The daily morning Alaskan., 1904-01-16
BANK
fCopyrieht. 1908. by c. B. Lewla.l

rlOus because Keys nau Detu uarA te open the doors of tIe building, and the combinations on vault and safe had been worked instead of forced. No watchman was kept at the bank, nor would Baker employ one.
 Of course be raised a great row over the robberies. the aggregate sum being about SG.OOO. but at the same time he could not say thut he really suspected any of bis employees. At any rate he accused no one, and the sheriff and detective worked for weeks and got no clew. Naturally enough the robber- les were the talk of the town, and as boy of fourteen l was much excited and Interested.
 IL was lu the winter time that the last robbery took place, and one night a crowd of us boys and girls drove out Into the country to spelling school. By accident l was left behind when the party started home, and there was no other way than to foot it back.
 It was 9 o'clock of a still, cold morn Ing when l passed up the street on which Bakers bank was situated, and lust before ] reached the building l saw a woman emerge and lock the door behind her. As ] caught sight of her 1 dodged behind a pile of boxes at hand. and. pRering out. l saw her look up and down the street for mo- ment before moving on. When she started away. followed her. and great was my surprise to see her halt at Bakers house. four blocks away.
 It was not until l reached home and pondered over the case a little that made up my mind the mudled female figure must be Mrs. Baker herself. When once this idea had come to me [ began to work on It. Early next morning I was out to look for tracks in the snow, and l very soon found those of the midnight woman. They had been made by small and shapely feet
 But had there been still another rob bery at the bankg l ran away from school to hang around the corners and wait for news. and before noon 1t was known that another S2,0O0 package had been taken. The circumstances were precisely the same Some one had entered the bank and worked the combination of the vault
 This last robbery started a run on the bank. There was no cause for the furry. as Baker could pay S2 for Sl, but that and the mysterious robberies nearly drove him crazy. l had a good mind to go and tell him what l had seen. but, boyllke, I was afraid to do lt. l did go to the sheriff, however and begin my story, but be laughed in my face and said:
 Boy. you have been seeing ghosts and having the nightmare. If you go round talking this way to others, they'll call you crazy"
 He hadn't done anything himself to clear up the mysteries, and he was' perhaps. a little fearful that ] might ! strike a clew. l looked at it that way and was not discouraged by what he said. I had no father 10 go to and d'd not think mother could help in the case.
 What I accomplished in the next two days was this: l got from the bank CTS son Joe the information that be had been awake when bis mother came in after her raid. and while she was out for a couple of hours and he and I were left alone In the house l made a swift search and found every dollar of the missing money in a hatbox in ! the carret. In the same box were writ ten instructions as to how to work the combinations. l did not remove any | thing. nor could the woman have sus- pected on her return that l had dls- covered anything. There was no doubt of her being the robber. She had se- cured the combination from her bus band in confidence, and she had had l the nerve to get up in the night and rob the bank IT she had not used any | of the money she must have some ob- feet ln view. but | could not study that out though there was gossip about family troubles. was more scared than before at the thought of going to the banker direct as some how felt that he would blame me ln some way. but ! sent another boy to ! him and had him call at my house in the evening.
 The banker seemed to have made up ! bis mind to hear bad news. l shall never forget how be sat there before ! me looking straight into my eyes and bis face growing old and haggard as ] ! told my story. Half an hour wrought such facial changes that he seemed almost a stranger. His very soul must have been tortured, but be spoke no word tn had finished Then be quiet | ly asked me to verify certain points seemlng to have hope that I might after an. be mistaken, but there was no blunder, and be rose up and left the house looking ten years older than ! when he entered it.
 The stricken man did not go to the bank or his home, but walked out into 1 the country with his head down and l his hands crossed behind him. I fol- lowed him for two miles and then re- turned. It was daylight next morning when he entered his house and then 1t was to find his wife gone. She had left before night in strange outfit driven ap to the door by a strange man. but ] g-H.