Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-08-15

you ABOUT No eal0 AT last, Tt was not
much to boast of. and the only reason why
! like to tell the story IL because it marks
the cross roads Of life with me- It was
the first time that ever went wrong.
he ,ns t Ss no
town. and got a fair education in the
schools and In little academy that the
Few years later I drifted into New York,
without any money. and CHANGED to run
across q man whom had known at home.
He had started with a little money. and
had built it up to fortune in New York.
ne seemed to be glad to meet some one
from the old place, and was sympathetic
Wnen ne learned that l was out Of work
and low In pocket. If would call ON him
At MS ONCE the next day he would try to
ma me something to do. I went there. ex-
pectIng to get soft job, and what do you
. .n.nk ne onered me? The position Of mis- ht
Waterman In his furniture factory in Long
Island City, 80 A0Ae
FROM that moment hated the man, and
m naue up my mind to get square with him.
Job 1t Vas sne only reason e1a why took the
,hat! wen. went to work, and every week
charged him, in my mind. with the
amount that he ought to have paid me over
ana above what I got He was going in
know it.
Late one afternoon I went to the factory
, pegln my regular nights work. Gray
talking with his partner, Bob Stetson The
ONCE was little one-story building con-
Hecteo with the factory by covered walk.
1 sa" the two men through a window
ihey were talking across a big pile of
money that lay on Cravings desk Pres
entity saw Grayling put the money in the
sale. and then Stetson went away
rev minutes later l showed up in the
once Grayling told ME he was going to be
there till midnight. and that l needn't come
over from the factory before that time.
Ordinarily was supposed to make my
regular rounds hourly.
'Graylng went out for his dinner and
came back about o'clock. l took look
at him through the window He was at
MOI Mork on the books. and the safe was Open
The money was in that safe l had been
thinking about that. 1t seemed to me
that there ought to be some way to collect
what Craving owed me. according to my
figuring. Probably could get few dol
lars extra. II worked 1t right.
i was new at that sort of business then
and naturally didn't know just how to 90
TO work. or course, l might have walked
into the office. and probably l could have
krccked Grayling on the head without any
trouble. But l hestated at that. Murder
isn't in my line, and besides. 1 didn't know
now much money there was in the pile that
l had seen Moreover. Grayling kept a
loaded revolver quite handy in a drawer of
his desk, as had discovered while CHANGING
over his papers one night after everybody
had gone home.
Perhaps 1 might have given up the job.
but luck was in my favor. About 0 o'clock,
as l was standing by the window of the
office looking in. and thinking, a boy came
along CARRYING a tin pail. He had his hand
On the knob of the office door when 1 spoke
to him.
What have you got there? said 1: and
he told me 1t was coffee for Mr.. Grayling.
He always has 1t sent over when ne
awake, l suppose. l bring it around from
the restaurant. just before we close up and
l put 1t on the gas stove in the back Office
so that it will keep hot
That's pretty good idea said l.
Gould you get another paiful for me-?
He was willing: and after he had car
RED in Cravings coffee. he trotted back to
the restaurant after mine. While he was
gone. ran around the corner to a drug
store. where l bought some Ia udanum-for
the toothache. Pretty soon the boy came
back with my pail of coffee, and paid him
the price. When he had gone / dosed the
conee with laudanum very carefully. for /
didn't want any accident to happen. That
vas why l got the second pailful. l was
afraid that if l tried to dose Grayling's
coffee while 1t was on the stove and he in
the next room 1 might get nervous and
make q mistake.
Having fixed the coffee all right, Slip
ped Into the back room through a rear door
OF which l had the key, and 1 shifted the
two pals without making sound. Then /
TOOK MIS- pail over to the factory and put
IT In a warm place in the boiler ROOM
thinking that might need it later to brace
my nerve. / waited half an hour by my
watch-which appeared to be going a good
deal slower than usual-and then I went
into the passage that led to the office l
didn't dare to open the door at first, but 1
could see fairly we'll through the keyhole
1t was not so convenient as the window;
but didn't Ike to be seen there too often
In case anybody should be passing
Graylng WIS drinking his Office. There
were two cupfuls. / was a-wishing that he
wouldn't drink all of the last one: but he
did. And while he was doing It, the pass
age where stood got hotter and hotter till
the sweat ran off my forehead. thought
that he would hear 1t dropping on the floor
After ne had drunk his coffee he sat
down before his desk and presently his
head fell forward into his hands. l thought
he was gone. but he reused himself: got up,
and began to pace the floor. I heard him
rutter about being sleepy. When he passed
his chair I could see him through the key
hole. and l saw that he hesitated every
time. He wanted to sit down; he wanted
to throw his head upon his hands on that
desk and sleep and sleep. I knew Just how
he felt. and l knew. too. that he would have
to come to it before long. At last he sat
down in a decisive way. shaking his head
81 IL