Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1914-09-19

pruning tntl ndu rtcelveu from tne
local papers, were about in the right
humor to shoot on sight. Mason was
not large man; still there was a,
great plenty of him at time when
all there was of him would be in
danger.
In spite of his nervousness over
his impending fate the time and dis
lance of his ride between his house
and office seemed longer than it ever
had before. OF course that might
be due to his highly wrought nerves.
He was thinking so fast and of so
many things at once that the amount
of mental ground he covered evil
IDENTIFY made the material distance
seem great. Still he half doubted
whether they had come the most d.
rect route or not, and tried to peer
out of the cab to assure himself of
something, he hardly knew what.
While in the very act of doing so
the cab pulled up at his Office door
so suddenly as to all but cause his
debarkation in a direction wholly
different from the usual course of
egress.
A glance around convinced Mason
that the building was still I'M
wrecked so it looked as if they had
arrived on time.
Just as he was about to enter the
building it occurred to him that he
had seen no sign of guard and he
considered it possible that the fuse
had been fired already and the bur-
glars we're seeking safety in flight.
Under those circumstances Mason |
more than ever wished to avoid any |
seeming dissension from their views,
so he rapidly concluded to wait a
little before entering, and it also oc-
Cured to him that the opposite side
of the street would be better place
for waiting.
Neither burglar nor explosion
came to reward his caution, however,
and naturally curiosity was fast gain
ing a mastery when he was suddenly |
beset on all sides by rush of blue
coats, who were so elated over their
capture that it was several minutes
before their error could be proved to
them. Then there was a simultane-
Gus rush for the Office, over which
the wary chief had placed a watchful
guard before their rush upon the
supposed burglar sentinel.
In the center of the room lay the
door of the safe, where it had fallen
when blown open. Scattered around
we're such of the contents as could
not be converted into cash. The
money itself and all negotiable valu-
lbles were missing. Evidently it
lad been a deliberate job, where ev-
Try paper was examined and its value
.arefully determined.
"And only to think" exclaimed
Mason, chat they did it all in the
lew minutes was coming from my
house here am certain they we're
gone before / arrived"
"Nonsensew said the chief, pass
ing his hand over the safe door.
This job alone was never done in
seven minutes and, besides, it must
have happened half an hour or more {
ago, for the metal is cold"
"Then what the deuce was their
object in calling me up to open it
for them after it was already open ?"
"Search me, unless it was just !
pure bravado-a sort of Boosting
over a slick job. But my word for
it, the safe was open and the job $
done when they called you up. They
were off as rapidly as you were after
they once got you started. Strange,
though, they went to the trouble of
sending that cab for you if they
hadn't some other object.
Just then the telephone rang
again, with a suddenness that gave
them all a start.
"Hellol Who is this?" answered
Mason.
"1s this John Mason's Officer
at is. What's wanted ?" /
"Well, this is your residence. I
just wanted to tell you that we had
a little business here which we be-