Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-03-29

1 illS horses III horse paddock. thea diStruSted the poor mare, and went back to the stables for hattul of oats, which 1 left with her in tbe elnmp. hat and all There was a dog. l too, to reckon with--our very worst l enemy. Bunny-but I had been cute enough to make immense friends with him during the evening and he WaGged his tail. not only when I came 1 downstairs, but when I reappeared at the back door
 "As the soi-disant new manager i had been able, in the most ordinary i course, to pump poor Ewhank aboW anything and everything connected With the working of the bank, especial iy ill those twenty last invaluable min lteS before turning in and I had made very natural point of asking him where he kept and would reco1nmend me to keep the keys at ni..llt. Of course l thought he would take them with him to his room. Hut no such thing-he had dodge worth two of that. What it was doeS1>t much mat
 
 those keys in a month of Sundays
 II of course had the .n in few sec onds, and ill a few 1rore 1 was in the strong room itself. l forgot to say that the moon had risen and was letting i quite lot of l!gl' into the bank. I had, however. brought q bit of candle with me from E.y room, and in the I str u.f,if T narrow stairs behind tie counter in the banking chamber. I had no hesi- tation in lighting it. There was no window down there. ali'. though l could no logger hear old Ewbank snor- ! ing, 1 had not the slightest reason to anticipate disturbance from that c,"r. ter. l did think of locking myself il, while I was at work. but. thank good ness, the iron door had no keyhoe on the inside.
 Well, there were heaps of gold in the safe, but I only took what l need ed and could comfortably carry, not much more than a couple of hundred altogether Not a note would l touch. and my native caution came out also in the way l divided the sovereigns between all my pockets aud packed them up so that shouldn't be like the old woman of Banbury Cross. Well. you think >ae too cautious still, but was insanely cautious then. And so it was that, just as I was ready to go, whereas 1 might have been gone ten minutes, there came violent knock ing at the outer door.
 Bunny. it was the outer door of the banking chamber. My candle must have been seen. And there stood. with the grease running hot over my fingers in that grave of a strong room.
 There was only one thing to be done I must trust to the sound sleeping of Ewbank upstairs, open the doOt myself, knock the visitor down or shoot him with the revolver 1 had been new chum enough to buy before leav- l ing Melbourne and make a dash for that clump of trees and the doctor's mare. My mind was made up in an 1 instant and I was at the top of the strong room stairs, the knocking still continuing, when second sound drove me back 1t was the sound of bare feet coming along corridor.
 My narrow stair was stone. 1 tum- bled down it with little noise and had only to push open the iron door, for had left the keys in the safe. As did so heard a handle turn over. head and thanked my gods that shut every single door behind me. You see, old chap, ones caution doesn't always let one in.
 "'Who's that knocking?' said Ew. bank up above.
 II could not make out the answer. but it sounded to me like the irrele. want supplication of spent man. What l did hear plainly was the cock ing of the bank revolver before the bolts were shot back, then a totter- ing step. hard, short. shallow breath. ing, and Ewbank's voice in horror:
 "'My God! Good Lord. Whats happened to you? You're bleeding like a pig.
 "'Not now came with a grateful sort of sigh.
 "'But you have been! Whats done it?
 'Bushrangers.'
 "'Down the road?
 This and Whittlesea-tied to 8 tree-cock shots--left me-bleed tc death'-
 "The weak voice failed and the bare feet bolted. Now was my time-if the poor devil had tainted. But I could not be sure, and there I crouched down below in the dark at the half shut rol. i door. not less spellbound than impris oned. It was just as we'll, for EwbanA wasn't gone q minute "'Drink this I heard him say, ana when the other spoke again. his voice 1 was stronger.
 "'Now l begin to feel alive
 "'Don't talk. Have another sip
 "'Thank you. l said bushraEge1a Of course, e.ere are no such things nowadays.'
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