The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-11-10

WU Il iiItH DC III lIc SNI1C Dohh
lIlN - llllll in the wee, sma' hours
@0ls1 one dreary December night,
some three years ago.
MY name, then, is Olive Hudson, and
/ was seventeen years old that same
December night and SO very small that
Mrs. Knights Dollie. who was not
twelve, was half head taller than
myself.
We were rich folks once, but father
died and left us very poor. Mother
struggled along in weary hand-to-
hand fight With poverty till was SIX
teen, and died. She had rented two
rooms of Mrs. Knight, widow also,
with two stalwart sons, an aged father
and two daughters. After mother died,
I was adopted by the Knights, and
although I was earning support as
music teacher in the Baysville Acad-
emy, I was like one Of the family when
I was in my good landlady's home.
They were all in good positions, al
though by no means an aristocratlc
family. John, the eldest son, was in
New York in wholesale sugar house;
Tom was the night watchman of the
Baysville Bank Building, and grandpa
we all called him grandpa-was tele-
graph operator of the town, while Mary
was milliner, and Dolly still at
school.
Baysville Bank Building was large
granite structure, containing the post
Office and bank on the first floor, the
telegraph Office and number of pri-
vate law Offices Oh :he second floor,
and other private Offices on the third
floor. In the basement were post
Office rooms for sorting the mail, and
also the large bank vaults.
knew the building we'll, for was
fond of teiegraphing and spent half
my leisure time perched up beside
grandpa in his Office, sending and re-
ceivins messages, while he slept peace
fully or read the newspapers.
And that was the beginning Of my
amusement at Dryden. the next STA
ton. The operator at Dryden was
wit. and flashed nonsense to- our office
when business was dull. 1t fell nat
when grandpa was in the Office, but II
Iwere there, sent back jest for jest,
and sometimes an hour slipped by like
a minute rs we talked over the wires
of every topic under the sun. he
called himself Lion. and I, for non
sense, signed myself Elephant, laugh
inc while I did so at the reflection OF
nv tiny figure in the Office mirror.
Beyond Dryden, and only five miles
from Baysville. was c., large conf
mercial town, the nearest railway sta
ton. and where an Office was always
kept open for the accommodation OF
travellers.
AS have said. Tom Knight was the
night Waterman Of Baysville Bank
Building and lonely time lie had OF
it. The last mail came in by stage at
4 o'clock in the afternoon. and the
postofice was vacated at G. The bank
closed ut 8. and by 6>every office was
deserted for the night.
At { Tom was on duty. and grandpa.
who was restless at night. was in the
habit Of taking down some coffee and
luncheon, as the building was only
stones throw from our house.
On the December night I have al
ready mentioned, it had stormed heav-
lily all day, and I had taken new
class at the Academy, coming home
later in the day than usual, and excited
over my increase Of salary.
Everybody else had gone to bed. and
I was lingering over the kitchen fire
with Mrs. Knight, dreading the plunge
into my cold room. where l had al
lowed the FIRE to 20 out.
The clock struck u. and Mrs. Knight
lifting her face from over the fire. said:
DO call grandpa, Olive; he's asleep
on the sofa in the sitting room. Ill
have Toms basket ready by the time
grandpa has his hat and coat on. /
hate to call him. fo- he was complain
jns Of rheumatism to-day. and the
ground is very wei. although the storm
is over
Let him sleep" said: .'I'il run over
with the basket 1t is not STEP
Put i; is so dark. Are you not
sfraid:''
Not hi. Ii. Sip on NY water
proof and rIhberS. and draw tie head
Of tn" cloak over my head
We'll. if you viii. Th1ugh I am
afraid! Tom will scold at my letting
you GO
I'LL rUt i,!c ha<kc; Oh the table and
run. and he will icve: kGov' who left
It,"
.'Co in;c lie rear basement t:oor. Ee
leaves that oJcn for grandpa
- Know.
graspeG the handle OF the basket
hurried ACROSS the space between the
building and the house. and stole softly
1l at the kS$em ext deer, ia pursuance