Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-08-13

| tho
The tall man took the lamp
from the window Ielge aud came
closer to me. Bat their search was
10 vain. The tall man placed the
lamp on the table, while the other
man put a revolver to my ear,
Gomez be said, where are those
keysT
Ny head was beginning to clear
a little. saw it all. Ny wife had
taken the keys from my pocket
because 1t was her way, and be
cause she thought 1 had no fur
tber use for them until morning.
HE must have LETT the keys at
home.' said the tall man hurriedly-
Here give him a sheet of paper
aud let him write note to
his wife. asking for them. The
short man looked up sharply.
I'll get them,' said the tall man.
The, pulled the table up to me
and spread ont scrap OF paper.
The short man Ioosed the rope
and let my right hand free. l
reached 10 nv vest pocket halt
blludly and drew out my pencil.
Still in a d ze, | tried to put my
wife's name on the sheet. The
pencil refused to make a mark. |
looked at it. L. was dull and hOr-
ribly hsggled about the point.
pride myself on the fine point |
put to my pencils. Again 1 COM
pretended that my wife had bor-
rowed that very pencil to write
the note to the operators wife.
| tried to scrihble with the bIdn.
ted thing.
Curse you, hurryp growled the
short ruffian.
| showed the pencil point.
With an exclamation of anger the
short man drew ont a heavy.handl-
ed knife and swiftly sh2rpened
the pencil. As he passed it back
my wandering vision was caught
by the lamp on the table. heavens
it was no longer IN the window.
AS this thought struck me | look
ed towards the ledge and saw
there a white, scared face pressed
against the pane. 1t was my wife.
Wnttv grovled the short TutliaD.
My ouly thought was to gain
time. knew my wife was there.
/ knew she would bring help.
took the pencil in my nerve
less fingers. AS did so a low
growl caught my ear. IL caught
the ears OF the villains, too. Ine
short man dropped his knife on
table and turned towards the door
with his revolver extended. The
talI man drew himself up against
the wall.
It's the dog he hoarsely whlsp.
cred. 'Shoot to kill, Jack
Isaw the door tren0le a little
I saw tile. short Williams arm rails
ed and my 6gers closed on the
handle of the knife he had Jnst
dropped. Then as the door slowly
opened | drew back my arm ard
thrust wildly at the man in front
of me. Something yellow ne"
through the doorway, there was
wild scream, hrav, fail and }
lapsed into uuconscl0asuess again
When came around | vas in
at home, with Miunle bending
over me.
It's AL right, Joe,' she murmur'
ell, they've got them both locked
ND safe and sound, and the money
IS all right, and the mill directors
have given you one thousand dol
lars of it,
sAnd JlmP | asked.
'Jlmp she cred. why Jim was
the tall man. 1t was all his plot to
steal IKE money aud throw the
blame on you. And if | hadn't
taken your keys-don't scOld-
the,'d have had the money, aud
if it hadn't been for the lead
pencil | dulled-the man you
stabbed told the whole story
wouldn't have got there in time
with Hector. The dog almost
killed Jim before 1 could call him
away, but l amt so sorry, because
the little man says they would
have killed you if you had by any
chance suspected Jim's identity
reached out aud took Minnie's
hand.
That thousand dollars belongs
to you dear | said brokenly.
well,' she answered, ut you
+. take 1t, Joe, you may rest assured
Z Pn borrow 1t sooner or later
. Then she put her cheek agaIns'
! my hand aud laughed.
Then she cried.-Clevelaud Plan