The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-03-30
have 20 ask father about IL.

Neh bot@a ohll1 llC llLACE
Is out and tie a string to the coil of
wire and drop it out of hat little win
dow that opens on the alley. Some of
You boys must be there to take care Of
1t right away, and we'll get it back
again in good shape and father won't
be anything out or any the wiser
for it."
MIR. Bannister was the leading hard
a dealer in Barring. and in connec
ton with his store had a tinshop.
The timer who was employed by him
was a quick-witted Irishman who had
w sharp eyes in his head and could
read the mind of Master Ted like an
open book.
So, next day, when that young gen.
tlemau hung around his work bench as
though he was glued to the spot, when
ordinarily he would have been on the
street with the boys, or whining if
asked to leave them long enough to do
some little errands, Mike began to have
his suspicious aroused that there was
something in the wind.
He did not need to he asked n dozen
times if he had a jobs to do outside that
day, or if he had ever fixed hat rain
water conductor of ~Clayton's, to take
the hint, and in a short time he made
an excuse to go out. and when he had
got himself in a position favorable for
observation. he prolonged his stay I'M
til his suspicious had all been confirmed.
When he came back, Master Ted was
not in the shop. which did not surprise
Mike at all; but Ted was not the only
thing missing from the shop, which did
not surprise him any more than the
other disappearance.
Faith, and it's to broad daylight
robbery they've taken. is it?" he solilo-
quized to himself. And it's meself as
is wondering what the boss would be
saying if he saw how the little alley
window and a bal of Irvine was max
ing way with the best stock in the
store. But it's not meself thatll be
telling him until after the morrow,
sure. l amt been a boy so long ago
meself that 1 can't understand a cute
joke when l see it ~ripening, or take a
hand in it meself, for that matter, sure
as my names Mike Donovan"
And 80 Mike took an extra Whit at
his pipe and held his peace, SO far as
concerned what he had seen that day;
but he had heard enough more to cause
him to have an errand hat evening
after working hours, down to the river,
where the junk boat of Tom Doddridge
vas tied up.
Maybe he just wanted to borrow a
pipeful of Toms best tobacco, or may
be he needed the exercise, and just
happened to take a notion to stretch
his legs in this direction.
Toms stupid face didn't show any
more wisdom, if he had it, after Mike
was zone, and Mikes c~ountenance
showed none less.
Early the next morning there was
great commotion on the street of Bar
ing. A great crowd of people were
gathered around a team at one of the
crossings, the driver of which seemed
to be dead.
A part of the people were horror
stricken and LOUD in their denuncia-
ton of the carelessness of n corpora
ton that thus endangered the lives of
ClllZCno. dlO dIlOIllSI pdlI "cIc dI lISI
disposed to be amused and then amazed.
That portion of the crowd, to tell the
truth, had been on the spot before the
accident, or whatever it deserved to be
called, took place, and their faces had
worn alooko of expectancy of something
unusual about to happen.
Ted Bannister was in that crowd, and
so were a number of other boys-in
fact, nearly all the boys of any size in
the place-and Mike Donovan, too, had
left his work, and was standing at a
corner near by, quietly smoking and
watching the turn of vents with a hui
morous CLEAN in his eve.
And this was what had happened:
The wagon had driven along until it
was directly under the electric light
cable strung along the street, when all
at once some one had noticed a smaller
wire dangling down across the cable SO
low that the drivers head must brush
against it in passing.
Then it was that the warning cry
was raised by some ole-a boys voice
it was afterward said:
Dead wire! Dead wire!"
The driver, who was 10 other than
Tom Doddridge, heard the warning
and looked upjust as the dangling wire
was about to Craze his face, and then.
to the great horror of all and the sur
prise of some, he had tumbled from his
seat and fallen, with a convulsive mo-
ton of the body, PROSTATE in his
with the wire in some way at
tached to him still.
There was but one conclusion. He
had been shocked by a deadly current
from the electric wire and was dead.
Those who rushed forward to draw
the body from its terrible position were
warned that they would touch him at
the risk of their lives, as he was still in
contact with the wire; and one who
was rash enough to reach out and take
the horse by the bride, to lead it away,
dragged back as though the whole
eouipage were charged with deadly
fluid.
To say that it was a time of excite
expresses it but family. Barring
never had such a sensation. And by
this time the most horror-stricken
were Ted Bannister and
some of his companions.
When they had stared and stared,
until their eyes were about to protrude
from their sockets, the color began to
1a,-a their cheeks and Ted sank down !