Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1911-04-21

W
constructed. was large. SOM
Der Enclosure. with door at one side
opening from the assistant cashiers
office, and one directly opposite. which
led to a narrow hallway opening into
the main nall.
Along this narrow hallway were
doors opening into the offices of va
rious officials of the bank The vaults
in which were kept the currency and
negotiable papers. bonds. stocks. notes
ETC., were on the floor below. and the
new vault built against the wall AT
the rear of the room was designed as
a receptacle for the banks cooks of
account. Therefore it had a larger in
terror than an ordinary vault. and as
the shelves had not yet been built in
there were several feet of free space
inside. which would be occupied by
books and records later on.
The huge steel ribbed door had been
left invitingly open by the workmen
engaged in adding the finishing touch
es. and consequently it afforded an I'M
equaled source of delight to Bobby
and Kitty. whose active imaginations
readily converted the interior of the
vault into the cave of daring SNUG
glers who. presumably gone on des-
perate enterprise, had left deserted their
secret cavern and the precious con
traband articles which. Bobby assured
Kitty. were surely TO be found there
in So what was there for high spir-
tied little girl to do. when her brother
who never failed at asserting his su-
periority over a mere girl and the
superiority of the ''men folk" in gen
eral. insisted that she go first into the
yawning blackness of the big safe?
Surely she must maintain the tradi- /
lions of the fearlessness of her sex as
she knew them and take the dare
which Bobby forced upon her.
Slowly into the steel bound shadows
she went. her waxen faced dolly
clutched tightly against her throbbing
bosom-yet in she went. Suddenly the
huge door scraped shut. All was black
ness. AS she screamed in her fright
she heard the click of the metal bars
as Bobby playfully turned the han
dies. Then all was silent. save for
the means of the little girl as she lurch-
ed blindly toward the door of the safe
and scratched the metal thicknesses |
with her tiny nails
The dolly fell to the floor, 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 sufocating
interior of the necessarily air tight /
vault. -4----.. ia ;s',.- fl r
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 Ny fingers are not
in shape for a trick like this. CO.
Rum
Red turned and darted away on his
urgent errand Well he knew just how
necessary it was for Jimmy Valentine
to have sandpaper to rescue Kitty if it
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
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
he done until the sandpaper arrived
His fingers had lost their sensitiveness
and hence their cunning. and in the
meantime Valentine well 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
entine's knees and held his ear close
TO the crack Of the safe door.
think you can make it. jimmy
he gasped.
"Guess so. never failed on a lock
like this. Why. in Gods name. don't
that fool come with that sandpaperT
Valentine was desperate at the delay
"He's gone TO a--here he isl cried
Red as he heard hurrying footsteps III
the assistant cashiers Office Red
Jumped TO his feet and out into Val.
entine's room. He seized the ron OF
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