The Argosy, Vol. XXIV, No. 3 — page 129: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

‘THE BUNKEL MYSTERY. 513 He strained the cords that bound his arms to their utmost tension, but he could not break them. He pulled and twisted till the stair rail creaked and snapped, but nothing gave way. If he could only get loose he might save the money of the bank, and put a feather in his cap by the operation. While he was jerking and squirming within his bonds, the two robbers went up stairs and discovered the light. If they had been astonished to see a glimmer in the vault of the other bank, they were doubly surprised to see the same thing again in the Onongo. Poddy seemed to be alarmed. Though it had been a robber like himself before, he could not believe in meeting with the same adventure a second time in the same night. He could not have found such an event in any other place in the coun- try—for two such magnates, diligently laboring to spoil their only sons, could be realized only in Montoban. A boy might cry for the moon, but there could not be two of them to rob a bank for a steamboat. Poddy was so astonished that he halted at the door for some time before he could decide to advance. It could not be an amateur robber who was in- vestigating the vault of the bank this time. He set it down as an impossi- bility. It must be the cashier or some other officer who was counting his cash or making up his accounts. Whether Poddy’s time was worth anything or not, he decided not to waste any of it. If it was the cashier who was in the vault, so much the worse for him, and he had better have gone to bed at his usual hour. ‘The robber had not used days and weeks in preparing for this job to give it up without an effort, even if it cost the cashier a broken head, or even his life. The chief operator looked into the vault, and then called Tom, who sur- veyed the interior ofthe strong box for a moment. ‘‘Tt is Phin Barkpool!’’ said Tom Sawder, as soon as he had seen enough of the young man’s face to satisfy him in regard to his identity. Tom’s fists were clinched, and his teeth were set together, for he con- nected Phin with his rebellious passenger in the Milly, as he did not hear what had passed between them before Andy Lamb went to the assistance of Di Singerlay. Poddy did not wait to hear any more. He entered the vault, and laid violent hands on Phin, and secured him as he had the other magnate’s son. Then he entered the vault again, and transferred all the money he could find to his bag. He looked with contempt upon bonds and other securities, so that his work was soon finished. He closed the bag, which had probably never contained so much money before, for the Montoban had yielded a very rich harvest. ““You may take this cub, Tom, and I will attend to the other,’’ said Poddy, as he joined his companion, after locking the vault, the keys of which he found at the inner door. , Tom removed the cord which bound Phin to the bottom of the post, and assisted him to his feet. He handled him very roughly, for the bitterness of the afternoon quarrel was still rankling in his breast. He jerked and kicked him when there was not the least need of doing so, for the prisoner was quite submissive, and was not thinking of buying a steamboat just then. (3) CoMmicsoolkS.€