The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-10-24

Transmitted into the Creole-Eng-
lish of the serving-man, the story
of the robbery lost nothing in It's
sensational features.
"Ha! Wat you t'ink, M'sieu'|
De bank mex do is been rob!" and
upon this theme excited yolubility
descants at large. The bank was
surrounded by a gang of desperate
men and every exit guarded while the
leader, a masked giant, armed to the
teeth. had compelled the president
at the muzzle of a pistol to pay
ransom of fifty--one hundred-five
hundred thousand dollars. With the
money the gang had vanished, the
masked giant firing the pistol at
M'sieu' the president as he went.
Cross-examined, the waiter could not
affirm positively as to the shot But
as for the rest there could be no
doubt.
Griswold ordered second cup OF
coffee. and while the waiter tarried,
conscience-not the enlightened con-
science, but the conventional-bent
it's bow and sped it's final arrow. 1t
was suddenly brought home to the
enthusiast with sharp emphasis that
to all civilized mankind, save and ex-
cepting only those few chosen ones
who shared his peculiar convictions,
he was common thief, robber, an
outlaw.
Public opinion, potential or ex-
pressed, is at best but an intangible
thing; but for a few seconds Gr1s-
void writhed under the ban of it
as if it had been whip OF scorpions.
Then he smiled to think how strong
are the bonds of custom, and con-
science flung away it's empty culver.
None the less, the enthusiast was
rather thankful for the Christening.
1t served to remind him afresh OF
his mission. This money which he
had lust wrested from the pluto
cratic dragon should be held as
sacred trust; it should be devoted
scrupulously to the cause of the OPP
pressed. just how it was to be APP
piled he had not yet determined, but
that could be decided later.
Meanwhile it was very evident that
the dragon did not intend to accept
defeat without struggle, and Girls
void set his wits at work upon the
problem of escape.
"It's a little queer that I hadn't
thought of that part of it," he
unused. 81 suppose the other fellow,
the real robber, would have figured
himself safely out of tor would
have thought he had-before he
made a move As / didn't, I've got
to do it now, and there isn't much
time to throw away. Let me see"
he shut his eyes and went into the
inventive trance beloved of the lit
erary craftsman-"the keynote must
he originality. l must do something
that the other fellow wouldn't think
of DOING
He dallied with the second cup of
coffee and outlined a plan. basing
it upon a further cross-questioning
of the waiter. The man had been to
the door again, and by this time the
street excitement had subsidized suf-
ficiently to approach the truth. The
rumor of an armed gang guarding
the bank doors had been a canard.
There had been. but one man, and
the street gossips were beginning to
describe him with discomforting ac-
curacy.
Griswold paid his score. and went
cut with studied nonchalence. H.
reasoned that, Notwithstanding the
growing accuracy of the street re-
port, he was in no immediate dan
ger so long as he remained in the
immediate vicinity of the bank. 1t
was safe to assume that this was
one of the things that the journey
nan bank robber would not do. But
it was also evident that he must
speedily lose his identity If he hoped
to escape; and that the lost identity
must leave no trace behind it.
(To BE CoNTINUED.)