The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1910-01-21
h The Vault.

Gf Grabame made" the city about
~ four months. a week ago a
every !ram had summoned him three
iaa,ladred miles west to force the
l :io vauIt Of the Second National
I UNI After a hard job he had
D4 Do +be big steel room open. Now
Z " was going twice as far south in
JIG ,upr to another message
rav, the Imper1or telegrapher,
had gone home sick; =.
w. Gould handle the key myself
Il a pinch, Ell, Ben 20 remarked
B. Tortescue. Il guess I've not quite
t foraotten my Morse. "
u me expert nodded. They had
baan railroad operators together
4ttrpn years back, and had always
5 plr I'D their friendship.
- The office clock chimed eleven
.,irtv. Grahame's train pulled
nt IN fifteen minutes.
.sWell, good-by, Jasp T! I'll see
I'M in October. if everything goes
veil. Look out for your safe"
@We keep good watch Of that, =
r.nIiad the clerk. Leaning forward
bp dropped his voice to whisper !:
"Fifty thousand in money and
irrelry in there tonight. A dia-
m1ond drummer's just put in twenty
thousand. We close it at mid
night. Till then
Dropping his hand behind the
counter, he raised a revolver butt.
Grahame smiled.
eyes, | see. Good-by -
With a final handshake he hur-
red out to the carriage. Forts
cue spoke to Hayden, the colored
Waterman, twenty years an I'm
DeriaI employee, trusty as a steel
trap.
1.-THE safes chock-full Of money
and valuables, Billy. Be sure the
doors shut at twelve, if I'm not
here. I may have to see party
in #. There was a lot Of suspi-
cious-looking characters on the
street this afternoon. The town s
full of crooks, baited here by this
convention. Here comes the band
now with a crowd of. delegates
from the train. Be careful, won t
YOU ?"
"All right, SIR replied Billy,
and hurried away on his rounds.
Fortescue glance fell on Maui
rice Stone, the new bell-boy, a slim,
quiet lad of eighteen, pouring over
a book. The clerk was something
of martinez. He had not taken
10 Stone; not that he actually dis
trusted him. but new men must be
tried before trusting too far.
FOrtescue spoke sharply
"Put that book up, Stone. L
don't want you reading while on
duty. Go up to AZ and ask If Mr..
FOgler wants to see me. -
1t now lacked but little of twelve,
and the procession was just in front
Of the hotel. Roman candles and
red light illuminated the street.
The thunder of the band, pealing
through the doors, filled the office.
Everybody was at the windows
looking out.
The clerk stepped into the vault
to put away the ledger. On turn
ING to 60 out, he noticed in one
corner a piece Of paper shaped like
a check; he stopped to pick it up.
He was standing with his back to
the door, and at one side of it, con-
cealed from those without.
Suddenly kling-g-g! the music
was cut off, and thick, dead still
ness succeeded. A second later,
before he could realize his peril and
cry out, the bolts changed home.
The door had been closed and
locked and the combination disar-
ranged. So noislessly had the
well-oiled hinges turned and SO
bright was the electric light inside
that he had received no warning.
In a flash Fortescue woke to his
position. The combination of the
vault had been changed that day.
and he was the only man who knew
the new combination.
Almost unbalanced by his dan
ger, he uttered cry after cry, as he
pounded his fists on the rock-like
door Then a calmer period came
and he applied himself with deter,
mination to the problem so sud.
denly forced upon him. 1t was
easy to understand how the thing
mad happened. Everybody 10 tbs
Office had been watching the pro.
cession, 20 no one had seen him en-.
ter the safe. Hayden, the watch.
man. coming along a minute or SC
after twelve, his steps drowned by
the music, had found the door
open. Strictly obedient to orders
he had swung it to, turned the d
handle, and whirled the knob tc
scatter the combination.
Fortescue looked eagerly round
seeking some chance for escape
but nothing offered. The electric