The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-09-07

wu
Mike. Who Shuts Up the office at
Night?"
| some fellow, with q full mustache over
his firm mouth, and with quick eyes
| below his curly brown hair. He had
| spent four years in college, carrying
off honors in mathematics; he was pop
| ular with his classmates, who made
him class poet; and in his senior year
| he was elected president of the college
Photographic society. He had gone to
a chronological institute where he had
| made himself master of the theory and
practice of metallurgy. After year
of travel in Europe, where he had in
| VeStigated every important steel and
iron works he could get into, he had
come home to take a desk in the Office.
| 1t was only for u moment that he
stood on the sidewalk opposite, looking
at the old building. Then he threw
away his cigarette and went over.
Instead of entering the long store. he
walked down the alley-way left open
| for the heavy wagons. When he came
| opposite the private office in the rear
of the store he examined the doors
| and the windows carefully to see IL
he could detect any means of ingress
| other than those open to everybody.
| As Paul entered the private Office he
| found the porter there putting coal on
| the fire.
Stepping back to close the glass door
| behind him, that they might be alone
he said:
Mike, who shuts up the Office at
nisht?"
sure, I do, Mister Paul" was the
| prompt answer.
| And do you open it in the morning."
| the young man asked.
II do that" Mike responded
| "Do you see that these windows are
| always fastened on the insidc?" was
| the next query.
yes, Mister Paul" the porter re-
piled.
We'll" and the inquirer hesitated
| briefly before putting this question,
have you found any one of these
windows unfastened any morning late
! ly when YOU came here?'
| "And how did you know that?" Mike
| returned in surprise.
| what morning was it," asked Paul,
| pushing his advantage.
| ut was last Monday mornn'. Mister
| Paul. the porter explained, "an' how
| 1t was / dunno, for / had every wan o
| the windows tight Saturday night
| an Monday mOrnin' wan o. them was
unfastened whin l wint to open it to
let n bit o air into the office here"
| "YOu sleep here always, don't you?'
Paul proceeded.
"Tve sep' here iviry night for three
year now come Thanksgivin', Mike re-
piled. 1--WE the whole top o. the house
| to myself. It's an iligant apartment !
have there. Mister Paul"
| When Mike had left the office. Paul
| took q chair before the fire and lighted
| q cigar. For half an hour he sat
silently thinking.
| He came to the conclusion that Mr..
| Whoatcroft was right In his suspicion.
Whittier, Wheatcroft &; Co. had lost
| important contracts because of under
| bidding due to knowledge surreptiously
| obtained. He believed that some one
had got into the store on Sunday while
Mike was taking q walk, and that this
somebody had somehow opened the
safe. There was never any money in
| that private safe; 1t was intended to
| contain only important papers. 1t did
| contain the letter-book of the firms
bids. and this is what was wanted by
the man who had got into the office and
who had let himself out by the window,
leaving it unfastened behind him.
What grieved him when he had come
| to this conclusion was that the thief
| for such the housa- a-brcaker was in
reality was probably one Of the men
| in the employ of the firm. 1t seemed to
| him almost certain that the man who
| had broken i'm knew all the ins and outs
| of the office And how could this knowl-
| edge have been obtained except by an
employe? Paul was well acquainted
with the clerks in the outer office.
| There were five of them. ipcluding the
| old bookkeeper; and although none of
them had been with the firm as long
as the Major. no one OF them had been
| there less than ten years.
While Paul was sitting quietly in the
| private Office smoking cigar. with all
! his mental faculties at their highest
tension the clock in the corner sudden
| ly struck three.
Paul swiftly swung around in his
chair and looked at it. An old eight
| day clock 1t was. which not only told
the time of day, but pretended also to
| supply miscellaneous astronomical in
| formation. 1t stood by Itself In the
corner.
| For moment after 1t struck Paul
stared at it with o fixed gaze, as
though he did not see what he was
looking at. Then light came into his
eyes and smile fitted across his lips.
He turned around in his chair slowly
and measured with his eye the proper
| tons of the room. the distance between
! the desks and the safe and the clock.
|. He glanced up at the sopinS glass roof
above him. Then he smiled again, and
| again sat silent for n minute. He rose
| to his feet and stood with his back to
| the fire. Almost in front of him was
| the clock in the corner
He took out his watch and COM
pared its time with that of the clock.
| Apparently he found that the clock was
| too fast. for he walked over to 1t and
turned the minute hand back. 1t
| seemed as though this was q more diff
| ficult feat than he supposed or that
he went about it carelessly. for the
minute hand broke off short in his
fingers. A spasmodic movement of his
as the thin metal snapped pulled the
chain Off it's cylinder, and the weight
fell with a clash.
All the clerks looked up; and the red
headed Office boy was prompt in an
swer to the bell Paul rang moment
alaeE. II ,,,,., - =. a..