The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-10-14

7 something IKE pittul grOan escaped
( the lips of the president Of the Trust and
[ Security Bank.
! Whatever was behind il in his mind and
/ heart. he folded the report mechanically;
placed it carefully in his inner pocket:
I gulped down great goblet Of ice water;
| and in moment more was among his
/ employees, picture of suavity, kindness
! and repOse.
/ As he entered, a glance into the record
/ vault told him that his wallet had been
| disturbed. Another glance showed him
( that old John Everett was quickly and
] quietly closing the drawer to his desk.
Harry Everett stood near his father
| and was waiting TO assist him in the re-
moval of additional ledgers into the vault.
! Mr.. Btllingsby stepped beside them and
/ remarked with a smile:
See here, Everett You look worked
| out. 1t only lacks half an hour of clos
| ing now. Harry, l want you 10 take
/ your father right out of here"
| The banker moved between the two
/ turned the key in the lock of the drawer.
/ handed the key and a gilt embossed card
| to John Everett and con tinued pleasantly:
Now, go right along. There's my fam
/ lily ticket to the art museum. You still
| have two or three hours of daylight
Show your father all the best pictures,
Harry. 1t will do him good. Make haste
now I'll have all these ledgers at
tended to myself"
He half pushed the two along to the al
cove, where their street coats and hats
were hanging; gently but firmly ignored
protests and thanks while these were be-
ing donned; still pleasantly hustled them
along the inner hallway to the employees
door of exit; kept firm and gentle hand
+ on the shoulders of each until they left
the building; when with a CHEEKY Good
night, Everett" and Good night, Har-
ryr he returned, still oomposedly and
pleasantly, to the proper disposition of
the ledgers, as he had promised; took his
wallet carelessly from the vault; and, on
examining it a few moments later in his
own room, found that three of the marked
bills were gone.
Soon after, the rush of late depositors
and applicants for money, the imperative
shuttingdown of tellers' windows, the
thumpings of heavy books, the jarring
and changing of vault doors, and the
scufling and trampng of impatient,
homeward-turning feet, told that the
Trust and Security Bank was closing for
the day.
The cashier halted at the presidents
door, knocked softly and inquired brisk
ly:
"Arn't you off with us, Mr.. Billings
by"
mo, Graves; not just yet These re-
ports here need additional attention. Tell
Watchman Murchison 1 am here yet.
Have him lock up everything tidy, and
wait for me outside, by the main en-
trance
"All right. Good night"
Good night, Graves," came heartily
from the presidents room, while the man
who uttered it stood again at the win
dow pressing his face against it's panes
as if looking intently and fixedly for the
entrance of some dread form within the
court below.
How long he remained, with what sub
10 orfa II, trr .f +, i
what doloroUs things he thought, or what
singing hurts he suffered, are not an
others to know; but it was with firm, ire
morless tread that he at last turned his
steps into the now silent exchange.
The shadows We're softly falling upon
the place where such tremendous meas
ure Of hope and fear, fierce satisfaction
and fiercer sorrow, are daily balanced
and adjusted with the impasiveness of
time itself: and the banker went straight
to old John Everett's desk, pass-keys in
hand.
He opened the drawer and glanced
within. 1t contained only one trihing
package, held loosely together with rub
Der bands. Among its contents the banker
saw. first a delicate tracing of the bank,
its interior compartments, the vaults and
the outer court with the stone store
house and surrounding walls; the three
marked bills which had been taken from
his wallet; and a miniature portrait of a
sweet-faced woman. On the reverse side
of the delicate silver case were engraved
the words:
MY Beloved Wife, Ellen Everett;
at 2O'
For a mement it seemed to Barrett
Billingsby that the spacious room held
not enough air for him to breathe. For
a moment, too both his hands held fast
to the front of the open drawer. His
lips parted as if some agonized exclama-
ton would burst from them; but one
standing beside could have family heard
only the words;
anarchist, thief and-and husband of
| the woman l lOvedn'
He placed the articles he had found in
his pocket with the Dingleton reports;
closed and locked the drawer; returned to
his room and there paced back and forth
for time, muttering only: God help
you now-poor poor old John Everett"
and then again took his station at the
! grated window. as the dark came in and
! enveloped him at his post as with an i'm
| penetrabe mantle. Whatever prescience
| of expectation was upon him, he had not
| long to wait.
| Through the still lingering outer murky
| light, he saw the old vault door of the
/ store-hOuse slowly open from the inside
/ A skulking figure entered the little court.
/ Through the now open Store-house door
/ the dim light from the side street, in the
! ally, disclosed that the iron bars had been
/ removed from the grated window; and
! then the banker saw old John Everett
himself cautiously approaching the bank
| and saw or thought he saw, his white
| and hagard face bent fercely upon the
window where he stood. He instinct
| lively retreated and listened, as the man
beneath him moved back and forth along
the rear of the building searchingly
Then he could hear something like soft
pickings, proceeding from the vicinity
of the wall against the vaults; these now
and then interspersed with muffled, graf
ing sounds.
The banker felt his way through the
exchange; softly unboted the door lead
ing from the bank into the court; stepped
down upon the pavement, and came noise
lessly beside old John Everett, who was
now upon his knees, working with the
utmost caution and preocCupation in an
effort to place a tube-lilSe object in a hole
evidently previously drilled into the outer
vault walls He stood over the man for
a little, as if actually regarding his labors
with curious intentness Finally he