The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1904-05-26
TEMPTATION OF
BERNARD STRONG.


60 HE electric light went out wit
the click Of the switch, pluns
ing the room In total darkness
except where here and there 4 fam
gIimmer came through the window
from the lamps In the street below
and the undsr-cashier Of Brown
Browns sank into his superlor's easy
chair with 4 sigh Of unutterabls re
lief
As usual. AL his fellow clerks had
gone hours ago. leaving him In soil
tary grandeur to continue working
out rows of apparently interminable
figures. At last, however. his task was
finished, and he sought to rest his
aching eyes by gazing blankly into
darkness.
Bernard Strong was overworked
and underpaid. which viii. perhaps.
account for the thoughts that crowd
Cd through his tired brain.
As he sat there In the darkness the
full hopelessness of his position was
borne home to his overworked mind
What was the use OF working like
( slave till II o'clock. as he had done
tonight? What did he gain by IL?
Money? No: he had asked for an In
crease of salary till his very pride
stayed him from repeating the at
tempt. Creditl No; the head cashier
had never been known to say a good
word for Strong. though It was very
mnIdnn1 hot ha ~
plant In the latter's work Prospects,
There were none.
He had asked himself these questions |
till the very thought of them sick
ened him, and always came to the
same conclusion He would slave no |
more in dingy office; he would go TO
the director the very next morning and
give notice, and. when asked the rea-
son for % doing. would throw these Bit
ter arguments In his face. leave the
house forever and go away, away TO
Australia. South Africa. anywhere. SO
long as he was far from his present
hated surroundings.
But in the morning the same de-
spairing answer to all these questions
would come as II to haunt him. "You
cannot goI You have no money! and
he would again wend his way YEARLY
to the same office, the same high stool
and go through the same daily routine !
Df drudgery. 1t would be easier to
bear, he had told himself a hundred
lines. II there was only himself to
lhink Of. but there was Kitty, poor
little Kitty. waiting 70 patiently and
'avfng ~ much as possible herself to
hasten the day that seemed SO far OF.
Al Strong sat there In the darkness, :
building the usual castles In the air, f.
o be dashed to the ground the next :
his distracted gaze alighted ,
N large black object in the opposite :,
,orner Of the room. Yesl the little
trongroom tucked away behind that :,
ron door contained enough to take Kit
, and himself out Of the country,
there he could start afresh and per- !,
APPS make a fortune He smiled Bit /.
erly at the irony Of the situation: thet
honey that safe contained was In his
over; he had the key in his pocket :
t that very moment. Why not? Yes, "
Thy notf 1t would mean nothing to Il
uch a wealthy nrm as Brown & >
rown's. but what 4 lot to him, He y
'ould only take enough to pay their
assage, and he would save every far a.
ling he made to pay 1t back 1t would 9
Of be stealing II he returned it. No: u
nd only Ego. that was all. but enough liz
take Kitty and himself away from IN
liz hated city and give him a fresh &c
art in a new country. where, perhaps, Sc
icy would give him chance of show "
g his worth
Yes, there were quite EGO In gold In TX
at strongroom, and gold could not
} traced like notes, and by the morn NJ
g he could be safe away where no ia
lie could trace him He would do tt
} 1t for Kitty's sake. Half rising in he
8 chair, he felt for the key in his sh
cket but sank back Immediately, ST:
lilty and terror-stricken, ~ q slight DO
raping caught his sharpened ear: sa
e next minute he was sitting st ne hi,
II, his fascinating gaze fol owing do
cry movement Of 4 huge dark ng- wi
. kneelfng on the window sill. wi
owly and deliberately the figure Sc,
mt to work II produced q little mi
ncil-like object from its pocket, it the
piled 1t to the window pane and hal
II distinct lines made their appear sor
CO on the glittering Surface. accom- ma
MED BY a slight crunching sound; cor
" a long. thin hand is thrust through F."
} neat little opening; noiselessly the son
:ch slips back, and the next moment col!
man stands In the room, gazing the
lrchingly round into the darkness nee
d the aid Of a bulrs-eye lantern. not
liz investigations appear to prove sat der
lctory, for he gives an appreciative the
mt and steals quietly toward the wal
ner In which the iron door looms In bull
dnctly out Of the darkness. the
here z'as no doubt In Strong's ker
ID a. to the intruder's intentions, az get
rat huddled up In his chair, hardly stol
Ing to breathe. and vaguely wonder hea
what would happen next He was the
coward, but the whole thing had or
pened 70 quickly that he hardly wit
lied what had taken place. 1t arm
I'D not be the least use showing strs
self, for what could he do against teer
an nearly double his size, and who turn
likely carried a revolver. All his mo,
'ious plannings and Screenings were the
often in a moment, the one great hay
e Of duty remaining. He was re-
sible for the contents of that safe,
Id save them at all costs. Could he r,
u OUT OF me room unooserved ana sout
mon the police? No, that was i'm her
Ible in that limited space, and, in lied
ence that caused every sound to mon
<trouOh the room lilo . niefoI