dollars just within my grasp, and now to lose it. all on account of this con founded mental freak-n
 ',Tom," interrupted Bob, who had been doing some serious thinking, Tit may be all right l confess I am a little supcrstitious, and what you call d strange mental freak may be some thing elsc-I don't know what but something that seems 10 say stop right here. and l am going to- Tom, I'll let this opportunity slide, and trust to time for further explanations
 And we left the bank with the money in the vault undisturbod- l went to bed, still trying without success, tore call that combination. finally drop ped off to sleep, but awo1e as the town clock struck twelve. Just as the last stroke died away, quick as a flash the combination appeared clearly in my mind again.
 The time is up," l said to myself. Was Bob right in his theory?'
 The next morning, about nine o'clock. vho should rush into the bank but Bob, his face lighted tip with some unusual excitement Reckoning me into a private room he opened the in terview by cXclaiming impressively, Tom, it was special providcnccl
 What on earth do you mean, Bob?" said l.
 Just this. By your forgetting the combination we were prevented from being duped to the tune of 5000. My friend was an innocent tool in the hands of the most adroit set of sharp CTS it was ever my fortune to encount- err It was the most clcverly ed scheme the mind of mortal man ever conceived, and plausible enough to de- ceivc better and sharper men than either you or l. So l say, Tom, you are under the care of special provi- dence, and you must be singled out for some great work in life"
 Bob's theory began 10 make some impression on my mind, but something happened aftcrward that clinchcd my belief I called on Nell that night, for would you believe it? hadn't seen the dear girl for forty-cight hours, and it seemed aa many years when, after we had given testimony to the stability of our joint and separate af- fcctions, which didn't take more than forty minutes, Nell remarked in the most artless manner, Tom, l had such funny thing como into my head last night that l must tell YOU of it. II was about S:30, and l couldn't for the life of me keep my mind from run ming on the vault in your bank, and, don't you think, even got to imagin- ing that l could work the combination. Why, the figures came into my mind so distinctly that l jotted them down on piece of paper, and here. they are. Of course. they don't amount to any thing, but thought | would show them to you
 l glanced at tho figures she had noted down and almost gasped as I recognized the exact combination. What had gone out Of my mind had gone straight into hers, where it was in safe keeping l made Nell occupy the same chair with me, and then I told her the whole story
 You arc indeed my guardian angel" said l, flor you have guarded in a mysterious manner not only my position. but my honor, which, next to you, value above life itself
 Then l kissed her fifty or sixty times, and we took walk under the silent stars. Omaha World.
 A Blue Beard and His Wives.