The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-02-09


You're riRnt II Il, It must Der.
cried the cashier, finding his words in
a torrent II was going 70 toll you.
Hos been at his game down south;
stuck uppurrowp mail again only yes
terday, between this and Doniliquin,
and got fine haul Of registered let
tiers, so they say. But where the deuce
are we? l never knew there was
cellar under here, lot alone a trapdoor
that might have been made for these
villains"
Half n dozen fallen words from the
lips Of Donkin had llghtened young
Carriclcs darkness with consuming
fires OF shame "a fine haul Of regis
tered letters"-among others his own
last letter TO his sister, SO Il was he
who had done Il all, and he had per-
jured himself TO his benefactor, be-
sides betraying him He sat I'm the
dark between FIRE and ice, chiefly won
derlng how he could soonest win
through the trapdoor and earn bull
let in his brain.
"The spree tonight said Macbean,
whose fall completely sobered him,
was for the express purpose Of ex-
pounding the trap to you, and asked
you airly to take your advice. l was
no so sure about young Fowler, wheth-
er we need tell him OF no. He has an
awful long tongue. l was watching
old Hannah putting her feenishing
touches to the table, and waiting for
Fergus Carrick to come back, when /
thought | heard him behind me and
you with him. But II was Stingaree
and his mate, and the two Of us were
covered with revolvers like young r.
hes. Hannah they told to go on with
what she was doing, as they were
mighty hungry, and | advised her to
do as she was bid. The brute with
the beard has charge Of her. Stinga.
rec himself drove me into the middle
OF my own trapdoor, made me give
up my keys, and then went behind the
counter and did the trick. He'd got
1t all down on paper, the Lord alone
knows how"
In his turn the lively Fowler had
marched whlstling into the bank, had
ceased whistling to swear down the
barrel Of cooked revolver and met a
quicker fate than his comrades by i'm
pressing the bushranger as the most
dangerous man of the quartet. Tn.
fortunately for him, his fate was still
further differentiated from theirs.
FOwlcrs feet glanced off Carrick's
back, and lie plunged into the well
head first. rolling over like stone as
the wooden jaws above closed greedily
upon the light Of day.
Fergus at once struck matches. and
In their light the cashier took the in.
sensible head upon his knees and glar
ed at his enemy.
The familiar tread of deaf Hannah,
heard for Il time, was heard no more,
and at length they called her.
"Motherl" roared mouth that was
full.
"Old LADY, cried the gallant Stinga-
rec.
shes ard of earring, mate"
''She might still hear you, Howie."
And the chairs rasped backward over
bare boards as one. At the same In
slant Fergus leaped TO his feet in the
earthly Tartarus his hands had dug
81 do believe she's done bolt" he
gasped, and got clean away"
Curses overhead confirmed the sup
position Clanking feet hunted the
premises at run. In minute the
curses were renewed and multiplied,
yet muffied, as though there was some
fresh cause for them which the prison
ers need not know. Hannah had not
been found. Yet some disturbing dis
covery had undoubtedly been made
Doors were banged and bOlted. A gun
shot came faint but staccato from the
outer world. A real report echoed
through the bank.
"a siegeT' cried Fergus, striking a
match to dance by. "The old heroine