The herald., 1893-07-17

uncOluprOmlSlnSly on tne SpOU, DuL Inls
proposal met with obstacles. His fellow
workman, who was of sitter courage,
rejected it with scorn, as savoring too
much of the superstitious. Pierre had a
large family to support, he argued. He
spoke frankly. They could not afford to
throw away the opportunities of provi-
dence. To his friend and colaborer the
burden of his remarks was:
''Lachel Go honl You make me tired
wiz yer ghosts an tings. Let's not have
no beast foolin-see? De job is COM
mence. Allons!'
The upshot of this was that Pierre and
Baptiste went back to work. AT the
third crack of tho drill Pierre crossed
himself and said:
"Baptiste, dere's a man in dat safer
Both men grew pale as death at the
very suggestion. Baptiste, for instance,
was so frightened he couldn't utter
syllable. His tongue clave 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 dere!" he cried, yet not so
loud as to be heard on the sidewalk. To
this there came faint response-a very
faint shout indeed. 1t sounded as If it
were mile away:
"For Gods sake, give me airl / an
locked in here. Try and burst open the
safer
The two burglars did not stop to talk.
but went at once to work as if their own
lives depended on the result instead of
the life of the mysterious occupant of
the vault. In less than four minuts y,
they had a hole somewhat smaller than
the business end Of 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 profting 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 felon?
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 safe?"
"Fifteen-three-seventy-three~ 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 Is seconds the lock of the vault
gave back the same resonant click it
had rendered eight minutes previously.
Thanks to the timely advent of Pierre
and Baptiste, it opened as lightly, as air
lily and as decisively as it had closed 4S0
seconds before on the unhappy account
ant.
The head bookkeeper gasped once or
twice, but without any assistance step
ped out into the free air. He was very
pale, and his dress was much rent and
disordered when his feet touched the
floor. But this pallor quickly made
way for red flush at perceiving the
two burglars with the implements of
their profession strewed around them.
Meanwhile Pierre and Baptiste them
selves stood transfixed by the sheer nov
city Of the situation. a
Without any kind of speech or warn
ing or without making any attempt at
bravado, the bookkeeper walked delib-
erately to his desk and rang an electric
call for the police. simultaneously, it
seemed, for SO rapid and quiet was the
action, he opened a drawer, took out
small revolver and covered both bur-
glars with fatal precision. AS he did
so he uttered these remarkable words:
''Gentlemen, / would indeed be the
basest of men if did not feel profoundly
grateful for the service you have just
rendered me. Ishall always regard you
as any right minded man should regard
those who have saved his life with immi-
nent peril to themselves or, which is just
the same, to their liberty. Any demand
in reason you make Of me shall make
an effort to perform. But my duty to
my employers regard as paramount l
have accumulated little money, and
with it l propose to engage the best
counsel in your defense, which is GER
tainly marked by mitigating circum-
stances. If, on the other hand, you are
convicted"-
Here the officers of justice entered,
having broken open the door with a
crash.-Strand Magazine.