Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-12-26

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 havildar or sergeant on the look
out for recruits, took the next train
to Magma. He was well aware that
the case Of "old nails" would not ar
rive for another four days by goods
train, so he had time to mature his
plans. He first set to work to ingra-
tate 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 well-set-up fellow, he was able
not only to pass himself off success
fully as recruiting sergeant, but re-
ceived permission, as such, to put up
on the premises till the people poured
in to the local fair, which he gave out
he was going to attend. In a noncha-
liant manner, and not too hurriedly, he
sauntered off to the little NAL godam,
or goods shed, where he found the sin
gle clerk, a Bengal named Hiralal
Seal. doing nothing in particular. Ex-
erting all his inherent affability Tho
taram speedily established a good un-
derstanding 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 bad
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 a regular
Jaunt, after the native idea. Thotaram
paid for everything throughout, much
to the Bengali's admiration and envy.
He bemoaned his state of chronic i'm
pecuniosity and his wretched salary
Of twenty-five rupees 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 partici-
pate, and before they separated the
two young scoundrels had agreed to
help themselves to the contents of a
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 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 by
him at kangri. That evening Seal cas-
ually mentioned to the chotfkidars
(watchmen) and porters that as he had
some returns to get through he should
not leave the shed till late. He ordered
the lamp-man to prepare a lamp and
place 1t in his partitioned office: had
all the doors and exits except one Sc
cured, and told all the underlipgs to pe
home, but to return punctually at o
and that he would be responsible fol
things In the meanwhile. Native-Ii,,e
ana nothing 10th, the whole Dossc
cleared out, and hardly had the last
man disappeared when Thotaram
stealing up to and tapping gently at til,
uhoarred door, was admitted by his
confederate. The two had prepared
everything beforehand cold chisels
hammer, pincers and, what was more
important than all, a plentiful suppl,
or old nails, which had been collected
and smuggled in during the interval Of
waiting.
AFTER thoroughly searching ever,
dark corner of the shed. and even walk
| ing twice round its exterior to assur,
themselves that no one watched then
through possible cracks and assures (,
the woodwork. they put the case on th,
PLATFORM scales, carefully noted tn,
weight, compared it with that entered
in the invoice, and then gingerl,
opened the box. This done. they tool
out the silver bars, and then, emptyin.
the case of the cleats used to hold th,
precious metal immobile, they renloce,
'he pox on the weighing machine ant
crammed in old nails till the orisina
weight had been arrived at After tbi
they carefully re-nailed the lid. usin.
III" same holes. and the first act in th,