, 1899-01-23

20 overpower me, and then they Womb
not rave much difficulty with the saie.
Perhaps for the moment the safe isn't
really the best place to keep those bags
of gold in"
He thought that matter out. The
problem was "a delicate one Surprising
the gold to be stolen, then, if by any
J accident 1t could be proved that it had
been stolen from any place except the
safe, clearly it would be a very serious
matter for him.
So midnight arrived before Mr.. Eos.
ter, who had in the meantime been to
his bedroom to put Oh his dressing gown
and slippers, made up his mind what
to do.
by Jove! l have itr' he exclaimed
at last. Hanged if those beautiful
jerry builders haven't left a plank loose
in the floor! The very thing!"
Working as quietly as if he had been
a burglar himself, he stripped back a
bit of the telling, lifted the loose plank
and slipped the ten bags underneath it,
n after the other; then by judicious-
ly driving in little wedges which he
cut from the firewood he made the
plank tighter than it had heen before
and once more fastened the felting neat
~ over it.
"Now, Mr.. Burglar" he said, "ev-
erything's ready. I'll retire to my hid
ing place and wait for you"
AS the front of the bank faced the
street, there was no probability of bur
glars entering that way. They would
come, if they came, over the garden
wall and through the kitchen. So Mr..
Foster withdrew into the bank itself
and watched developments in the bank
parlor through a peephole which he had
bored in the door with a gimlet.
The hours dragged on, trying his pa
ticrcr sorely. 1t must have been be-
tween 8 and 4 in the morning when a
slight noise, which obviously was nei-
ther the rafting of a window nor the
snoring of the housekeeper, arrested his
attention. The door by which the bank
parlor communicated with the private
part of the house was being tried.
In a minute or two the lock was foro-
ed and two men entered. Both of them
were masked, and one Of them carried
a little bag of tools.
1t was too dark for him to observe
their methods with exactitude. So far
as he could judge, they forced the lock
gradually by driving in filmy plates Of
steel to act as wedges until at last the
jimmy could be inserted and the proper
leverage brought to bear.
The process took about 40 minutes.
At the end of that time the door of the
strong box was open, and the thieves
were pulling all sorts of papers out Of
il in their eager quest for bags Of gold.
The psychological moment had arrived.
"What in thunder - Mr.. Foster ex-
claimed and burst in upon them, firing
as he came.
One Of the men fired back at him,
and for ten seconds or SO there was a
quick exchange of shots in the half light.
When it had ceased and Mary's screams
from the top windows had brought the
constables, one Of the burglars lay
stretched out with a broken leg before
the violated safe. The other had escap-
ed over the garden wall, leaving a trail
of blood behind him, while the bank
manager himself had a grazed cheek
and a nasty flesh wound in the shoulder
A doctor, following hard Oh the heels
of the policeman, dressed bis wounds
and assured him hat they were not
serious. He pulled himself together and
gave his version of the story.
Il was too late-too late: the other
chap got away. He's carried off $50,
900. It's all the banks fault for hav.
ing such a silly safe.
"Ah. we'll" said the doctor philo-
sophically, $3.50, 900 won't break the
London and Miscellaneous! In fact,
speaking as a shareholder, | shouldn't
wonder If the directors found they'd
got a bit over to do something for you
They ought to, anyhow"
And they did. They paid Mr.. Fos-
ter's doctors bill, and they gave him
the service of plate which he had prom.
ised himself, and then expressed the
greatest regret when. a few months aft
erward, he announced his intention Of
retiring from their employment Oh the
ground that "a fortunate speculation
had released him from the necessity of
working for his living. London An
swers.