The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-06-22
How Can You Il xplain 1t?


(By Miss Ellen Strong Bartlett.)
The events which l am bout to relate
happened when I was nearly twenty
years old. l was then serving my sec
ond year as one of the clerks in the old
Tradesmen's Bank in the thriving city
Of Blandford, and ! considered myself
very pleasantly occupied. ! was fond of
reading and scribblng poetry, of sketch
ing and painting; and the short bank
hours gave me good opportunities for
INDUCING those tastes.
Just at that time l had fad for local
history, and was consequently Interested
in rummaging among all the town,
church and county records on which |
could lay my bands. In fact, was
meditating a story, the scene of which
should be laid In the early days of the
town; and it was to bring In some very
complicated disputes about deed In
the course of my Investigations / found
some help from various records, lists,
&c, that were among the archives of
the bank; and | had accordingly be-
taken myself one winter afternoon to
the safe to hunt up and transcribe some
matters that had taken my fancy in
those old books. Bank hours We're over,
and the street doors were closed to the
public; but In the outside room the old
cashier and one or two of the tellers
We're finishing up their work. | soon
found the clue to some far away bust
ness venture which would serve my
purpose admirably; and while following
that clue, and yielding to reveries about
the secret dealings of those who had
gone to give a final account, l became
so much absorbed that did not notice
the rapid coming of the dusk until, with
a start, l reused myself to feel that it
was too dark to read longer
''Halloo, JIM" l exclaimed to one of
the boys whom | had left in the front
room trying to settle some bothering
trifle, Have you gone to sleep over it,
or are you keeping still so that l can
have nap?" Il had a habit of staying
up till the small hours, and the boys Of
ten joked about my falling asleep once
in the middle Of the forenoon)
No answer; SO I looked behind me, as
had been working with my back to
the door, but the door was pushed to-
gether. No wonder that it had grown
tllh IiORe DOyS'
"They think that they'll frighten me by
pretending to close the door,
So I threw down my books and papers
and gave the door an angry push 1t
yielded just about as much as the rock
of Gibraltar would have DONE The door
was locked, and I was shut up in
bank-safe!
See here!" yelled. That's one joke
too much, and it's no Joke at all--let me
out!" l pounded on the door with child
ish vehemence, but not sound from
outside could l hear / could not have
made myself heard through those walls
of steel and stone, probably, in any case,
but / wasted my strength for some time
In shouting and pounding frantically
or sullenly, according to my varying
moods.
After much listening and waiting
saw that I was gaining nothing but
bruises, ana / accepted the fact that,
joke or no joke, was locked in for the
night. l was on very friendly terms
with every one in the bank, and while it
was possible that the boys might enjoy
locking me in for five minutes, / was
sure that no one would have the least
pleasure i'll imprsoning me for night
and | finally settled down in the belief
that the cashier who did not see and
hear as we'll as he once did, had either
not noticed that I had entered the safe
at all, or had taken it for granted that
| had gone home, and had therefore me-
Chemically shut the door and locked it.
Well, / tried to think Of the redeem
ing features of the situation. l mag
ined myself on top of Mount Washing
ton in a snoWstorm, on a vessel dashed |