The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-05-05

with and sent back to the farm. BIT
she stirred up bit of character in lser
husband that he had never before
shown TO her in its entirety. He want-
ed her to attend exclusively to her dr.
nestle affairs. He would look after
the business end of their partnership.
He had told Ross to keep everythi sg
quiet during an important conference
in the private Office, and to admit no
one until it was over with. When men
were talking about the investment of
millions they had enough to do without
being bothered by every fellow that
thought he wanted to see the president.
The son had rushed in and said he want
ed to talk with his father a minute.
Ross explained matters to him and po-
| litely asked him not to make such a
tarnal racket. The son of a wealthy
father promptly served notice that no
clodhopper could tell him how to be-
have, and it was at this juncture that
| he was landed in the hall so hard that
his bones cracked and his hair stood
on end. The father was glad of it. His
son was getting too swift and he would
either check his pace or he would be
sent to fill the place that Ross had left
vacant on the farm. The mother re-
sorted to her smelling bottle and fell
back on a woman's argument of tears.
In those days it was much more COM
mon than now to have a Waterman
sleep in the bank, and after the chilly
reception accorded him the evening of
the day that he had trounced his cousin.
Ross applied for the position of guard
as well as office boy. He had a neat
| little room, there was good light by
which to pursue the studies to which
| he had turned his attention in earnest,
he would not be interrupted and he had
a more manly feeling when he knew
that the safety Of the bank might de-
pend on his watchfulness. On examin-
| ing the armory provided for defensive
purposes, Ross found that it consisted
Of two old horse pistols with rusty
metal and worm-eaten wood. If they
could be induced to go off at all, the life
of the man who discharged them would
| be in the gravest danger.
To brave and ambitious Yankee boy,
such an outfit was something to be
scorned, and he respectfully presented
| the situation to his uncle. If there was
no use in having a Waterman, it was
wasteful to hire one. If he was needed
he should at least be provided with
arms that would not be a constant
menace to his own life. The uncle
recognized this Vermont logic and
laughingly provided as fine a pair of
revolvers as was to be had in the mar
ket. With a boys delight Ross took
them apart, oiled them just as though
they needed it, polished up the silver
trimmings that were already as bright
as they could be made, and incidentally
discovered a chance for an occasional
improvement that was afterward sug-
gested to the manufacturers and well
paid for.
Inside of go days this same country
| boy, who was fast learning the accepted
| forms of the world to which he had
been introduced, had another of those
adventures. which sometimes boost an
aspiring person along the road to sue
cess. 1t seemed to him that he had
just dropped asleep when he was awak-
ened by such a racket as tends to de-
moralize the steadiest nerves. In the
brief transition state he had dreamed
of an earthquake, explosion and vol
canic eruption, at each of which he oc-
cupied front seat and painfully real
lied hair-raising sense of personal
danger. Then he caught the smell OF
burnt powder, saw dim light through
the glass partition that separated his
room from the main portion of the bank,
and realized that there was something
very serious requiring his attention.
1t was a supreme test for an untried
boy whose imagination is so liable to
make a coward of him. But he came
of fighting stock with lots of common
sense, and was game for anything en-
countered in the line of duty. He real
lied that the bank was being burglar
lied and had no other thought than
that of defending the property left in
his care. They have no idea that l
am here" was his first thought in con-
nestion with the impending campaign,
and then he began to organize for a
surprise upon the enemy. His cher
ished weapons were concealed under
the bed, and in a trice he had one of
them in either hand. He did not wait
to make toilet, but slipped noiselessly
TO the best vantage point. The outer
doors of the vault had been blown from
their fastenings. Two men were work.
ing vigorously on the inner doors, while
third stood by with lantern, appar-
entity directing operations.
Come on, boys" shouted Ross, as
he knocked out panel of glass with a
startling racket and began pumping
lead from both revolvers. 1t was as
effective as a regimental charge. The
burglars thought of nothing less than
a police raid and turned tail One
went down with bullet through his
shoulder. Another found it impossible
to run with thigh bone crippled, and
| the third landed in the waiting arms of
policeman who was attracted to the
spot by the fusillade. The whole outfit
was bagged.
Ross was the hero Of the hour, and
his uncle was so proud that he gave up