The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-12-27
The Widow Bliss.

#esldea ilA own building. the hanl
aNned one face OF the square. aud this
Xound Was covered with stores and
" buildings rented from year 20 year
DC one next 20 the hank was two
#ory brick and had been rented Al
INHERENT tines for different purposes
@nst now Il stood empty. With a sign
NJ TO Rent" IN the window.
The banker was a man who was IA.
1nlIlar with all the minor details OF the
natItutlon. He accepted or rejected
tenants and signed the leases. II was
10 him That the Widow Bliss applied
for the vacant store. She was the wild.
ow OF New York inventor and cleo.
triclan. and she had herself worked
with tools and studied the science Of
various problems. She had an electric
invention I'm mind aud had come 10
Canada 20 perfect IT, II was the prob
lem OF beat She hoped 10 reduce its
cost below that OF coal or wood. She
would have to ~ UP the building with
M engine. dynamos. shnfting. etc. but
there would DO no noise TO disturb any
one. In fact. her force OF three or four
men would work mostly AZ night. when
there was smaller chance OF outsiders
prylng into their secreta
Abanker may be a close observer Of
human nature, but when he Is wild.
over and the other party II good
looking and well 10 do widow who Is
on the point OF revolutloniElng the
heat problem and making II possible
20 keep warm nc the north pole the
machinery Is apt TO skip a cog. II did
IN this case. Mr.. Pardon was inter-
estcd IN the widow, and II he could
save coal by adopting her new inven.
ton that would be 10 the profit OF the
hank. The tenant went ahead and 1t
ted up the place, and when all was
ready she spent an hour showing her
landlord the machinery and explaining
its operations. He knew nothing what
ever about any part Of Il. but lie did
know a copper wire from a telegraph
pole. and he expressed his satisfaction
and left the place. II was TO call
again, however. In fact, IL was 10 call
almost every day for the next six
weeks. while the widow was always
IN her little front Office after o'clock
in the afternoon. II was understood
that most OF the work in the cellar
and shops was done at night
II any one had told the banker that
be was falling in love, he would have
scorned the idea. and yet the other fell
low would have been right His ad.
miration was growing day by day, and
we all know that admiration is the
first step In love. When he was In his
room IN the bank making loans or I'm.
epecting securities he decided 10 re.
main faithful to the memory OF his
dead wife. When he was In the shop
next door listening to. the widows |
talk about fuses and short circuits and
crossed wires he could hardly hold /
himself back from making PROPOSE
ton OF matrimony. After. two weeks
men began TO smile at each other.
After four they began to wink. I'll
would have hurt the bankers feelings I
had be known Il, but the smiling and /
the wlnking were done behind his
back.
Pardon's bank was an old fashioned
building. AS its outer walls were
three feet thick, Pardon, the elder had
considered that a pretty good safe.
guard against robbers. Therefore when
be erected his money vaults down cell
lar he used brick only brick walls aud
an iron door. There was no watch.
man O. nights. Who could make his
way into the bank past the iron barred
windows and bolt studded doors? And
even If once In there were more doors
and bars TO be overcome. With
wide awake and yigilant policeman In
front the place was as safe as safe
could be-
Two months had gone by since the
Widow Bliss fitted up the shop and
began solving the great problem. The
baneer hadn't demanded the second
months rent at daylight on the morn
ing OF the first, when it was actually
dueHand overdue, but had waited till
noon when 1t was sent in. The wild
ow had won his confidence and adj
inlr&fion to such an extent that had
AS wanted loan OF $50 he would
nave accommodated her without the
customary 40 securities. Beyond ad-
miration and confidence he didn't quite
nov his feelings. lie was rather
afraIa Of himself. He was afraid that
K I'D proposed marriage she would re-
use him and afraid that IL he didn't
ho would miss a good thing and regret
/ ever afterward.
wren he called on certain after !
roon be was informed that the heat
,rolSl6tn would probably be solved that
rery Night He went to bed that night Z
d kick around and wonder and ponder
md mike up and unmake his mind
lozeu times over. He slept late and :,
lad late breakfast, and 1t was half :
d hour behind his usual time when he !
eachoa the bank. He arrived Just inl
ime III hear d ygll from the cashier
4 thaf indiyiduak who had been down q
) opuA the wants, came running up
tairs Tho vaults were open. They y
Nd been open since midnight when
Ne underground tunnel from the shop Z
J tha bank had been finished, and the !
Nh sg0Br blown of. That's what the
ddow Bliss men had been working
I for many long nights They and q
n WIDOW had taken 100000 from the
aulfs and left the town never to re- i
i'm. Sc nicely were their plans laid
,at lhoy could not be followed sin y