Year: 1875

Busy in the gathering darkness, and
supposing that all was ready for the final
locking up, tho boy shut the great safe
door and looked about impatisntly, ex-
pecting Farley to tell him he might go.
Not seeing Farley, he concluded that he
had gone to the closet to wash his hands.


After waiting minute, feeling in n
hurry, he went to look. There was no
one in the closet.


Perhaps Farley had gone away. No,
there hung his coat and muffler and old
fashioned hat.


The boy hunted through all the other
offices, for he was anxious to go home,
and he was never permitted to do so un-
less Farley gave him permission. The
man was missing, no one could account
for him.


Two of the officers of the company
which employed Farley, elderly gentle
men, wero still i'll the building; and
they now came from their private Office
and joined in the search.


They began to feel some alarm. All
at once the boy cried out :" Hark !"


4 muffled noise, as of some one pound
ing, seemed to come from the wall. The
three stared Mt each other in silence.
The noise was repeated, but more faint
ly.


The boy ran to the safe. The terrible
truth flashed upon him that he had shut
the door upon Farley. The bolts had
springs, and the poor clerk had been
locked inside.


He cried out i'll dismay, and turned
pale rs n ghost. The two gentlemen
were in despair. Farley undoubtedly
had the safe key in his pocket!


"Run, run to the nearest machinist,
and call some workmen, quicll" cried
the oldest partner. And the frightened
boy darted from the office.


There were no sounds now from the
interior of the safe. Farley must be
suffocating.


While they waited in ali agony of i'm
patience, Zack came into the office.
Both the old gentlemen knew how friend
ly to each other he and the head clerk
were, and seizing upon the smallest hope
in their distress, they OF once told him
the situation.


"Farley is locked in the safe. We
suppose he has the key in his
pocket "


Zacl's heart sank within him.


He knew that person could not live
long shut up in that sitting place. But
he did not lose his presence of mind.
He thought rapidly, and began to look
about him with all his eyes. It was pos
sible that Farley had not the key in his
pocket. He was sure he had sometimes
seen him do that the last thing before
he left the office. His desk was still I'M
locked, and that was faint omen of
hope to Zack.


The gas had been Lit now, and with
eager haste, the two officers and their
young assistant searched among the pa
pers and through the tills. There was
no key to be seen.


At that instant the painting Office boy
returned, bringing two machinists with
drills and sledges.


elbow long will it take you to force
the door?"


Cant tell. Several hours"


There was no chance, then, of getting
Farley out alive


The partners were just ordering the
smiths to begin their work, when
joyful "Hold on" was heard from
Zack, who still bent over the open desk.
He had found the key


The old gentlemen reached for it with
trembling haste. They looked Mt it and
groaned. They did not know the COM
bination. Farley changed the numbers
Mt will, and was not required to COM
municate the secret to his employers.
Only one officer of the company would
possibly know it, and he was gone far
up town.


In the CONSERVATION of the moment
Lack's mind was not idle. He had seized
the hint of the penciled words accidental
ly thrown under his eyes some time ago,
about "the landing of Columbus and the
days of the year." and his thoughts were
busy, trying to work it out.


The familiar old date gave him four
figures, the days of the year three more.
lack took the key from the passive hand
of the senior partner and studied it. An
arrangement of the figures occurred to
him. 1t might be the right one but he
dared not say so.


He stepped to the door and inserted
the key in the lock. Then he stood a
moment looking intently at the mys-
terious knob. There was scale marked
around the rim of the revolving guard,
fully its exact position, he began to turn.
he thought he had the necessary num-
bers.


With prayer in his heart, he watched
the figure on the scale, and listened for
the muffled signal. 1t came Zack
trembled 50 that he could hardly stand.


Everybody in the room stood breath
less. His faltering hand pressed the
key. It moved softly in the oiled
tumblers of the lock. The great door
yielded, and swung silently open


There lay poor Farley, lifeless heap,
with his bald head pressed close to the
door, as if he had hoped to get some air
there. But Zack did not see him. He,
too, had tainted on the floor.


1t was nearly an hour before the nhYsi-