Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1911-07-20

his ear to the hairlike crack. He
heard the sound as of a little body
falling to the floor and the faint means
Of the prisoner calling. Bobby, Bobby,
Bobby"
Valentine bent over the combination,
peered 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
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
entine's knees and held his ear close
to b crack of the safe door.
"Think you can make it. Jimmy?"
he gasped.
"Guess so: never failed on & lock
like this. Why, in Gods name, don't
that fool come with that sandpaper?"
Valentine was desperate at the delay.
Hes 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 it?"
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.
"No. 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 d%oin'-and ever if there
was we'd just materially have to go
through with it-for that girl Kitty
"Shut up!!' cried Valentine nervous
ly. He bent over and rubbed his fin
gers briskly across the gritty surface
of n of the sheets of %sandpaper
which Red had handed him-rubbed
until the white flesh showed pink.
Red stood and watched him breath
lessly. The sound of Valentines fin
gers scraping back and forth across
the face of the sandpaper seemed to
his feverish brain the physical demon
stration of an evil being. appalled, him
as a sinister omen of impending doom.
lie had heard a story of his old grand
mothers. when d young lad, tina Of
ten when a person was going to die a
mysterious tick, tick. tick. tick would
be heard in the fated house, the sound
coming as though from a mysterious
watch concealed in the wall-the
death tick" AS the sound of the
scraping fingers continued the zip, zip,
zip, zip echoed from the walls and
smote into Reds ears and into Reds
bra1n-an uncanny reminder of that
long forgotten tale.
And, strangely enough. Reds pre-
monition Of the presence of an unseen
menace was not without foundation
IN fact. 1t may be that this active
career in the underworld had devel-
oped in him that sixth sense Of the
habitual thief which sometimes gives
him warning OF approaching dangers.
AS Red stood there fascinatingly
watching the rapid play Of Valentines
fingers the door leading into the mar
row hallway noiselessly opened-open-
ed just enough to allow the sound Of
the scraping fingers to reach the ear
pressed against the crack between the
door and the jam. A few inches more
Of space and the face of George Doyle
appeared in the doorway.
AS the door on opening swung to-
ward the rear Of the chamber toward
the vault, Doyle. shielded by 1t, was
enabled to put n foot owe the sill
and stand half within the vault
Pressing himself close against the
door, he could watch In the darkened.
shadowy the operations of Red