The Opelousas courier., 1892-11-12
One morning Mr.. Morton entered the

OulCS III SOmc udSSS.
SITS all arranged, she heard him say,
land I find l must leave at once. J
have your certificate filed out, anC.
telleve you said the funds were Geady,
You can give them to mt to-day,N sup
pose"
"No, I cannot" returned Mr.. Allison,
who was at the moment deep in the con-
tents of a private drawer at the safe.
"They are not in town, and l must first
sell some Government bonds now in the
safe deposit vaults at Boston. l will try
and have the money for you in the course
of forty-eight hours"
Morton made no reply, but Mile
:hanced to look up just then. and che.
vas much startled at the reflection Of
lis face, presented by a mirror hanging
On the opposite wall.
Plainly Mr.. Allison's words had not
pleased him, for the expression on his
dark features wildly illustrated rage
md disappointment.
When Mr.. Allison sat down again
Morton had fully recovered himself to all
outward appearance, and after a little
more conversation IN too low a tone for
her to understand it, he went away.
In the afternoon Mr.. Allison astonished
his clerk by asking if she thought she
sould take sole charge of the Office for a
day or two. He was going to Boston at
i've o'clock, and could not tell just when
he should return.
Had she dared she would have tried
10 dissuade him from going, for she was
iure the result of his journey would be
10 put a large part of his property in
Mortonis hands. She did not speak
,hen, but she was so uneasy she deter
mined to watch for an opportunity of
doing SO.
By and by he happened to look up
and see her eyes resting on him, with an
expression which caused him to leave his
desE&and come to her side.
"Nhat is it, Mil-Miss Thorndykes"
be asked in a tone she had never heard
him use before; ''you have something to
say to me-"
stI-I-yes," she STAN mered, and then
stopped short. She had not yet over
come a habit of flushing up whenever he
addressed her-a habit not at all un-
becoming in his eyes, though it was
painfully confusing to her.
While he was waiting for her to re-
cover herself the Office door opened, at
which he stepped back with an air Of
annoyance, and, turning, confronted
Morton. Miles chance was lost, for
Morton stayed until train ting and the
two gentlemen went out together.
81 will leave the safe fdsb you to
lock-" said Mr.. Allison, in giving his
6nal directions. "You know how-shut
the door hard to, turn the handle that
works the bolts until it is squad across,
and then turn the knob two or thre9
times toward the left" Il
After he was gone she reproached her
self more than ever that she had not
spoken the warning that had been at her
tongues end. It could have done no
harm, and would at least have put him
on his guard. But regrets were useless,
and she could only hope, rather for
lornly, that all might turn out well.
Being in a somewhat disturbed state
of mind, and having no work to do, she
tried to compose herself with a new
book left in the Office by Mr.. Allison,
and she found it so interesting she was
10th to lay it down at 5 o'clock, the hour
of closing. AS her supper would not be
ready before $50, and her quarters at
present were comfortable and quiet, she
to stay a while longer, first
care to lock the door that she
be secure from interruption.
As she wa about to settle down she
Thought of the safe. She never before
had had occasion to lock a safe door,
and she carefully followed Mr.. Allison's
directions.
"Oh, how heavyl" she exclaimed,
at the ponderous weight, as she
drew it back for a long swing. "He
said | must shut it hard to-" and exert
ing all her strength, she closed The door
a bang. Then she shot the bolo
ard turned the knob until a significant
little click told her all was secure.
''There; now everything is FAST" she
said.
And 80 it was, even more SO than she
for in turning away q quicb
lug at her gown caused her to look
when she saw with dismay she
had shut into the safe a part OF one OF
the folds of her skirt.
One or two Intellectual pulls showed
hat the iron monster could not be made
% give up its grip until its jaws were
forced apart-in other words until the
1oor was opened-which, as che neither
knew the combination nor had the nee.
sssary strength, was of course out of the
Had her gown been an old one she
have freed herself by tearing the
10th, but, it being a new and very
pretty garment, she was unwilling hasti.
y to offer il violence. She thought o
for help, yet what would j
erve2
While she was trying to devise som,
means of drawing herself out of her di.
emma, she heard q sound of approach,
ng footsteps, which stopped outside the
loor, and were followed BY the rattle o
key in the keyhole.
Then she remembered with consterna,
ion that she had locked the door and
be key was In the lock to the exclusion
( any other.
ssWas ever anything SO stnpida" sb,
reclaimed. 81 have walked into a com
lete trap. I can't get cut and no on,
lse can get In"
The person outside having probabl,
uessed the reason OF his nonadsnission,