Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-07-13

spoke frankIy. Tney could NOS enord 10
throw away the opportunities q proyi-
dence. To his friend and colAborer the
burden Of his remarks was:
'Lachel Go honi You make me tired
wig yer ghosts an tings. Let's not have
no beast foolin-seeS De job Is COM
mence. AllonsF
The upshot Of this was that Pierre and
Baptiste went back to work. At the
third crack Of the drill Pierre crossed
himself and said:
'sBaptiste, dere's man In dat safel"
Both men grew pale as death at the
very suggestion. Baptiste, for instance,
was so frightened he couldn't utter
syllable. His tongue claye to the roof
of his mouth. However, Pierre. as usu-
al, was the first to recover. He applied
his ear first to the lock and then TO the
drill hole.
"Hey, in derer' he cried, yet not so
loud as to be heard on the sidewalk. To
this there came faint RESPONSE very
faint shout indeed. II sounded as II it
were mile away:
"For Gods sake, give mo airl ! am
locked In here. Try and burst open the
safeI"
The two burglars did not stop to talk,
but went at once to work as II their own
lives depended ON the result instead Of
the life of the mysterious occupant Of
the vault. In less than four minutes
they had hole somewhat smaller than
the business end Of a collar button
knocked into the panel of the vault.
Then Pierre and Baptiste paused to
wipe the sweat from their brows. The
man inside breathed.
1t was now that the pair began to
muse ON the denouement. Could this be
q member of the firm or an employee?
This hypothesis jeopardized the success
of the nights adventure unless when
they had permitted the prisoner to
emerge they bound and gagged him into
silence.
On the other hand, this course would
have an ugly look. If he resisted, it
might mean murder in the end; where
as, if they did not let him out at all, they
would stand no chance Of pIofting by
the pecuniary contents of the safe. Be
sides, as the man could scarcely live thus
till morning, they would be responsible
for his taking off. Thus reasoned Pierre
and Baptiste. These were not comfort
ing reflections, but there was still an
other and better in reserve What if,
after all, the man were himself feloni
Might he not be companion cribcrack-
er? In that case they would merely have
to divide the spoils.
"Hey, in dere," cried Pierre, suddenly
struck with an idea, "What is de COM
bination hof de safer
"Fifteen-three-sev -threel" came
back in sepulchral tones.
1t was evidently growing harder and
harder to draw breath through the tiny
aperture.
Thus it transpired that at the expira
ton of 10 seconds the lock of the vault
gave back the same resonant click il
had rendered eight minutes previously
Thanks to the timely advent of Pierre
and Baptiste, it opened as lightly, as air
ily and as decisively as it had closed 4St
seconds before on the unhappy account
ant.
The head bookkeeper gasped once o.
twice, but without any assistance step
ped out into the free air. He was yer,
pale, and his dress was much rent an(
disordered when his feet touched tn
J floor. But this pallor quickly mad
way for a red flush at perceiving tn
two burglars with the implements 0
: their profession strewed around them.
} Meanwhile Pierre and Baptiste them
! selves stood transfxed by the sheer nov
city of the situation.
Without any kind of speech or warn
ing or without making any attempt a
bravado, the bookkeeper walked delib
erately to his desk and rang an electri
call for the police. simultaneously.
seemed, for SO rapid and quiet was tn
action, he opened drawer, took out
small revolver and covered both bun
: glars with fatal precision. AS he di
} so he uttered these remarkable words:
, "Gentlemen, I would indeed be tn
/ basest Of men if I did not feel profoundl
grateful for the service you have jus
rendered me. Ishall always regard yo
? as any right minded man should regar
those who have saved his life with imm
t nent peril to themselves or, which is jus
| the same, to their liberty. Any deman
( in reason you make of me / shall max
] an effort to perform. But my duty
my employers | regard as paramount.
s have accumulated little money, an
with it / propose to engage the be:
8 counsel in your defense, which is cel
a tainly marked by mitigating circun
t stances. If, on the other hand, you al
r convicted''-
Y Here the officers Of justice entered
g having broken open the door with
q crash.-Strand Magazine.