Argosy, Vol. 1 (1882) — page 172: what you’re looking at

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

TRAIN AND STATION. to be committed for their own selfish gain, when it could be prevented, and the perpetrator saved. ‘* I don’t suppose he will try it again in the daytime,” explained Forsdyke; ‘‘ and it’s more than likely he will come at night—this very night, perhaps. I've got a cot in my room which you can bring down to sleep on in the back room, and if he should come you will be sure to hear him.” “All right,” agreed Kinney. “ You had better go get it now,” sug- gested Forsdyke. Kinney left the office to ‘obtain the cot, and he had hardly closed the door after’ him when Forsdyke hurriedly opened the safe and transferred several packages of money to the inside pocket of his coat. He then closed ¢he safe, but failed to lock it. He then put all but two of the pack- ages he had abstracted from the safe into the pigeonhole with the false back. When the assistant had returned, and deposited the cot in the back room, Forsdyke said: “ Kinney, I have left the key to the safe in the pigeonhole, where Dyke- man will be sure to look for it;” but the assertion was a falsehood, for the key was then in his own pocket. Forsdyke went immediately to his own room, while Kinney remained in the office, and three hours later the lat- ter lay down on the cot in the back room, determined to keep one eye open for the expected burglarious visitor. The watcher was not, of course, dis- turbed during the night, but neverthe- less, the next morning there was four thousand dollars missing from the safe. CHAPTER XXXIX. IN WHICH DASH FINDS HE IS THE VIC- TIM OF A PLOT, AND HAS AN- OTHER ENCOUNTER WITH THE TRAIN ROBBERS. BRAKEWOOD FORSDYKE was up un- usually early the next morning, and 163 went immediately to his office. Dyke- man rose some minutes later, and avalked over to his breakfast, at which he spent half an hour, but it was long enough for some startling develop- ments to take place at the station. Forsdyke found Kinney awake, and sitting up in a chair. “He didn’t come and our plan didn’t work, did it?” was the express agent’s greeting. “No, sir; there didn’t a soul come near the office,” replied the assistant. “Never mind; he will turn up, sure, sooner or later,” said Forsdyke conf- dently ; ‘and -we’ll repeat the program tonight.” He stepped over and put his hand into the pigeonhole, where the safe key had been kept, as if to get it, though he already had it in his hand. Then he inserted it in the safe, and started to make the combination with the dial. The first turn he gave to the knob threw the bolts, and the door swung open. With well feigned astonishment and excitement, Forsdyke staggered back- ward and to his feet. ‘Good gractous, Kinney, the safe is open,” he cried; and the assistant, who had been watching him, looked -On in amazement. “He must have blundered upon the combination, after all, and had already opened the safe when I interrupted him last evening,” suggested Kinney. “And maybe he has already helped himself,” added Forsdyke, returning to the safe, and hurriedly pulling out a bundle of bank bills and greenbacks done up in packages of even amounts. He quickly ran his fingers over them, and then repeated the operation, as if to be sure. “Great Scott, Kinney, there’s four thousand dollars missing!” he cried, in an agitated voice, when he had com- pleted the second count. “Then he had already been in the safe when I surprised him, and was closing the door to return the key to COMME OOO SS) eo