The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-27
AN OLD MAIDS BURGLAR.


Of mental rehearsal. again and again.
and j do not believe my wei trained wits
could desert me. whatever the opinion Of
brother Jack may be.
I'm not "a young woman. ] passed the
/ boundary line Of old maidenhood seven
/ years ago. 1 made a celebration on my
I 18th birthday. 1t comes IN August, and
invited several of the old school girls
from St Mary's TO come in their cool
muslin wrappers EAST India mourning
to the funeral of my youth. l served a
lunch of ice and lady-hngers on maiden
hair ferns. and we drank iced tea i've
always hated tea) as a proper preparation
for old maidlsm. / read them poem, a
4 parody on The Burial of Sir John -loore
lin which ! became a spinster and laid
youth to rest-"With her twenty-five
E years behind her" All that was seven
years ago, and each day l have grown
more self-reliant and brave. quite de-
termined to make my life Of some account
/ i considered that day that If no man mad
found my face pleasant one 10 nave
I opposite TO him three times day. was
a very fortunate woman ia that no man s
face had ever obtruded itself into my
dreams, and that if heart-whole at p,
probably my heart was love-proof, and l
+ would make career of my own. 80 1
Z persuaded Jack to teach me bookkeeping
and after that 1t was not very hard 10
persuade him TO let me cease play and
keep his books in earnest.
So for seven years 1 had work / en-
+ joyed, and six hours Of every day / spent
i ia the little Office behind the great one
where reports from the great ware
houses of Gale q Co had come in ever
/ since my Grandfather Gales day. Peo-
pie called me eccentric and odd, at first,
I but my world grew used to the fact in
I time and accepted me on my own terms
When August Of last year came
around, / had taken my usual July va
cation and my sd birthday found me at
home, ready 70 assume part OF Jack 5
duties in addition to my own, that he and
Annie might have their months outing
/ also.
Il wish you would shut up the house
and board while we are away" Annie
I gle all alone nights in this great house"
! Maggie was our faithful domestic.
Haven't we stayed alone for six years
every August, with a private Waterman,
/ too, for this block? I'm never one mite
afraid"
You are perfectly safe" Jack said
i We've got a new Waterman now, who
4 will look after things sharp-Jerry was
growing old and 1 think liked a quiet
corner toward morning. This is young
/ fellow Who is out OF work; he is as
! bright as a dollar"
/ l quite laughed to myself at Annes
/ fears the next evening as ! stood a mo-
ment at the window after eXtinguish-
/ ing the gas and saw the burly, thick-set
! figure of the new Waterman lighting his
/ pipe by the gashght. He looked able to
tackle whole gang of house robbers I'M
! assisted.
All went peacefully l met the new
! man, Joe by name, each night as l came
I from the office. He came to watch at 6
1 o'clock; he had bright face and a pleas
ing way, l found when l stopped to
/ speak to him. He seemed to feel a great
sense of responsibility as regards the care
OF our house, which always gave me
/ comfortable feeling.
Jack had been away two weeks when
1 the cashier was taken sick. / offered to
/ take his duties in connection with nv own
! r Tor rfe
| new partner and l really carried the
/ weight Of the business on our shoulders
/ the next week Mr. Gaskell had only been
/ a partner six months. He was an Eng
/ lishman. whom Jack had met the year
4 before in New York. He had managed to
/ sink a fair supply of English gold in
4 American ventures before Jack met him.
! and had gained thereby an experience
that made him, now in middle life fair to
put some Of our American metal in place
! of that lost.
From his first coming among as strong
/ in his English prejudice, there had been
tactic war between him and me- / think
4 this week he laid down his arms for the
/ hrst time. Il m not going to say approve
of your being here Miss Lawrence" he
edge no man could think quicker or be or
more help than you are, but all the chiv-
airy in me protests against the drudgery
you endure"
zone must work if he is to have ca
4 reer,' / answered laughingly But all the
/ same there was pleasant feeling in my
1 or trouble.
one afternoon, the last of the week. he
i brought me 5000 that some western Gus
4 toner had paid. Wen have to put it in
/ the safe, Miss Lawrence" he said. "the
/ bank closed two hours ago" That night
/ when | closed the safe. l dpliberated sew
eral moments with the door in my hands
4 whether to leave the money or take fl
! home with me. We have always felt the
/ warehouses made our office a dangerous
/ place, and the air was so hot and dry thar
/ day the very walls seemed full of heat
and as if they might light from sponta-
neOus combustion; neither have | ever felt
/ perfect confidence in our safe as fireproof
! have tried many time to have Jack
/ change it for more modern one. 1 thought
/ OF my Waterman ana almost determined
to take the money home, but finally con-
I sidered it would only give me a wakefln
night to have the care of it-and / shut
l had my wakeful night though. just
the same-for / had hardly fallen asleep
when l heard the gong of the fire alarm
I Ordinarily | should not have risen unless
! called, but the weight of the business
/ seemed on me, and ! slipped on my wrap
per and slippers and watched the bright
| llght IN the west. Finally | put the alarm
whistle to my lips and called Joe. Find
| out where it is. Joe" l said for it's in
the direction of the shipping quarter"
Ten minutes later and Joe was breath
| less below my window. It's a fearful fire
miss, with everything as dry as finder
It's the elevator at the foot of Fifth
street" Only two blocks from the ware
| houses, with this hot wind blowing direct
" toward theml l thought of my books
No one knew the safe combination save
Mr.. Gaskell and myself, and Mr.. Gaskell
lived two miles further off than l, and I
felt all the responsibility rested on me to
save Jacks property. Joe" I said II
must so down to the office-can you go
with me?'
Joe looked solemn "Fn have to. miss.
and let the houses watch themselves. Mr.
1 Lawrence said take care of you. miss first
Of ALL" ! flew to dress myself for the
street, and in two minutes was ready
Twenty minutes more and we were before
the office door The air was stifiing-T felt
as l watched the fire brands in the air and
heard the roaring of the flames that the
/ warehouses We're doomed.
4 Joe found truck and a box, and I load
ed books and insurance papers into them
! had just finished when l heard Mr. Gas
kells voice behind me Miss Lawrence
this is no place for you. but it's like YOU
to be here first he added quickly 'You
have the books and papers, see; is this
your watchman?"
] nodded
Have him take them to the house: YOU
must go with me and leave me to save
what 1 can. I hate to have You take
that money" he added. seeing the bum
de l hid under my shawl. Perhaps,
though, it will be safer with you than
me, and leave me free to work"