The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1918-09-19
CHAPTER XIX.
In the Dead Of NIoht,

w tUC SSdu " tvt0Vt.
While Kusiak slept that night the
wind shifted. 1t came roaring across
the range and drove before II great
scudding clouds heavily laden with
sleety snow. From dark till dawn the
roar of the wind filed the night. BE.
fore morning heavy drifts had wiped
out the roads and sheeted the town In
virgin white unbroken by trails or fur.
rows.
With the coming Of daylight the
tempest abated. Kuslnk got into Its
working clothes and dug itself out
from the heavy blanket OF white that
had tucked II In. BY noon the bust.
I nAs OF the town was under way again.
That which would have demoralized
the activities Of n Southern city made
little difference to these Arctic Circle
dwellers. Roads were cleared. paths
shoveled, stores opened. Children In
rarkas and fur coats trooped to school
and studied through the short after
noon by the aid of electric light.
+, Dusk fell early and with II came a
scatter OF more snow. Mrs. Selfridge
gave a dlnner-dance' at the club that
night and her guests came In furs
OF great variety and much value. The
hostess outdid herself to make the az.
fair the most elaborate OF the season.
Nobody In Kusiak of any social i'm.
portnnce was omitted from the list Of
invited except Gordon Elliot. Even
the grumpy old cashier OF Macdonald's
bnnk-nn old bachelor who lived by
himself In roOm behind those In which
the banking was ~donc-was persuaded
10 break his custom and appear in a
rusty old dress suit OF the vintage Of
'05.
The grizzlcd cashicr--hls name was
Robert Mllton--left the clubhouse
early for his rooms. II was showing.
but the wind had died down. Contrary
to his custom. he had taken two or
three glasses of wine. His brain was
excited so that he knew he could not
sleep. He decided TO rcad "Don
QuiNote" by the stove for an hour or
two.
Arrived Mt the bank. ne let himself
into his rooms and locked the door. lie
STOPPED to open the draft Of the stove
when a sound stopped him halfway.
The cashier stood rigid. still crouched,
waiting for u repetition OF the noise.
II came once more-the low, dull rasp-
Ing Of a file.
Shlvers ran down the spine of MIL
ton and up the back OF his hend to
the roots of his hair. Somebody was
In the bank-at two o'clock In the
morning-with tools for burglary. He
was n scholarly old fellow. brought up
In New England and cast out % the
uttermost frontier by the malIgn trag.
edy Of poverty. Adventure offered no
appeal to him.
But though his knees trembled he
nenth him and the sickness OF fear
was gripping his heart, Robert Mil
ton had In him the dynamic spark TINT
makes n man. He tiptoed to his desk
and with shaking fingers grlpped the
revolver that lay In n drawer.
The cashier braced himself for the
plunge. then slowly trod across the
room 10 the inner. locked door. The
pnlsled fingers Of his left hand could
scarce turn the key.
II seemed to him that the night was
alive with the noise he made In turning
the lock and opening the door. The
hinges grated and the floor squeaked
beneath the fall OF his foot as he stood
ut the threshold.
Two men were IN front Of the wire
grating which protected the big safe
that filed the alcove to the right. One
held n file and the other a candle.
Their blank, masked faces were turned
toward Milton. and each Of them COW
cred him with a weapon.
"W.whnt are you doing here7"
%qunvered the cashier.
"Drop that gum" came the low.
sharp command from one OF them.
Some old ancestral instinct In the
bank cashier rose out Of his panic to
destroy him. He wanted to lie down
quietly In a faint. But his mind as
serted ts mastery I've the weakliDg