Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-08-19

"
Where are the robbers?"
"Gone!" cried Dubois. straining his
wrinkled neck forward, and moisten.
Ing his throat with an effort a. he
spoke.
Are you sure? What did they get r"
Everything! Looki" Dubois had
pushed the Waterman up the stairs to
the second floor. and pointed shaking
finger through an open door. holding
to the wall for support and gasping for
breath as he spoke. "Everything---
look! All my money In bills: stacks,
stacks Of biils!"
There was a rickety antique Shera-
ton four-poster. Dubois bed. and on 1t
was the cloth-covered box of q bed
spring, gaping open. half filed with a
scattering OF crumpled papers. The
bed-clothes were thrown In heap In
one corner OF the room. Hopkins
stepped back in surprise. His foot
came down on q wad Of cotton; he
picked 1t up, and stood lingering 1t alb
sently as he stared at the wrecked
bed
Then you did sleep on your money
In place Of . mattress. as people al.
ways said?' he queried.
Yes, yes. There Ia no USE" the
quaking old man stood glassy-eyed,
glaring at the empty spring box. "there
10 no use TO deny 1t now. kept every
thing--all-in that box, packed In
among the springs. Stacks, stacks and
stacks OF bills! l did--did---" He
stopped, clawed forward one of his
large tapping ears, and stood strain
ing to catch the repetition OF a sharp
sound he had picked from other noises
rising from below.
Hopkins was smiling at the piece OF
cotton he had picked up beside the
bed.
"chloroform!" he exclaimed, drop
ping IT,
'Eh!" cried old Dubois. jerking his
hand from his ear. and thrusting II In
to the opening of his nightshirt.
"They chloroformed you. and threw
you into the corner with your shoes
and the bed.clotbes, while they ri1ed
the treasure chest"
"Eh? Yes. III heard them ut my
bedside, then was on the floor and
couldn't asa my arms. my legs. my
tongue, and knew they were taking
my poor bills. in stacks--stacks and
stacks of them!" His veinridged hand
shot to his tapping ear. and he broke
of again: "Listen What's that?
There's somebody fooling with the
front gate"
He rushed to the window. which he
had again carefully locked after reeov-
ering from his faint. craned his cordy
neck toward the front of the house,
and tottered as he shook his quivering
fist at nondescript fellow In mod
est business suit and ordinary derby
who must have elambered over the
locked iron gate regardless OF It's
pricking points. and was busiiy at work
stretching out the limp form OF Alert.
Leave that dog alone! Get out OF
there. or III"
Dubois in an insane moment tore
an antique French firearm tremblingly
from the bosom of his nlghtshirt.
where. to Hopkins surprise. he had
been concealing 1t.
"Don't!" cried the Waterman. jump
ing forward to grasp the Quivering
hand attempting an aim.
TN protect my place--my right
I'll" LIS
Dubois twitching Jaws dropped
open: he stared at the man below
who. aroused by the commotion In the
window. glanced up. picked small
fllmy object like sausage-skin from
one OF the points Of Alert's massive
studded collar, and slipped through the
front gate, which he opened with an
easy twist as though II were not
locked.
"You left 1t unlocked9" cried Dubois.
Il did notl" Hopkins denied. "Who
the devil Is the fellow never saw
him before. Do you suppose he"
II don't suppose anything" Du.
hois thrust out his lower Jaw threat
eningly. you're hired to protect me:
why do you let him run awayg May.
be-"
Hopkins, having leaped to the same
unsurpassed conclusion. turned. and
rushed down the stairs, stopped at the
gate, unlocked It, and cried to the
group OF newsboys. neighbors. tamale
men, market boys, and other early
birds collected In front. "Where'd he
go?"
"Where'd he go?"
"Whoe"
The mantle man" Hopkins
strove for some description--''the man
with the black derby"
A boy in front grinned. and glanced
around at the circle of men towering
above him. Every Teller in the bunch's
got on black derby 'cept US kids"
Hopkins stood chagrined. He had
seen the man, front. side, and rear
view for full minute. but was ut an
utter loss to describe him.
THE man who just came out Of the
gate. He took something that looked
like the rubber Of a toy balloon from
the dogs collar, he cried.
| "Oh, him." answered the boy. "The
Teller that moakeyed with the dog!
thought he belonged there. He had a
key. Where did he 80. nows"
| Soyua said ana way and sauna "a Ia