The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1910-03-03
CHAPTER l
THE LOMBARD STREET
DEPOSIT


Mr.. William SPEEDING, of the firm
of SPEEDING. Mortimer s. Larach, So
l~icitors, bought the site in Lombard
street in the conventional way. The
property came into the market on the
| death Of an old laGv who lived at Mar
ket Marlborough, who has nothing to
do with this story, n it was put up
to auction in the orthodox fashion.
Mr.. William SPEEDING secured the site
at a10s, 900, a sum sufficiently large to
excite the interest OF all the evening
papers n a great number of the
morning journals as well.
AS q matter of exact detail, I may
add that plans We're produced and APP
proved by the city surveyor for the
erection of a building of a peculiar
type. The city surveyor was q little
puzzled by the interior arrangement of
the new edifice, but as it fulfilled all
the requirements of the regulations
governing buildings in the city of Lon
don, and no fault could be found either
with the external appearance-its ia
cade had been so artfully designed
that You might pass a dozen times a
day without the thought occurring that
this new building was anything out of
the common ruck-and as the systems
of ventilation and light were beyond re-
preach, he passed the plans with a
shrug of his shoulders.
Il cannot understand. Mr.. Speeding"
he said, laying his forefnger on the
blue print, how your client intends Sc
curing privacy. There is a lobby and
one big hall. Where are the private Of
fees, and what is the idea of his huge
safe in the middle of the hall, inc
where are the clerks to sit? 1 suppose
he win have clerks? Why, man, he
won't have a minutes peacel"
Mr.. SPEEDING smiled grimly.
| He will have all tho Deara he
wants. he said.
And the vaulss-I should have
thought that vaults would be the very
thing you wanted for this" He tapped
the corner Of the sheet where was in
scribed decorously: Plan for the erec-
ton of a new safe deposit"
There is the safe" said Mr, Sped
ding, and smiled again.
This William SPEEDING, now unhap-
PLY no longer with us-he died sudden
iy, as / Will relate-was a large, smooth
MAI with a sauVe manner. He smoked
good cigars, the ends of which he
shipped off with a gold ci~gar-cutter,
and his smile came readily, as from a
man who has no fault to find with life.
e continue the possibly UNNECESSARY
details. l may add further that whilst
tenders were requested for the erection
OF the new safe deposit, the provision
OF The advertisement that the lowest
tender would not necessarily be accept
ed was justified by the fact that the
offer of Potham & Holloway was ap-
proved, and it ir an open secret that
Their tender was the highest of all.
My client requires the very best
work; he desires a building tina will
stand shocks Mr.. Speeding shot a
swift glance at the contractor, who sat
al the other side of the desk. Some
thing that a footing little dynamite
explosion would not scatter to the four
winds"
TIE contractor nodded.
Q have read the specifications
the solicitor went on-he was cutting
a new cigar. land in regard to the ped
estal-ah-the pedestal, you know-?'
He stopped and looked at the con-
tractor.
1T seems all very clear" said the
great builder. He took a bundle of pa
pers from an open bag by his side and
read, The foundation to be Of con-
crete TO the depth of 20 feet The
PEDESTAL to be alternate layers of dressed
granite and steel in the center a
steel-hned compartment. 10 inches by 5,
and half the depth of the pedestal it
self"
The solicitor inclined his head.
THAT pedestal is to be the most i'm
portant thing in the whole structure.
The steel-lfned recess-I don't know
the technical p~hrase-which one Of
these days your men win have to fill
In, is the second most important; but
RE sac that is 10 stand 56 feet above
the floor of the building Is to be-but
the safe is arranged for"
An army Of workmen, IL the hack
neyed phrase be permitted, descended
upon Lombard street and pulled down
the old buildings. They pulled them
down n broke them down. and lev
cred them down. and Lombard street
grew gray with dust. The interiors
of quaint old rooms with grimy oak
pane'ing We're indecently exposed to
a passing public. Clumsy, earthly carts
blocked Lombard street, and by night
faring Wells lights roared amidst the
chaos.
And bare-armed men sweated and
delved by night and by day; and one
morning Mr.. Speeding stood in a driz-
zle of rain, with a silk umbrella over
his head, and expressed, on behalf of
his client, his intense satisfaction at
the progress made. He stood on a slip
perry plank that formed a narrow road.
and workmen, reused to unusual ac-
tivity by the presence of THE FIRM
Mr.. Spedding's ctcerone-moved to and
fro at a feyerish rate of speed.
They dom mind the rain" said the
lawyer, sticking out his chin in the di-
r]ection Of the toiltng gangs.
The Firm" Shook his head.
Extra pay" he said laconically
I'VE provided for that in the tender.
he hastelIed to add In justification Of
his munificence.
So in rain and sunshine. by day ano
by night, the new safe deposit. came
Into existence.
Once-it was during a night shift. 8
brougham drove up the deserted cit,
street, and q footman helped from The
dark interior Of the carriage a SILVER,
Ing old man with q white, drawn face
He showed a written order to the fore.
man, and was allowed inside the un.
painted gate of the works"
He walked gingerly amidst tn,
debris of construction, asked M
questions, made no replies &
the explanations of the bewildered fore,
man, who wondered what fascination
there was in a building job to brin,
an old mar from his bed at 3 o'clocI
on a chill spring morning.
Only once tho old mar spoke.
"Where win that there pedestal be ?
ne asked in a harsh. cracked cockne,