Year: 1875




then with the air OF one having performed
his duty, stepped in and closed his door
with a sudden click.


eleven o'clock" l exclaimed. MY
worthy black-forester, thank you for the
hint. 1t is nearly time to 60 home"


l had letter to write to Schering's
Chemical Works at Berlin, requesting
them to hurry forward our order tor Hy-
drate of Choral and Carbolic Acid and
asking them to duplicate the order, as we
had been transacting largely in both arti-
cles lately, and should not be able to salts
fly the demands of our customers, unless
we received some shortly. | read SEN
tence of the letter aloud, when Catharine
suddenly sprang from the desk and ran
away.


What. are the German gutturals too
much for you, Kitty ~ Isaid without look
ing up.


| appended the signature of the firm
with little flourish, and was regarding it
with satisfaction, when became aware of
something glistening near my cheek.
turned my eyes, and saw that it was the
shining barrel OF a Colts revolver in rather
unpleasant proximity to my head. My eye,
following the barrel, observed a nervous,
shapely hand grasping the handle, with a
finger on the trigger.


| How much and what nfinity OF detail
the mind will note in a short moment
of grief or peril. | noticed that the re-
volver was one of those little six-shooters,
CARRYING a ball not larger than pea, but
making a hole large enough to let life
out. | saw that it was nickel-plated and
had an ivory handle, and that each cham
Der contained a cartridge. From the
| pistol, my eye turned to the hand. |
| noted the shade of the finger nails, a
| scratch on the wrist, and the absence of
the end of the little finger-I even queried
| how it happened. All this occurred in an
| instant.


My soldier experience had taught me
the value of GOODNESS on occasions of
danger, and | had not forgotten it, l
slowly looked up at the party who pre-
sented this belligerent attitude, and saw
a decently dressed man of medium height.
and about my own age-thirty-tw years.
He was none of your burly rutfians, but a
keen, wiry, daredevil Of a man, with the
nerve for any deed. He looked me square
ly in the eye, and saw with what manner
Of man had to deal.


"My friend" | said. "if YOU intend to
present me with that handsome little in
strument, would much prefer you would
offer it to me by the other end"
"Well. YOU are a cool customer he re-
marked.


"Cooi as cucumber,r | said "What
do you propose to do"


BLOW your brains out, if you move
from that chair.'


Then | had better keep still. What
next?n


II shall proceed to relieve your firm of
whatever money and valuable merchan
disc you may have at hand was in this
line once, and | think | kroW what to
select"


''All this time he kept his cold gray
eye fixed on me, and the revolver at my
head was unarmed, and | was sure he
knew it. Though he was somewhat
heavier man than | was, | should not
have hesitated to try hand-to-hand strug-
gle with him; but l could not wrestle with
bullet | saw that my only chance was
to remain calm, and watch for my chance.
I had been in many tight corner during
the war, but always managed by address
to get out safely.


This is a put up job he continued.
Il have watched you for u long time, and
know your habits. You see | am shod
with felt, which accounts for my noseless
approach. How got here is my business.
Your street door is safely locked and the
key is in my pocket. The bobby has
Just passed on his beat, and will not dis
tuIb our little party. | an dead shot,
and if you interfere with my operations.
your friends will have to pick mashed
lead out of you, and you will not be the
first fine fellow that have made turn up
his toes


| looked at him and felt sure he would
do all he said he would, and would not
let little matter of murder stand in
his way. l was calm, but [ kept up a
terrible thinking, for the situation was
anything but pleasant


Through several fortuitous circum-
stances, we happened to have large sum
of money in the safe that night. In the
first place, we had considerable amount
that was paid in after bank hours. Then
we had sent our clerk to the bank Just be-
fore it closed, to get five thousand dollars
in gold to pay duties with, but when he
reached the Custom House he found that
by some mistake the papers were not
ready, and so we had to keep the coin in
our safe over night.


And, as if destiny was in it, at about
half past four o'clock one of our customers
from the West came i'll with seven thous
and five hundred dollars, and asked us to
take charge of it for him till morning.
The robber could not have chosen a worse
time for US. | had occasion frequently
during the evening to go to the safe to re-
fer to the books, and | had lett the door
open.


He took pair of light handouts from
his pocket, and laid them on the table be-
side him.


II intended to embellish you with these
little ornaments Immediately, but as you
seem to be rum sort of fellow, III let
you off till get through, when I'll trouble
YOU to submit to be tied to the knob OF
your sate-door Having arranged tl.is
matter, III exchange hats with you and
don your large cloak, which will effect
ually conceal the plunder i shall carry off
in this large satchel. l shall then wish
you pleasant dreams, put out the light
step out and lock the door behind me,
to keep out thieves, you know And he
smiled so devilishly at his own grim hui
NOR, that could hardly restrain myself
from springing upon him.
1t was desperate situation. The office
was at the rear end OF the room, inclosed
by low railing, inside of which stood the
safe The stairway leading to the street was
at the front of the apartment, SO that, even
if the door had been unlocked, stood no
chance of getting to it by a sudden rush,
The policeman would not happen in, ior
had told him | should be there. My only
chance was to wait and catch this man off
his guard, and then hurl myself on him.
So. assuming careless tone, said:


"And, with your permission, I'll resume
my writing"
"Certainly, by all MEANS" he answered
1--WE have plenty of time before us. and l
shall have some suggestions to make re-
garding your correspondence as we pro-
ceedn


He walked to the safe and began taking
out the contents, but never for moment
turning his back toward me. | did not
write, but kept my eyes fixed intently on