Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1899-07-13
'Don't shoot gasped John feeb

ly.
The man turned the full glare of
the bnll's-eye upon the bank pres
ident.
What are you doing here p be
demanded.
Watching yon open the safe,
stammered John. not knowing what
else to SAY.
And ! suppose ron wonld have
81 thsre and xskohea me- casry OF
Jour money said the man, with
unlocked for sarcasm.
John did not reply at once, but
looked steadily at the burglar. He
remembered having seen him on
the streets few days before, and
had even wondered what could be
his occupation. A ray Of hope had
shrugged across his mind, and he
was sizing up his man. His brain
began to work with all its old time
vigor, and in few moments he had
formed a plan.
fyou will not carry away any
money from that safe, he said, quiz
etly.
'Ain't there any in it p asked i,se
man.
Fifty thousand laconically.
The man looked greedily at the
vault.
why won't carry it agay p he
asked.
That safes burglar proof, said
Preston, with as much of his old
pompous manner as he could com.
mand with gun pressed against
his head.
Il can open it in an hour, said
the cracksman contemptuously.
John laughed his irritating laugh.
'non't you believe it p cried the
burglar.
Preston smiled insinuatingly in
his face.
The burglar lowered the revolv-
er. and stood looking at Preston.
Say, ! know you by reputation,
he blurted out, at last, sand | he.
lieve you'll stand by anything you
say. IL I'll open the safe in sixty
minutes, will you give me a thous-
and dollars I'D ruther earn q
thousand dollars that way than get
fifty thousand the other. 1t would
be more credit to the perfesh.' he
explained.
I'll give you thousand dollars
If You will open it before daylight,
said John, with exasperating cool.
ness.
'And you won't peach on me-?'
John waved his hand in an i'm.
perative manner.
The burglar cleared his throat
apologetically, and resumed his for
mer kneeling position before the
vault. He gathered mp his tools
and went energetically to work.
Then came the real torture for
Preston. Could the vault be opened:
1t was large one of the kind, but
no man could live in it until nine
o'clock the next morning, when the
time lock would release that hid.
eous fteel door. And il the safe
was opened, would they fiud his
old chum alive, or was he then ly,
ing q corpse on it's tiled floor
John leaned his throbbing head
against the cold vault. He would
have given all he possessed to have
heard one sound within; bat all waE
silent save the rasp of the burglar
drill, which seemed to cut into
Preston's brain with each stroke.
i With white, drawn face he watch.
cd the burglar. He felt savage
desire TO grasp the man by ths
throat when he paused for mo
|, ment from his arduous labor IL
take breath. How could he ALLOW
one precious second to be wasted
At last the man ceased drilling
and from bis satchel took two lonf
wires with short crooks at the ends
He scrutinized them carefully for /
moment, and then, with an cage
, look on his face, he thrust them
, through the holes he had bored
} Slowly he turned them in opposit,
J directions, while John held hi
breath in awful suspense.
There was q dull sonnd from
, within the vault, as though heav
. bar had fallen. Johns breath cam
back with o choking gasp. Ii