Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-01-28
Saved by a Wire.

that they were not sooner invented !.
/ would like to tell you the reason.
That will take some time, for it is
quite a story.
We live in the country at Oarbrook,
and father is treasurer and superin-
tendent of the Oarbrook mills. Our
house-a very pleasant country house
it isis situated in beautiful wood
ed slope close to the river, and is a
quarter of a mile from the mills.
That is why telegraph wire was
placed between the two.
l promised father when it was up
that | would learn to send messages
over it. There was no one else in
the family who could have learned.
Both my brothers were away at board
ing school and mother would as soon
have thought of studying Chinese
language as telegraphy.
Father declared that / would never
learn. Girls had but little patience
for such things, he said. Neverthe-
less, the wire was put up and con-
nected with a battery in the library,
and in Just four months time / had
mastered the alphabet and technical
tiles of the instrument, because it
was necessary to have somebody to
send messages by the wire that ran
from the mills to the adjacent city of
Palmer.
Having explained so much 1 think
| have said all that is necessary to
enable you to understand what oc-
Cured on a certain night, about
which 1 am going to tell you.
We were through supper and sit
ting together-father, mother and |
around the table in the library,
when Joseph, our coachman and man
of-all-work about the place, brought
in the mail as usual.
Father eagerly took letter which
seemed to have been expected, from
the other letters. | noticed a dis
turbed expression on his face as he
read it, and / was more anxious than
surprised when he arose and went to
the hall door and called the girl who
was in the diningroom.
"Mary," said he, ''tell Joseph to
harness Prince at once; / must go to
the junction in time for the nine
o'clock train. He'll have to finish
his supper when he gets back"
Then he turned and said that the
letter contained intelligence that
made it necessary that he should 60
to New York that night.
OF course, as the wife and daugh-
ter of a business man, we knew what
he meant, and there was not a word
of remonstrance to be said. So moth
er went to make for him what prep
aration was needful, and l should
have followed her a moment later,
but father called me back.
''Christie,'' he said soberly, Il am
going to tell something that no one
knows anything about save Henry
Randall. have quite large sum
of money-over s2,OOO-in my pock-
ct" He touched his breast with his
finger. Il never keep large amounts
of money by me, but in this case it is
unavoidable, and | thought l should
feel less anxious to have it with me
than to allow it to remain in the safe
at the office. / cannot, of course,
take it to New York. / want you to
take charge of it till tomorrow morn
ing and then take it to Randall for
him to deposit in the bank. Don't
say anything to your mother about it.
She is so timid and nervous that she
would not sleep a wink all night if
she knew so large sum was in the
the house. Do you understand ~
With no slight feeling of response
bility l took the leathern packet
which he handed me and placed it in
the pocket of my dress.
Father went on: s'Perhaps you
had better put it under your pillow;
of course it is fire that | am the most
anxious about. There is no danger
of the money in any other way. Not
n soul knows about it,
Then he went to the hall and came
very unexpectedly upon Joseph. for
| heard him speak somewhat sharply
to him because he had not gone. to
the stable, and declaring that his
business was of more Importance than
Joseph's supper. l heard Joseph
mutter something about taking time
to finish his meal.
Ten minutes later, as father was
going down the steps to get into the
carriage, he turned back to me. and
holding his umbrella so mother could
not hear, he whispered:
''Ive been thinking, Christie, that
young Randall had better come and
sleep at the house. l shall feel east
er about you. Send a message to
him at the office. He is to be there
at work until very late.
Then he stepped into the carriage
and they drove away into the dark
ness and rain.
L did not send a message to Harry,
however. Indeed, / laughed little
as L thought of fathers anxiety. He
was almost as timid as mother, after
all.
| was of rather easy, careless dis
position, and really had not parti-
Gle of fear of having money in my
keeDinC And rs we two SAT there