The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-17

married more than ten months, Mrs
| Blakely had never been inside the bank
Now, she drove up In her carriage. came
in proudly and asked for Mr.. Blakely.
I replied that If she would step intc
the waiting room I would summon hin
| in the usual way. 49,
mo. Show me into his private room
I am Mrs. Blakely." She said, hastily.
81 recognize you. madam" I replied
| ''but the rule is that1al visitors, whoever
they may be, are tos be- shown into the
waiting room, wheresMr: Blakely will in
terview them" ~ @o
"Nonsense!" she calculated. "suct
rules do not refer t6-MF. Blakely's wife
The room Is at the end Of the passage, Is
| it not?"
''You are putting SSmee in an awkward
position" I replied. :. II am not allowed
to let visitors approach the green baize
! door"
"Ah," her proud eyes flashed $50 there
is green baize door which no one ap-
proaches?"
When Mr.. Blakely came, he did so in
his habitual leisurefy manner, and he
walked into the waiting room, leaving the
| door ajar.
'Mr Blakely," she said, haughtily, Il
! have been fnsulted by one of your clerks.
Since when has your wife been denied
the right to enter your private room?'
Ever since she wrongly assumed that
she had such right, Mary. My clerks
! have their orders; they obey them. You
cannot blame them for upholdirg rules
myself have framed What do you want
1 am busy this morning. The market is
unsteady just now.''
TELL me, Richard; had you known ]
was coming would you have allowed your
clerk to deny access to your private
| room % Mrs BlakelY incurred
'rhe rule is of many years standing,
| Mary" he said deliberately. eff it were
set aside for you it would be the thin end
| of the wedge; my room would no longer
be private
you indorse the clerks insult?"
Il uphold my clerk who upholds the
| banks rules"
| [ felt her brush past me as she came
| out of the room, and saw her walk round
tie desks. her lips tightly compressed,
! and her head high.
| The following morning when I turned
| up at the bank the porter met me with
the inquiry. had / seen anything of Mr..
| Blakely? No one had seen him since the
| bank closed the night before. He was not
| in the bank-had not been home-indeed.
1t was Mrs. Rlakeiy who had driven down
the first thing to inquire about him; and
| no one had seen him..
Mr. Boyton,' she asked, have you
seen my husband? You were the last to
| leave, l believer" SO
Yes, madam, but have not seen Mr.
Blakely since he put you into your car
riage yesterday"
THAT decides it," she muttered Some
| thing has happened 70 him in his room.
The door must be forced. Porter go for
| a carpenter!' =.
'You take the whole responsibility of
atr1cr I hoju T oyt
| ed.
''The whole responsibility, she replied,
and turned away impatiently.
When the carpenter arrived Mrs. Blake
| ly led him to the door and ordered him
to force it. He smiled grimly as he look
| ed the door UP and down. He sounded
it with a mallet, and his jaw fell.
'Iron!' he said lacenically " Tisn t
my job; you want a blacksmith"
The porter was sent off..in the carriage
| to fetch a smith. When the man arrived
he eyed the door critically and looked
dubious.
Fer five minutes he dealt a rapid fire OF
blows and then the door began to treIn-
BILE, then to shake Finally, after ten or
twelve minutes, it gave shudder and
came forward. swinging on its hinges
| Mrs. Blakely darted forward and stop
| ped. Six feet farther down the narrow
passage another door obstructed the way
| She signed impetuously. to the smith,
who stepped forward and shivered the
| lock OF the second door, which was only
! light wood. All was darkness beyond TIE
| door. rs.s>z
1 turned. to = Mrs. BlakelY, who stood
gazing in woMaerInent seha0 s.;s.
Porter" she said. III "a 1lushed voice
get me a lantern. Then you can both
| leave: us. Mr.. Beyton's will be all tho
| help shall need
We passed through the doorway and
into small. dark room poorly furnished
/ with little Office furniture and Uttered
with papers. There was no sign of Mr.
Blakely.
Look" cried Mrs. Blakely. Look! A
/ trapdoor!"
1 I saw square had been cut out OF
| the carpet, in the center Of which was
& ring by which 1 raised the trap.
| Looking through we saw ladder lead.
/ ing down to darkness.
Going carefully down. four rungs Of tho
| ladder 1 held the lantern out at arms
| length and surveyed the scene.
A stone-walled chamber stretched be-
| fore me like large vault. In one wal
| was a low, barred door: IN corner was
| small furnace. A peculiar looking ma
chine. stood in the middle of the vault
and upon a ledge Of its frame rested q
| row of silver coins
I went down, and. stepping as [ thought
To the ground, my foot encountered some
| thing soft I sprang aside, avoiding It
and saw the body of Mr.. Bla4ely huddled
| up in e broken bundle
| "Ah mel All, me.''~~sli @Tnnanea, prop
| ping the head upon her knee with frenzied
| tenderness "Richard, husband! You did
not merely dream-you lived your crimes
| that highland nowi This is his secret
| Last night-the night before, he was rest
| less In hts sleep; he talkea of coming
years OF coining-eoining silver and reap.
ing prof1t-profit- The mint makes profit
en- its silver coins, and why not L? He
| said that, ard as I lay awake / hoped
he merely dreamed. Dema, dradi Yes
yes and If you hads lived these hanas
| would XIII you for thesTignoniry AMI
shame! Richard! O, Richard! Ricfarta1'
Beyond the police, only Mrs. Bfakel,
| and myself know the true secret that MD
| beyond the green baize door