The suburban citizen., 1902-11-01
WHAT HAPPENED TO
81 THE BULLICN-BOX G
H. Indian Government
Saharunpore, N.W.Pr India.

ativc that he now cravcd the indulg-
ence.
The request was granted and, after
profusely thanking his patron, the.
confidential clerk Withdrew. Instead.
however, of proceeding to his village,
Thotaram. Disgusting himself as an in.
fantry hayildar or sergeant on the look
out for recruits, took the next train
90 Magma. He was well aware that
the ease Of "old nails" would not ar.
rive for another four days by goods
train, 50 hc had time to mature his
plans. lie first set to work to ingra-
tiatc himself with the handful of ma
tive employees at the small station,
which was easily done. He knew there
were no military in those parts, and,
being "A wrll.Set-up fellow, he was able
nor only 10 pass himself off success.
fully aS a recruiting sergeant, but re-
ceiv2d permission, as such. to put up
on the premises till the people poured
in to the local fair. which he gave out
lie was going 10 attend. In n noncha-
liant manner ana not too hurriedly, he
sauntercd off TO the little NAL godam.
or goods shed. where he found the sim
gle clerk. Rengali named Hiralal
Seal doing nothing in particular. Ex-
erting all his inherent affability Tho
taram speedily established n good un-
derstandlng with the babu (clerk). and
by closing time he had pretty well as
sured himself that the latter would
prove only too ready to fall in with his
views. Seal, for his sins, had been
shunted to this great distance from
Lower Bengal he was an idle. disso-
lutte fellow, but had so far been able
to escape the consequences of his had
conduct through the influence of senior
relatives holding respectable positions
in the head office of the railway.
That evening the two met by ap-
pointment, and Thotaram, intuitively
divining the shortest road to the ba-
bus heart, treated him TO regular
Jaunt, after the native idea. Thotaram
paid for everything throughout. much
to the Bengalrs admiration and envy.
He bemoaned his state of chronic i'm
pecuniOsity and his wretched salary
OF twenty-five rupees a month.
This was precisely the state of mind
ThOtaram desired his cOmrade TO be in.
Seated with the babu on the station.
yard fencing, preparatory to parting
for the night, little by little the schem-
er unfolded his plan. He found Seal
not only plant, but eager to partlci.
pate, and before they separated the
two young scoundrels had agreed TO
help themselves to the contents of Il
certain case marked "Old Nails" the
moment it should turn up at the Nagi-
ma goods shed.
in due course the precious case ar
rived and was unloaded at the goods
shed. Thotaram, by now a privileged
loiterer-especially in that part of the
station premises presided over by Seal
took occasion TO examine the box.
He felt satisfied it was intact: in exact.
ly the same state as when booked bv
him at Kangrl. That evening Seal cas-
ually mentioned to the choifkidars
(watchmen) and porters that rs he had
some returns to get through he should
not leave the shed till late. He ordered
the lamp-man TO prepare n lamp and
place 1t in his partitioned office: had
all the doors and exits except one So
cured and told all the underllngs TO 90
nome, but to return punctually at o,
ana that he would be responsible for
things In the meanwhile. Natiye-li,e.
and nothing 10th, the whole possc
cleared out, and hardly had the last
man disappeared when Thotaram.
stealing up to and tapping gently at the
unbarred door. was admitted by his
confederate. The two had prepared
| everything beforehand cold cbisels
hammer, pincers and, what was more
important than all, plentiful supply
or Old nails, which had been collected
and smuggled in during the interval of
waiting.
After thoroughly searching every
dark corner Of the shed. and even walk.
ing twice round its exterior To assure
themselves that no one watched them
through possible cracks and fssuras I'm
the woodwork, they put the case ON the
platform scales, carefully noted the
weight, compared it with that entered
In the invoice, and then gingerly
opened the box. This done they took
out the silver bars, and then, emptying
the case Of the cleats used TO hold the
precious metal immobile, they replaced
the box on the weighing machine and
crammed in old nails TIL the original
weight had been arrived at. After this
they carefully re-nailed the lid using
the same holes, and the first act in the