The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-01-05

eve had pfumned % a. to have the door
n the safe ready TO blow open when the
wstchman weut down to the cellar TO sss
| Se his fires knowed the time of night
he did 80, seeing him often from my house
across the way through the window of the
bank. But to make sure we stationed a
man where no could give the signal at the
1 proper time With the watchman down
stairs and we shut in that vault, with solid
| masonry below us, 'twarn't In the range
| of possibilities for'no human to hear us.
"'Twas planned that when we broke
| through the ceiling me and one of tho
Others was to go down first with the Ian
| terms and tools and get the door ready for
| Jim Groogan, tho loader of the gang, to
come down and use the dynamite and bo
| OIL hand to take out the money.
"Lord, but it was just the night for such
piece of work, and after had examined
to see II all was safe knowing the dangers
better than the others, we broke through
the floor and lowered the ladder, and there
we was right in the vault Twas we'll
for me I'd hit it right, for my life warn {
worth much If any of my planning failed
to work.
"Tom Doolan in a hurry went down
first, aud when / was half way down he
started back, saying in hoarse kind Of
whispers
"'Who called mef'
"'No one, you fool, said Jim.
"Then, he said and he ran past me
ON the ladder, some one is down there.
Twicet 1 heard some one say, $50 back,
go back.
"'We'll gag him. said Jim. And me
and him went down and turned our lam
terms round, looking everywhere, but there
warn't 10 one there.
90 What's the matter with the fool?'
growled Jim and went back and tried TO
send him down again, but he just would
| not go; so jim cursed him and come him
self and he and me begun to get the safe
door ready to blow up.
"That's thing as takes time and care,
Judge, but we went at it with will and
never word. 1t was so still you could
almost hear your heart beat, when all of a
sudden come smothered cry like wom-
ans We stopped work and looked at
each other, Jim's face white and scared.
Lord, what was that?' he said.
81 often hears 'em on the street like
that said l.
THAT warn t on the street. 1t sounded
close by, said Jim. We couldn't hear
nothing outside in this place.
Nonsense said l. Don't you make
fool of yourself, too, and spoil all And
went to work again.
~ could see how his hand trembled for
awhile and then got steady again.
"'That must have come through the
room up stairs, he said presently. Queer,
though; it sounded SO close
"Then we worked on, and there warn't
nothing more to be heard. Rest Of the gang
might all have been dead men for all the
sound they made, and we didn't say
nothing, and so the night went on.
"At last we had it all ready and were
only waiting for the signal to blow it up
and then-money enough to make us all
rich. 'Tain't such as you can realize the
excitement and the strain of such mo-
ment. To know it's all there ready and
then to have to wait, it's easier walking
over redhot Goals. It's all right 10 no on
andwork, but to stay still and only breathe
and listen gives man the shivers.
Presently jim caught my arm.
Say, | thought / heard voices. Did
your he whispered.
"'The men up stairs l said.
"'Sounded down here. Have your pistol
ready
81 took my lantern and went round the
vault again carefully and then held it up
to examine the walls. Then / shook my
head. There warn't no way we could hear
no one
"'It's the queerest place ever was in,
said Jim, 'and, by Jove, I'll be glad when
we are out of it. Why don't that signal
come? Suppose there's any hitch? swear
hear voices again.
"Just then come the signal, and Jim be-
<,, Ia, bo lxv, h,,t ;o IL
trembled SO and his eyes looked SO wild
and excited his own wife wouldn't know
him.
"'The money, the money! he whis-
pered. We must have it now.'
"We got out of the way just in time,
and then out came the door.
"'The inside door, quick, said Jim,
but the explosion had made that fall in
side, and we just could lift it out.
Have the bag ready, said jim as he
leaned forward to haul out the great piles
of bank notes and silver we could see by
the light of the lanterns.
Hands off or you are dead mani
1T was voice that would most ,ave
walked the dead. / dropped my ,,ao and
Jim drew back his hand, CO.. -,gbt hold of
me with grip like iron, p nd we begun to
go slowly back to the ls' ,der
"'The combinatio, a. oI r;,,ht. ,yo bave
'hem eswa now; they ant escape us.
hoord .ba .ialf up the ladder when we
we drew VIZ click, click, of the lock, and as
the :, the ladder after us we could hear
asping of the hinges of the iron door.
"'Fly, fly for your lives! We arc dis
coveredr said Jim as he went round to
warn the men, And in the darkness and
the wind and the rain they went away, and
amt never seen one of em since.
heard, though, as when they found there
warn't no one there and the bank people
didn't know nothing bout 1t till the next
morning they just believed as the bank
was haunted, sure.
"Do know what 1t was, judge? There
amt no one else as does know, that's sure
| 'Tain't much, after all.
"You see, playing round with my little
ones found as could make 'em hear al
kinds of noises anywhere wanted ant
people crying and laughing. Itwas fun fu
them, and often done eit-ventriloquizing