Connecticut western news., 1909-04-29
A DOUBLE COMBINATION :
 TREASURE BOX.
+
Bv HILBERT r. BENTLEY.

Billy" said the farmer ''Somepn im- portant, I reckon"
 Billy Andrews, q young farm hand, threw down a pitchfork with which r he had been tossing hay on to q wag- | on. went to a rural delivery box on | the road and took out letter. The . printing referred to was the firm name . and address of Cleaver, Cutie x Crane, attorneys at law. The letter ! stated that William Henderson, Billy'sF uncle, had died and before his death had executed an instrument giving his nephew. who had been named for him, q farm worth $10,OO0. The deed was deposited in a safety deposit compa- nv's vault in the city. The key to the box was at the attorneys office, and Hillv could have 1t by calling for 1t the next day at D. m.
 Obtaining leave to go to the city at the appointed time, Billy put on his store suit, took a train and in an hour was in the office of Cleaver, Cutie x Crane. Mir. Crane received him and read him the document by which the farm was conveyed. It was a very singular paper. The box at the de- posit company was one usually rented to business partners. It had double combination lock, One-half or the com bination being known to one partner and the other half to the other, so that it could only be opened when both were present. MT. Henderson had given S1OO00 in bonds to another per son, and, for the sake of economy, so said the instrument, had deposited the deed and the bonds together in one of these double combination boxes. It was specified that either party should go at the others call to assist in open ing the box. MT. Crane had notified the other party to be at the deposit company's vaults at f o'clock that day.
 This economical arrangement was | certainly very well devised, though MT. Henderson had not been money saver. and it seemed singular that he should so suddenly have shown such disposition. MT. Crane sent a clerk with Billy to the vaults, and the young farmer was shown into a parlor and asked to wait a few minutes. He spent them wondering what the "other fellow" looked like-if he were a farm CT or a city chap. While he was con- featuring the door opened and the GUS todian ushered in as pretty country girl of eighteen or whereabouts as Billy had ever seen. She was Lucy Miller, the owner of the bonds.
 'I will take you two" said the GUS todian, ito your box and show you the process of opening 1t"
 Opening several doors composed of steel bars and several more of solid metal he took them into a place where boxes were ranged in profusion. Turning key in the lock of their box, the custodian opened a small, thick door and exposed a knob. He gave Billy series of numbers and showed him how to turn the knob. Then he supplied Miss Miller with similar in formation. The joint owners of the box were occupied casting sly glances at each other, and it required several lessons to enable them to get at their respective treasures. When the box
 was finally opened each took look at the contents. They expressed them selves satisfied, exchanged addresses A and departed
 In a couple of days Lucy Miller re ceived a note from Billy saying the S whole matter had been such a surprise to him that he had not even thought to notice the location of his farm \ Would she mind meeting him again d H an appointed time? Of course she con s sented-she was obliged to consent and four days after the first opening
 there was a second one. Then Luc! N wrote that some one had asked her i her bonds were "registered' or "cou pon," and she didn't know. She woulc like him to help her unlock the box. \ During the second week of the join
 ownership the box was opened fou A times. On the fourth Billy told tn custodian that he needn't trouble him self to come with them to the bO. since they now understood the openin process perfectly. The custodian smile \ and reminded Billy that he had eel - tain unlocking to do himself. Whe
 they left the office Billy looked wis
 fully at q leather covered sofa in tn
 parlor, wis,.i"g h2 and Lucy could sI
 there avk:!~ together, but the depos
 COOpllg Ns.| i IIlCG O1 DdSAhtk~' dIi
 nothing else. However, when Luc
 wished to cut her coupons Billy WE
 permitted to go into little f by compartment with her while she di the dipping.
 Hfny wished to take roG~c~~ior q his farm, Eut had no money for lly d stock CT farming implements. Tn
 suggested L.ucy's bonds. He couldn
 steal them if he wanted to, which
 didn't, for both Lucy and the cpst
 dian were present when they we
 0Don to him. Besides, what would
 do on the farm alone? He wouldn
 think of running it without woman
 help.
 One day Billy got a note from u
 manager of the deposit company tn . the partnership box had been rent' >l for only three months and the ter ( was about to expire. Billy and Lu'