The new age. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1902-190?, 1902-09-06
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Bluffed|
BY ELIAS Isle :
'''-ooPfRicHr uY Elias Lrsrr


" euriAess had overtaken the Junior
partner. Ii had been a hard dav cold
ana bonds IN three separata ana -.
cons shhents had come in late-too
late ior deposit For the night nearly
million collars must remain I'm The
once safe. The unexpected inf1x bod
KEPT the junior partner later Than rsr
az Tor he was a master Of the Detail ~
MS once. For time he debated esfah-
,isnlhs an extra guard at the Office.
Out gave over that idea. Special IRE.
cautions would arouse talk. and thorn
were business reasons for keeping tho
matter quiet. Anyway. the burglar
alarm system and the special watch.
man were sufficient guarantee OF safe
". So the junior partner leaned hack
IN MS easy Office chair and closed his
eyes for moment
anything more. Mr.. Franklin
asked the senior bookkeener from the
inner Office. where the big safe was
kept.
NO. Has every one gomez"
Every one but you and me. sir" re-
plied the other with the exact particu-
iarlty or language which is the result
OF long years spent over ledgers.
Good night, then. | shall be coming
along In few moments"
Ii seemed very few moments after
the door had closed on the head hook.
Keeper when Franklin opened his eyes
again. He swung forward in his chair.
dazed. for darkness was about him.
Consciousness, dragging itself slowly
from the cloying sands of sleep, strug-
gled with vague uncertainties. The
flicker of an electric light from Wall
street, seen through a distant window.
helped the junior partner to recall him
self to realities. He half turned, and in
that instant was wide awake, for
harsh, startled voice outside said:
whats that"
"Shut your head" piped another
voice in high, piercing tone instinct
with savageness. You didn't hear any
thing"
maybe twas somethin' outside.
Where's the gllmT
Don't open up too wide. you fool"
warned the high voice as a band of
light appeared and broadened through
the darkness.
Sitting motionless as stone, Frank
lin heard the men moving along the
outside partition until they reached a
point opposite him. There was a FUN
bling at the door, which was fastened
by a spring lock.
Hold on" said the gruff voice. LES
climb over the partition"
"Climb over nothingv' retorted the
other voice angrily. "Going out to look
for a ladder. suppose. D'you think
we got all night to wasteT
"You said the Waterman was doped
for two hours"
whats two hours to bungling fool
like you up against a good safe"
"You gimme an hour at this safe, and
I'll make a wide open Moo York Of II"
said the gruff voice confidently.
"Open up that door first then" said
the other.
"That's all right, but every time l
tackle a door think Of that burglar
alarm we run against in Steyn's joolry
store"
1--WE amt goin' to run against any
alarm here. Didn't tell you | squared
the janitor's assistant and fixed the
wires In the cellarT
swell. there might be-
swell. there amt" broke in the 9th
or furiously. "Cut it out! D'you think
YOU can teach me anything about any
| kind of wires, alarm or telegraph. or
ANYTHING else? Haven't | been every
thing from lineman TO operator, and
didn't | run the wire tapping outht
that bilked the poolrooms last Year,
"Hold the light here. them" growled
the confederate. THE locks dead
easy"
During this conversation Franklin
sat paralyzed at his desk. Any re-
sistance that he could put up against
the robbers would be almost useless
He had never kept a revolver in his
desk and was accustomed to derlde
mildly the more cautious men OF ms
acquaintance who always kept load
cd weapon at hand. Now he cursed
himself for neglecting this precautloh'
recalling a saying Of a western irlend'
"You don't want gun very oiteh'
but when you do want it you want II
bad"
The entrance of the robbers meant
ruin TO him and to his firm. How easy
fine safe would be for them he knew
better than they. for the heavy door
had becn left open at his orders that ne
might nut some papers in II before
closing. ON any other night the SAFE
,ror,Id have been closed. But TINS
night Of all others. the junior partner
had fallen asleep at his post. ana not
only he himself. but thousand Ihilo'
cent people. whose interests were
bornd ND in the house, were 10 suIer
tbp nenaltv. Well. he would at least
do what he could to save them though
~ were at the forfeit Of his own IRE.
A Wild idea of smashing his wlndo"
and shouting for help he put ASIDE,
To send ones voice ringing up ana
dovn an empty airshaft, bordered by
vacant windows, would be cherries
performance and prodigal OF breath
that he might need later on.
Tbon II came to his mind that his pa
nor cutter was a Malay creese, small
Int Keen and strong. Armed with TINS
no could creep over to the door anu
~. =. -.,,od s+oh at least one of the