The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-07-26

TWO men closely rs ne advanced, and
said, speaking in calm tone:
And SO. II you gentlemen have con.
eluded your bnsiness"-he paused-"I
shall proceed to the execution Of that
duty"
Il am" he added, a moment after.
ward, perhaps fortunate in finding
you here. Mr.. Mendenhall. You may
be able TO assist me-"
He drew toward them, and they
stood aside. He entered the vaults
where a gas,iet glimmered, It's light
sliatiRg on the nickei.plated knobs OF
the great steel doors. He tried the
doors. They were locked. He re-
NAMED an instant in thought, and
then took from his pocket stick of
red sealing wax. He hesitated an.
other instant.
Mo- he said, "the great seal could
not be utilized"
The great seal OF state OF the state
of Illinois, though Il has a political
history, is nevertheless, physically,
but huge oyergrown seal such rs no
taries public use In their little bust.
nesses. And in Illinois the governor
has no privy seal as he has In
some commonwealth. The governor
warmed the sealing wax In the gas Jet
that blazed beside him In the vault
When it began to melt he dribbled
and daubed its softened surface, drop
by drop. on the combination OF the
huge safe, as girl would seal a let.
ter When he had quite covered tho
lock with the molten wax, he sealed
1t with the seal ring he wore on his
left hand, ring which bore the soat.
ofarms of colonial governor. The
midnight secret of those two men,
whatever It might be. was either safe
with them or more safely still, sealed
with other secrets behind those mas.
sfve doors, And then he turned the
gas down until only 4 tiny star blinked
In the vault, and came ont, and SWING
together the big steel gates that
clanked like prison bars, their locks
swapping automatically.
He returned to the outer door OF the
department and placed his hand upon
the knob.
Gentlemen" he said tremendously,
Il await your pleasure"
He bent his gaze full upon William
.Grfgshy, and that little man. throwing
In cl hiu hand y.itb ,o~athin,, It,,a a -
fiance. strobe on his short legs out OF
the high.ceiled room. and Mendenhall
followed him. but meekly. As they
filed past, Grfgsby, with face upturned,
face that now in anger had taken
on the blue tipge Of butchered beef.
drew his hands from his overcoat
pocket and clasped them behind his
back The governor bowed as the lit
tie man and Mendenhal swept out
before him. And then he drew the big
walnut door to.
Standing out In the corridor Grigsby
waited, and as he stood and waited,
he fumbled In the outer pocket Of his
'overcoat. Suddenly he drew forth his
hand. His face had turned white, the
white OF fish's belly.
As the governor drew the big wal.
nut door TO, and as It swung behind
him. 1t pushed before 1t, scraping
with the peevish voice Of n ratchet
along the matted floor, q piece OF
crumbled paper. Grigsby, who had
turned toward Mendenhall with look
of deaths despair. saw 1t, and started,
faint ray OF hope beaming in his
eye. But the paper lay under the gov.
,ernor's feet.
The governor closed the doors.
You may lock them, Mr.. Menden.
hail." he said.
The assistant state treasurer drew
a juggling bunch of keys from his
pocket and locked the door. GrIgsby's
eyes We're fastened on the paper at the
governors feet. His heart was swell.
ing in his throat. His fingers were
twitching. and he was sweating like
stoker. At Mendenhall's approach
the governor placed his foot upon the
paper. When Mendcnhall had done,
the governor picked It up. He
smoothed 1t out in his fingers. and
slowly adjusted his glasses. BY the
dim light that always burns at night
Just outside the door of the state
treasury he read It. Then he placed 1t
In the pocket OF his overcoat. He
kept his hand upon It. The blue Of
,Grigsby's face deepened.
The three men went down the
stairs. the governor standing aside at
the top to let them precede him. They
crossed TIE rotunda, past the slumber.
Ing janitor whose snores assembled and
exploded In the east corridor and so
out into the darkness. They walked
together down the wide stone walk,
the stone walk as wide as a street,
that sweeps. with a strip Of sward
down Its middle. across the state
house lawns to Capitol avenue. The
governor did not turn up Second
street by the way he had come. lie
kept on with his two companions, and
all three were silent. Not word
had any one OF them spoken. They
were drowned in thought. 1t matters
not OF what the assistant state treas.
urer was thinking. He held only an