The Argosy, Volume XLIV — page 291: what you’re looking at

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

THE GREAT BANK ROBBERY. If the financial scheme was dishonest, why had the law permitted it to go on so long? But as the shameful treatinent I had received at the hands of Mr. Elsmere ran through my head, there came up the picture of Marjorie. Sweet, loving, gracious Marjorie. Oh, how I had loved her! And I be- lieve she had loved me. Had her love grown cold, or had she been coerced into forgetting me? Was I a fool for neglecting this chance to revenge myself on Elsmere for the slights he had put upon me? Ought I to have seized the opportunity to take some of his treasure, if I could not have the greatest one? But—this ran in mv mind—suppose Marjorie still believed in me, and after- ward learned that I was a thief. This thought was sickening. After a long smoke and communion with myself I tumbled into bed, with the resolve made not to entertain any idea of revenge. But with the morning came another thought. Ought I not to prevent that robbery? Was it not a duty, a sort of incense to my lost love, to save her father’s gold? But how? I had given Jarvis my oath that I would not divulge to a living creature anything he told me. Here was a question of ethics with which I was not prepared to deal. If L-reported the case I would be guilty of false swearing. If I told no one, I felt that it would be a wrong to Marjorie. As for the gold itself, I cared not who stole it from klsmere. But Marjorie! I spent the day in a. fuming spirit of unrest. I walked the streets, keeping away from the bank, lest, if I failed to save the gold, some one would connect me with the robbery. During the day many ideas came to me, yet I found them impracticable. Perhaps my sense of honor toward Jarvis was overdrawn. But the man had befriended me when all the world was cold. His was the first friendly voice I had heard in New York. When I was poor he had helped me. When I was on the upward wave and in society, he did not intrude upon a 287 me. How, then, could I in honor break my oath with him. Nevertheless, | was determined some way to prevent that robbery. | was passing a store window and stopped idly to look at the goods dis- played. Among other things I saw re- volvers. A sudden whim seized me, and I went inside and purchased one, with some ammunition. I had not the slightest idea what I should do with it, but it seemed to me that in my suspense and indecision 1 was being carried along by some influence or power of which I knew nothing, to some definite end and purpose. I returned to my hotel for dinner. I was wearied with my anxiety, and aftcr supper lay down on my bed for a short rest. I had not. yet determined what to do, but still resolved to do something. I fell asleep, and, to my chagrin, when I awoke it was midnight. it Without a plan, with no idea of what I would do when I got there, I started in haste for the bank. I knew the place and every shadow of its great columns. As I turned a cor- ner, 1 saw a carriage coming and thought of the team Jarvis was going to provide. I dodged into shadow, and then skulked along from building to build- Ing. I reached the bank before the car- riage, 1f 1t was intending to go there, but to my surprise I saw a man fum- bling at the inner door. He had just succeeded in opening it, and disap- peared inside as I slid behind a pular. I looked in vain. for the outside watch, but supposed, having failed to draw me into the scheme, the two rogues had resolved to go it alone, and that this was Wilson, and that Jarvis was waiting somewhere with the team. I entered the bank softly, and heard Wilson striking a match. He lit a lan- tern, and I drew back behind a large desk. He passed into the vault room, and, to my amazement, seemed familiar with the mechanism. He went at it so fa- niliarly that I at once suspected that this was not his first atteinpt, and it Colin AOOIK Colin