The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1911-03-23


TIE means Of the little girl a. she lurch-
ed blindly toward the door Of the safe
and scratched the metal thicknesses
with her tiny nails.
The dolly fell to the door. the ends
Of the soft little fingers began to bleed
from frenzied contact with the bars
that ribbed the interior of the safe
door. and after a few moments the
wee girls form sank Imply to the bot
tom of the vault. where she gasped
convulsively to breathe in the air that
was gradually losing Its life support
ing qualities. Not many minutes
would elapse ere she had consumed all
the precious oxygen in the suffocating
interior Of the necessarily air tight
vault
As Jimmy Valentine dashed into the
vault room he cried to Red Flanagan.
who was at his heels:
go get one Of the clerks to run for
some sandpaper. Pumice stone is too
soft for this job. My fingers are not
in shape for a trick like this. Go!
RUM"
Red turned and darted away on his
urgent Grand Well he knew just how
necessary it was for Jimmy Valentine
to have sandpaper to rescue Kitty If 1t
were true that the skin on his fingers
had grown calloused or had reached
even it's natural thickness.
Jimmy Valentine pulled manfully at
the handles Of the vault door. Per-
haps, after all, the combination had
not been turned and only the doors
weight held it in place. But the metal
barrier would not move. He pressed
his ear to the hairlike crack. He
heard the sound as of a little body
failing to the door ana the faint means
Of the prisoner calling. Bobby, Bobby,
Bobby
psered sharply at it, then began to
twirl the cylinders gently. Around
and then back he turned the knob
No; it was Of no USE Nothing could
be done until the sandpaper arrived.
His fingers had lost their sensitiveness
and hence their cunning. and in the
meantime Valentine we'll knew the
prisoner was consuming whatever Of
the priceless air that remained
The door leading from his Office
swung open. and again Red Flanagan
darted in. He flung himself on the
vault room floor directly below Val
| ontine's knees and held his ear close
! to the crack Of the safe door.
'"Think you can make it, Jimmy?'
be gasped.
"Guess so; never failed on a lock
like this. Why. in Gods name, don't
that fool come with that sandpaper?"
Valentine was desperate at the delay.
"He's gone to a-here he Isl" cried
Red as he heard hurrying footsteps in
the assistant cashiers Office. Red
jumped to his feet and out into Val
entine's room. He seized the roll of
sandpaper from the messengers
hands
what are you going to do with itT
asked the inquisitive clerk.
Red showed him away and darted
back toward the vault room.
! ''None Of your business" he cried
"and keep out of here
"Give it here. What Is it?" exclaim
ed Valentine as Red ran to him.
mo. a."
"That's best. Is the bank empty ?
Eyes. thank God. Mr.. Lane has
! gone There's no one here to pipe
what we're doin'-and even If there
was we'd Just materially have b q
through with it-for that girl Kitty
"Shut up!' cried Valentine nervous
y. he bent over and rubbed his I'm
gers briskly across the gritty surface
of one of the sheets OF sandpapel
which Red had handed him--rubbet
until the white flesh showed pink
Red stood and watched him breath
lessly. The sound of Valentines fin
gers scraping back and forth acros,
the face of the sandpaper seemed t
his feverish brain the physical demon
stration Of an evil being, appalled, hin
o. sinister omen Of impending doom
He had heard story Of his old Grand
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