Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1913-08-21
Hennessey held the bag out toward

Rlneral.
The attorney general took the bag
and opened 1t. Inside were four big
bundles of bank bills. He lifted them
out. Each bundle was composed Of
ten smaller packages. held by rubber
bands, and each package was bound
with pink paper strap neatly pinned
and marked Ave hundred" He
counted and replaced the packages in
the bag. Then taking his coat and
hat, he turned to Jennings and said:
We'll, let's be gone"
The secretary of state rolled his
head toward the attorney general,
waved his long arm and tapped his
hand tin-like at him, and said:
We'll wait here, Mike and me- You
won't need us"
The clock in the hall Of the execu-
tive mansion had struck the half-hour
after midnight, and the governor was
descending the stairs in a gray bath
robe and slippers. The old house
was dark and still. Even the room oc-
cupied by Gilman, who should, at that
hour, have been reading the maga'
zines in bed, showed no light. The
governor, softly treading, entered the
library. The last embers of the fire
were smoldering. The governor light
ed the lamp, and in the circle Of soft
light it spread on the library table, he
bent over book, his glasses on his
nose, their cord hanging down into
his lap. 1t was not The Thoughts OF
Marcus Aure,ius 1t was the second
volume of The Revised Statutes of Hi
nois, stupid work which many men
consult, laboriously, far into the night.
He softly rustled over the leaves un
til he found chapter one hundred and
thirty He ran his finger down the
pages till it stopped at section six.
teen. And then he read very slowly:
"In case of the death Of the treasurer
it shall be the duty Of such governor
to take possession Of the office of such
treasurer and cause the vaults there
of to be closed and securely locked,
and so remain until" He read the
words again, and again third time,
and yet again.
lamp and slowly felt his way back up
the stairs.
Ten minutes later he descended
again, and cropping in the hall, drew
a greatcoat over his broad shoulders,
covered his head with the slouch hat
he wore when he went down into
southern Illinois, and let himself out
of the wide front door The asphalt
driveway that filings its long curve
through the grounds of the guberna-
torial residence from Fifth street to
Fourth. cleaned like the surface OF
river at night. The rain no longer fell,
but the trees dripped dismally. Across
the low night sky black clouds were
flying. The governor walked down the
driveway to the big iron gates at
Fourth street. whose watered surface
as far as he could see, wavered under
the electric lights at the crossings.
The governor turned at Jackson
street and walked down the sleeping
little avenue toward Second street.
Below a low brown house trickling Its
caves behind two sentinel cedars, lie
walk and pulled the white bell-knob.
The bell tangled harshly upon the
sleeping stiffness. The janging trem-
bled away. He rang again. There
was reluctant stir within and
voice, scared woman's voice, said:
who's there?"
"The governor" he responded. "1s
Mr.. Mendenhall at home?"
mo, sir; he hasn't got in yet"
The governor strobe on into Second
street. past the residence of the
bishop of Springfield, standing behind
white pillars deep in its naked grove,
past st. Agatha's seminary sleeping in
its gloom, until he reached the state
house The brooding building loomed
above him, dark and dour, heaving
its great gray dome into the grim
night. Huge granite pillars lifted
themselves above him, he was lost In
the shades OF the left portico. He
unlocked and pushed open the heavy
door. The great marble corridors
were dark and echoed to the touch
Of his heel upon the stones. In the
wide rotunda, under the enormous
dome, thick with billowing gloom,
janitor, the peoples solitary night
watch slept profoundly in his chair,
his mouth open, his white beard upon
his breast His gossips had departed.
Their deserted chairs stood aimlessly
about. He had finished the nightly re-
cital of the strenuous part he had
borne in the great rebellion, and he
slumbered, his snores echoing in the
monstrous inverted bowl above him.
The governor ascended to the floor
above, and turned down the north
corridor. A golden bar Of light was
thrown across the marble floor. IL
streamed from the open door OF the
state treasury. The governor quick
ened his steps. He heard the lunge OF
huge bots as they were tumbled
home. He heard the dull spin OF
combination lock, and as he reached
the treasury two men were emerging
from the dark vaults
Thank God, that's"
The sentence was lost in the mouth
of the attorney general OF the state OF
Illinois, who stood with dropping jaw
staring at the governor. The attorney
general stood motionless, and then
plunged hand with three pieces OF
paper into an outer pocket of his
overcoat.
The governor was the first one to
speak.
Good evening" gentlemen" he said
The two men did not reply, and the
governor spoke again.
Under the law, gentlemen he
said, "the duty devolves upon me or
closing and locking the treasury and