The Holbrook news., 1914-08-28
IN ON GROUND FLOOR By WILLIAM HAMILTON OSBORNE

who don't. The police department
 finding it impossible to keep an eye or
 everybody all the time, had come to
 the conclusion that Britches Bellman
 belonged to the latter class. In their
 hearts they knew that Britches was uI
 to many things; but when they came
 to sift even one of these things to the
 bottom invariably they found them.
 selves woefully weak when 1t came to evidence.
 Evidence" snorted Britches; "I ain't got no use for it. I don't want none of it around me. To - with evidence"
 Now, Britches Bellman, being citi- zen of the underworld. had come to the conclusion that for part of the time, at least, such citizen ought to reside underneath the ground He got this idea one day when he was passing the County National bank. In front of the County National bank was a ditch. This ditch is called the subway.
 "Gee!" said Britches Bellman, knocking himself on the side of the head, Get down in that hole, just where you belong"
 Now, if Britches hadn't been an ex- traordinary kind of man, he never could have pulled of the little scheme that filled his head. But he was any thing and everything, from an Al con man down to the lowest kind of a strong-armer. In a high hat and frock coat he was superb; in busi- ness suit he was all matter of fact; in a slouch hat he could scare the wits out of a belated rich old party by just looking at him.
 One day genteellooking parsonage called at the office of the subway con tractors and announced that the Coun- ty National bank (which, by the way, was backed by the Democratic boss) had concluded to strengthen it's under pinning just bit. He produced a let ter apparently on the letter head of the bank, signed apparently by its president. He was courteously re- ceived, as, of course, any representa- tive of the boss bank would have to be, and he left bearing with him the written direction of the contractor to the section foreman to permit the workmen of the County bank to make any necessary excavation in the sub- way. This genteel-looking parsonage, it cannot be denied, looked extremely like MT. Britches Bellman. A day later a rough, honest-looking workman, wearing a union button and dressed in toil-stained overalls, handed the letter to the section foreman, together with another letter from the bank, stated casually that he and Sam Parks had known each other all their respective lives, borrowed chew of tobacco, and started in to work.
 The work he was about to do he had all planned out on a sheet of rough drafting paper. It was to cut a square hole four by four from the subway in to the foundation of the bank.
 "The bank" he said to the foreman. "ain't so much afraid of going as it is of fallin' down. Its pins is weak. or somethin'."
 In five hours the genial MT. Bellman had made himself the most popular man in the ditch. He talked to every body, sympathized with everybody, jollied everybody.
 He was a good workman and he un- derstood his business. But he in- sisted upon one thing. Every night, when he left his job, he carefully cov- cred up the mouth of the hole he was making with a pile of dirt
 Some fellow" he explained to the foreman, might take notion to fn- ish up my job some night and go clean through the bank, outside and in" The foreman expectorated
 "Geei" said the foreman, that's so. I never thought of it." He scratched his head and grinned.
 T s'pose," he added, that 1 might take a hack at it myself some night. What dye think?"
 Britches Bellman, honest workman, shook his head. "If you talk that way" he said. smiling, "I'll have to set plain-clothes man on top of you. got to take care of that there bank. and no mistake" He caught the other by the arm. Say" went on Britches Bellman, tits blamed good thing you chaps down here are honest If you weren't-say, think of the whole lot of banks here on. Broadway-you could tap the whole lot, almost, and nobody wouldn't know the difference, not un- til," he added, mot until they found out"
 And when they found out?" sug- gested the foreman.
 ''There'd be a hot time," returned Britches. He scratched his head again. Now, look-a-here," he went on. that ro{SaS vorv nice doIioato in,1o-s. question in my mind. It seems to me that I'll have to get the bank to put a night watchman down here to set in front of that there hole. It won't do to have any two-legged rats a-burrow- in there when Pm away I naturally gotter keep the bank protected, be-