Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-08-05
His Last Job
At Burglary.
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lOriginaLl
Before I went to make an entrance
Into the vault O the Tenth National
bank Ellen gave me a long talk. She
said that our way Of gettin' a livin'
was KILN her and I'd soon have our
kids on my hands to take care o. till |
got caught and put in prison; then
they'd have no one to look after them.
The boys would soon he In jail, too,
and worse fate was in store for the
girls. But what was l to do? Not an
honest job was open to me. But l
needed all my nerve, and after a kiss
for her and the kids l threw off the
depression and in an hour was in the
bank before the vault
l had set my dark lantern so that
the bullseye shOne on the spot l want
ed to perforate and was about to APP
ply my drill when / heard a voice be-
hind me say:
do you think you can do it,"
The words were spoken in the coolest
possible tone, and GOODNESS begets cool
ness. / couldn't see behind me with
out takin' up my lamp and bringin' it
to bear on the speaker, and before
could do that and shoot l felt reason
ably sure bullet would come crashin'
through me somewhere. So l never
turns around at all, but begins to work
my drill, remarkin' at the same time:
1T won't be any trouble at all. I've
done it often before"
Hold on" said the voice, a mans.
""Are you artist enough to do the job
without injurin' the door?"
I'm course" says 1. IF you wanted
1t done that way, why didn't you say |
so? But it'll take longer"
"Pick the lock-" said the voice, "be-
tween now and daylight, and I'll give |
you new crisp $50 bill"
Couldn't you make 1t hundred?" | |
asks.
/ reckon my impudence must "a took |
him fiat aback, cause he didn't answer
for small while; then he says:
Fifty is all and more than I can |
spare. I'm only clerk in the bank, |
and I'm sufferin' under an attack o.
honesty just now"
1 puts away my drill and begins to
work with my fingers and my ears.
talkin' with the Teller socia ble-like 1t |
was very kind O. him to treat me so
perlite, for / knowed he wouldn't be
that Away onless he had me covered
and ready to enforce orders. Referrin'
to his last remark, I says:
IT had that disease myself onct. but
4 wife and a couple o. kids cryin' for
bread TUX 1t clean out o. me. Diseases
require medicine, and sometimes the
cures worse than the disease l gave
myself a dose o. dishonesty for an anti
iote, and the habit got fixed on me
ike takin' a drug"
But you kept the kids from starvin'.
suppose"
''That's what I've done so far, but II
my work gifts check for the matter o.
ten years or so they're still liable to
If I could "a got through
% I'LL their own mouths"
He didn't make any answer to this,
md KEEP on monkeyin' with the tum-
olers, listenin' to how they fSll and
maxim up my mind what was the COM
whats the time" asked.
1.-TWO twenty-five" he said. ut
ioesn't begin to get light now till
''clock. Can you do 1t In that time"
"If can do 1t at all"
heard somathin' between a sigh and
! grunt
''Is 1t very importantT says
eyes, It is. I'm responsible for the
'ault bein' shut without any one know
n the combination. II we can't get In
here by o'clock tomorrow mornin'
here'll be no end o. trouble I'll get
lred. Of course"