Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, December 03, 1902, Image 2
HE. To mc a childish pledge she made— She promised, some day, to be mine- How splendidly she is arrayed! To me a childish pledge she made— Long since forgotten I'm afraid— Her laugh is like a draught of wine; To me a childish pledge she made, She promised, some day, to be mine. I kissed her oft, in those dear days, When she was eight and I was ten; How fair she is, how proud her ways! I kissed her oft, in those dear days, And now I may but stand and gaze, Nor claim the love she gave me then! I kissed her oft, in those dear days, When she was eight and I was ten. RATHER A NEAT JOB. ¥Y profession isn't a popular one. There Is considerable prejudice against It. I don't myself think It's much worse than a good many others. However, that's nothing to do with my story. Some years ago me and the gentleman who was at that time connected with me in business—he's met with reverses since then, and at present isn't able to go out—were look ing around for a job, being at that time wither hard up, as you might say. We •truck a small country town—l ain't a-goin' to give it away by telling where it is, or what the name of it was. There was one bank there; the President was a rich old duffer; owned the mills, owned the bank, owned most of the town. TEere wasn't no other officer but the cashier, and they had a boy, who used to sweep out and run of er rands. The bank was on the main street, pretty well up one end of it—nice, snug place, on the corner of a cross street, with nothing very near it. Wo took our observations and found there wasn't no trouble at all about it. There was an old watchman who walked up and down the street nights, when he didn't fall asleep and forget it. The vault had two doors; the outside one Was chilled iron, and a three wheel combination lock; the inner door wasn't no door at all; you could kick it open. It didn't pretend to be nothing but fireproof, and it wasn't even that. The first thing we done, of course, was to fit a key to the outside door. As the loek on the outside door was an old fashioned Bacon lock, any gentleman y my profession who chances to read Jiis article will know Just how easy jhat job was, and how we done it. I may say here that the gentlemen in my lino of business, having at times a lood deal of leisure on their hands, o considerable reading, and are partic ularly fond of a neat bit of writing. In fact, in the way of literature, I have found among 'em—however, this being digression, I drop It, and go on with the main job again. This was our plan: After the key was fitted t was to go into the bank, and Jim—that wasn't his name, of course, but let it pass—was to keep watch on the outside. When any one •assed he was to tip me a whistle, and then I doused the glim and lay low; after they got by I goes on again. Sim ple and easy, you see. Well, the night as we selected the President happened to be out of town; gone down to the city, as he often did. I got inside all right, with a slide lantern, a breast drill, a small steel jimmy, a bunch of skeleton keys, and a green baize bag, to stow the swag. I fixed my light and rigged my breast drill, and got to work on the door right over the lock. Probably a great many of our read ers are not so 'well posted us me about bank locks, and I may say for them that a three wheel combination lock has three wheels in it, and a slot in each wheel> In order to unlock the door you have to get the three slots opposite to each other at the top of the lock. Of course, if you know the num ber the lock is set on you can do this; l )iit if you don't you have to depend C your ingenuity. There is in each I these wheels a small hole, through yhieh you can put a wire through the jack of the lock when you change the tombination. Now, if you can bore a sole through the door .and pick up those wheels by running a wire through those holes, why, you can open the door. I hope I make myself clear. 1 was boring that hole. The door was chilled iron; about the neatest stuff I ever worked on. I went on steady enough; only stopped when Jim— which, as I said, wasn't his real name —whistled outside, and the watchman toddled by. Ry-and-by, when I'd got pretty near through, I heard Jim—so to speak—-whistle again. I stopped, and pretty soon I heard footsteps out side, and I'm blowed, if they didn't come right up the bank steps and I heard a key in the lock. I was so dum foundered when I heard that that you could have slipped the bracelets right on me. I picked up my lantern, and I'll be hanged if I didn't let the slide (Up down and throw the light right onto the door, and there was the Presi dent. Instead of calling for help, as I supposed he would, he took n step in side the door, and shaded his eyes with his hand and looked at me. I knowed ( ought to knock him down and cut out, but I'm blest if I could, I was that surprised. "Who are you?" says he. "Who are you?" says I, thinking that was an innocent remark as he com menced it. and a-trylng all the time to collect myself. "I'm president of the hank," says he, kinder short; "something the matter With the lock?" By George! the idea came to me then. THE MEETINC. SHE. We played together long ago, I promised to be his, some day— Ah, doubtless he's forgotten, though—" We played together long ago, I promised to be his, but oh, He keeps so far, so far away! We played together long ago, I promised to be his, some day, He used to tell me I was fair— I wonder if he thinks so yet? He used to kiss my lips, my hair, He used to tell me I was fair— Ah, if our pledge were kept—but there Is much to make a man forget.' Ho used to tell me I was fair, I wonder if he thinks so yet? I "Yes, sir," says I touching my cap; | "Mr. Jennings, he telegraphed this morning as the lock was out of order and he couldn't get in, and I'm eome on to open It for him." "I told Jennings a week ago," says he, "that he ought to get that lock fixed. Where is he?" "He's been a-writing letters, and he's gone up to his house to get another letter he wanted for to answer." "Well, why don't you go right on?" says he. "I've got almost through," says I, "and I didn't want to finish up and open the vault till there was somebody here." "That's very creditable to you," says he; "a very proper sentiment, my man. You can't," he goes on, coming round by the door, "he too particular about avoiding the very suspicion of evil." "No, sir," says I, kinder modest like. "What do you suppose is the matter with the lock?" says he. "I don't rightly know yet," says I; "but I rather think It's a little wore on account of not being oiled enough. These 'ere locks ought to be oiled about once a year." "Well," says be, "you might as well go right on, now I'm here; I will stay till Jennings comes. Can't I help you —bold your lantern, or something of that sort?" The thought came to me like a flash, and I turned around and says: "How do I know you're the Presi dent? I ain't ever seen you afore, and you may he a-trying to crack this hank, for all I know." "That's a very proper inquiry, my man," says he, "and shows a most re markable degree of discretion. I con fess that I should not have thought of the position in which I was placing you. However, I can easily convince you that it's all right. Do you kuoW what the President's name is?" "No, I don't," says I, sorter surly. "Well, you'll find it on that bill," said lie, taking a hill out of his pocket; "and you see the same name on these let ters," and he took some letters from his coat. I suppose that I ought to have gone right on then, but I was beginning to feel interested in making him prove who ho was, so I says: "You might have got them letters to put up a job on me." "You're a very honest man," says ho; "one among a thousand. Don't think I'm at all offended at your persistence, No, my good fellow, I like it, I like it," and ho laid his hand on my shoulder. "Now, here," says he, taking a bundle out of his pocket, is a package of $lO,- 000 in bonds. A burglar wouldn't he apt to carry those around with him, would ho? I bought them in the city yesterday, and I stopped here to-night on my way homo to place them in the vault, and, I may add, that your simple and manly honesty has so touched me that I would willingly leave them in your hands for safe keeping. You needn't blush at my praise." I suppose I did turn sorter red when 1 see them bonds. "Are you satisfied now?" says he. I told him I was thoroughly, and so I was. So I picked up my drill again, and gave him the lantern to hold so that I could see the door. I heard Jim, as I call him, outside once or twice, and I like to have burst out laughing, thinking how he must be wondering what was going on inside. I worked away and kept explaining to him whnt I was a-trying to do. Ho was very much interested in mechan ics, lie said, and knowed as I was a man as was up in my business by the way I went to work. He asked mc about what wages I got, and how I liked my business, and said he took quite a fancy to me. I turned round once in u while and looked at him a-sotting up there as solemn as a blled owl, with my dark lantern in his blessed hand, and I'm blamed If 1 didn't think I should have to holler right out. I got through the lock pretty soon and put in my wire and opened it. Then he took hold of the door and opened the vault "I'll put my bonds in," says lie, "and go home. You can lock up and wait till Mr. Jennings comes. I don't sup pose you will try to tlx the lock to night." I told him I shouldn't do anything more with it now, as we could get ID before morning. "Well, I'll hid you good-night, my man," says he, as I swung the door to again. Just then I heard Jim, by name, whistle, and I guessed the watchman was a-oomlng up the street. "Ah," says I, "you might speak to the watchman, If you see him, and toil him | to keep nil extra lookout to-night." "I will." says he, and we both went to the front door. "There comes tho watchman up the rtreet," says he. "Watchman, this man has been fixing the bank lock, and I want you to keep a sharp lookout to night. He will stay here until Mr. Jennings returns." "Good-night again," says he, and we shook hands and lie went up the street; I saw Jim, so called, in the shadow of the other side of the street, ns I stood on the step with the watchman. "Well," says I to the watchman, "I'll go and pick up my tools and get ready to go." I went back into the bank, and it didn't take long to throw the door open and stuff them bonds into the bag. There was some boxes lying around and a safe as I should rather have liked to have tackled, but it seemed like tempting Providence after the luck we'd had. I looked at my watch and see it was just a quarter past twelve. There was an express train went through at half-past twelve. I tucked iny tools in the bag on the top of the bonds, and walked out of the front door. The watchman was on the steps. "I don't believe I'll wait for Mr. Jen nings," says I. "I suppose it will be all right if I give you his key." "That's all right," says the watch man. "I wouldn't go very far away from the bank," says I. "No, I won't," says he; "I'll stay vigh K about here all night." "Good-night," says I, and I shook hands with him, and me and Jim— which wasn't his right name, you un derstand—took the twelve-thirty ex press, and the best part of that job was we never heard nothing of it It never got into the papers.—Wav erley Magazine. lias Neither ISrotliers Nor Heauti. Miranda, a timorous spinster, who has reached a "certain age," has neith er brothers nor benus. 11l lien of more capable and competent protection, when she goes abroad in the eveniug, says the New York Post, it is under the convoy of a messenger hoy. She has complained that by some inexplica ble law of chance, whenever she has flowers or notes to be delivered, ber call Is invariably answered by husky youths strong enough to handle a trunk, but when slio desires an escort or some one to carry a heavy bag to tile railroad station a tiny scrap of an urchin presents himself at the door. Iteturning from the theatre one night this week with a diminutive specimen, she was compelled to stand on a street corner waiting for a car. The hour was late and Miranda was nervous and half afraid. She said as tnueh. Her hired companion reassured her: "It's all light, lady. Nobody ever speaks to anybody when anybody sees anybody Is with a messenger boy." Province of the Newspaper. It Is generally conceded among men of the best thought that the newspaper best serves the people when it tells the happenings of the world as they are, not as they ought to be, says the Car thago (Mo.) Press. The preachers and the reformers are supposed to cover the field of reform, and the newspaper through its editorial columns frequent ly touches upon the same theme, but in the news columns, giving a true picture of events as they are, is the only policy j that finds justification. This does not | moan that the columns of a newspaper j should be filled with improper lan- ' gunge or that things should be told | there which the young aud guileless | should not know. Nor does it mean i that the space should be given over to ! sensationalism after the manner of the yellow journals. What the people want to know is what is going on in the world around them, aud it is the prov ince of the good newspaper to supply that want in a clean, legitimate man ner. An Hour a Ray "Wustcd. More time is lost and more labor wasted in Ivondon every day than in any city in the world, says the London Mail. Everything has apparently conspired to make Londoners do unnecessary tilings and to waste many years of their lives in doing them. Wo have never had sufiicient energy to throw oil! the accumulated legacies of neglect in tho past. Compare London with the next larg est and busiest city in the world—New York, which was more seriously handi capped by physical conditions. The New Yorker saves at least an hour a day which is lost to Londoners, and he schemes to economize labor which the Londoner recklessly wastes. Still Dredging the Suez Cmml. The work of dredging the Suez Ca nal, wlilch goes on daily, is bearing good results. Last year the maximum draught for ships in the canal was twenty-five feet seven inches, but from the beginning of this year it was raised to twenty-six feet three inches, and during the first four months of 1902 forty-four vessels have availed them selves of this improvement. Similarly also the breadth of ships is increasing, the largest beam in transit having been that of the Japanese battleship Hat suse, seventy-six feet six Inches.—Lon. don Globe. I! UKU I>lHmoiul Fauna, la one ol' the mines near Kimhorley, sa.vs London Golden Penny, a diamond of 400 carats was found u few weeks ago. It is a pale yellow color, aud its form is that of an octahedron. Owing to its great size the news of its dlscov , cry has caused much ecccltoment, and ! the owner did not feel quite easy until lie had placed it in a safe in one of the local banks. The exact value of the I diamond is not yet known, but fifty per cent, of it must be paid to the Gov ernment, niul experts say that tills sum alone represents a considerable for tune. Craminar ns Itliyme. Three little words you often see, The articles A, An and The. A noun, the name of anything, As School or Garden, Hoop or Ring. An adjective describes the noun, As Great, Small, Fretty, White or Brown. In places of nouns, the pronoun stands, As lie or She, Your arm, My hand. Verbs tell of something to be done, To Read, Count, Laugh, Sing, Jump or Run. How things are done the adverbs tell, As Slowly, Quickly, ITI or Well. Conjunctions join the words together, As men And women, wind Or weather. A preposition stands before A noun, as In or Through the door. The interjection shows surprise, As, "Oh, How pretty/' "Ah! how wise." The whole are called nine parts of speech, Which reading, writing, spelliug teach. An Experiment. With Electricity. A thin sheet of paper, if rubbed with ft brush or the palm of the hand, in dry Missing Sweethearts* Puzzle. '-' ;: k J Find tlic sweethearts oi' whom these girls are talking. weather, will become charged with electricity in a short while, and will ad here to the hand or to the clothing. A thick piece of paper, such as a postal card, If electrified in the manner' de scribed, will attract light things, such as small pieces of cork, etc. Balance a walking cane on the back of a chair and offer to bet that you j will cause the cane to fail without j touching it, without blowing at it or _ without touching the cliair. All you have to do is to dry n jiostal card over a light, aud to rub it well on your sleeve. As soon as you get the card near the end of the cane It will follow the card, as a needle follows the mag net, until the balance Is lost, so that the cane will fall to the floor.—New York Tribune. llow to Mdko a ('amp Hammock. There are times again and again In camp and out of doors dens that boys A PRACTICAL HAMMOCK FOR BOYS. love to have, when n place to "roost" tvhlle reading or a place to "snooze" through a day of drizzling rain Is In great demand. Generally when one most wants it the forest branches and twigs are too wet to use for a bed, and, besides, It is too much trouble. Now here is away to make a really practical hammock that will "just fill the bill." Get several barrels, break them up and remove all the nails from the staves. Bore a three-quarter inch hole in each end of each stave with a heated poker. Then laee thin rope (clothesline is good) through the holes. This can be accomplished easily by noting the method of lacing in Fig. AB. The stay blocks, 0 and D, should be twelve inches long. The hammock can be made entirely comfortable by placing upon It several couch pillows and covering them with a shawl. The Mftglo ThreaA. If anybody should tell you that you can it n two without touching it, a thread hanging from the cork inside a sealed up bottle, you would be likely to think that he was guyiiig you. But it may be easily done, and in such a way as to completely mystify the spec tators. Get a clear glass bottle—a pickle bot tle will do—and to the under part of the cork attach a bent pin. To the pin tie a piece of thread long enough to reach three-fourths of the way down the inside of the bottle, and to the lower end of the thread fasten any small object, say a shoe button, to make the thread hang taut. Insert the cork and seal it with wax, and say to the company that you are going to cut tlie thread in two without opening the bottle,—in fact, without touching the thread. To accomplish this, you need a read- ing glass, or sun glass, an access to the window where the sun is shining clear and bright. The feat is more mystify' iug if you perform this part of it in private; so you go to the window, hold up your sun glass so that you can focus the rays from the glass directly on the j thread through the side of the bottle, 1 and in a short time the heat from the i focused rays will burn the thread in two pieces, the end from the button attached falling to flie bottom cf the bottle. Then go back to the company with the bottle, and they will see that the cork has not been moved, and yet the thread is cut. The Camel. (A Small Boy's Composition.) lie is called the ship of the desnii ; because lie runs over the sand like a I ship and dont sink in. He runs differ ent to the horse because he lifts up two legs on one side of ids body and then two on the other. He has about a hundred stumlcs and each holds about a quart so when his master kills him he can have a good drink. His blimp is made of fat and he eats this when lie cant gel grass or liny. Some camels are not camels because lie lias two humps and his hair dont grow all over him and were it dont is called calluses [callosities] because It kneels down and wears away. The Arab loves his steed better than his wife and in our books theresa piece about him caled the Arab and his steed. Ills master was a prisoner and his faith ful enmel took him round the waist and bore him swiftly to his morning friends.—Spectator. "I'omuiy Atlilns" Saved the Kitten. llow many folks would risk tliofi lives to save a kitten? Yet this dan- ger was willingly faced by a young recruit during a fire which broke out at the barracks in Southampton on the 19th of December, 1901, and which consumed a great deal of regimental goods. The men all worked with a will to save the clothing, rifles and other arms from the iiames. It theD became known that in one of the looms in the burning building a wee tortoisoehell kitten had found a home. The quarters were now shrouded In thick clouds of smoke, and the flames were playing about venomously. In spite of the peril a "cruity" declared he meant rescuing the little pussy cat. Dashing through smoke and flames he innde his way to the room, snatched up the terrified kitten, and by-and-by emerged from the fiery furnace. Amid the cheers of the onlookers ho took kitty to a place of safety and rejoined Ids mates in their efforts to secure tlie property of the regiment. Well done. Private Tommy Atkins! CThe Funny +J*ide of Life. He Got Belli or. A very recalcitrant debtor Received a calorified lebtor, 'Twas from his physician, 1 Who said: "I am v/ician You'd pay me for curing your lebtor." ' —Baltimore American. Tact. "What do you suppose is the secret of Miss Bland's social success?" "She always remembers exactly what to forget."—lndianapolis News. Not tl© Only On©. Wife—"Really, she's the worst gossip In the neighborhood. Why, I heard this morning that she " Husband—"Come, now, don't try to beat her at her own game!"— Catholic Standard and Times. Kin Idea. ' "I want you to understand, sir, that * my pride forbids me to accept anything (rom you after I marry your daughter.'* "How are you going to live?" "Well, I thought you might make gome kind of a settlement beforehand.'* —Life. Fnlly Prepared. i n - ji^ * A. s- $ € "Now, if me pole don't bust I orter land a few beauties in dis pool."—New. i'ork Journal. The Gain© of l.ove. Ted—"ls that girl who married the aid fellow satisfied with the match she made?" Ned—"Yes. He wasn't worth as much as he claimed, but as he turned out to he ten years older than lie owned up to, she considered it about a siand-off." —New York Sun. A WlKterl I.tfe. "Think of the opportunities that gin has had: Presentation at court, Euro pean travel, a long residence in Eon-, don, and a wide acquaintance with tliolf' aoliility." r "And all for nothing." "Yes. Poor tiling! She is to marry tn American, after all."—Life. Dirn on tli© Farm. First Hen—"You remember Alice Cluckatuck? Well, she is ou the stage in the barnyard scene of an agricul tural play." < Second lien—"l am not surprised, i'ou know, she was hatched by an incu bator, and never knew what it was to have a mother."—Puck. Delicate, Yet .Emphatic. "What I object to," said the young woman who wants to vote, "is taxa tion without representation." "If it is all the same to you," said the young man who was too bashful to propose directly, "I should bo only too bappy to represent your sentiments af the polls at every election."—Washing,. I ton Star. / Disproving nil Adfif:©. "I can never marry you," said the beautiful blonde. "But," pleaded the wealthy man, "won't you make my life happy for the short years I will he here? I am troubled with a weak and faint heart." "In that case I accept you." And yet they say faint heart never won fair lady.—Chicago Nevis. Waiting to ll© Askprl. ' W i Bobby (visiting his nuntj—"Auntie, won't you pleuse ask me to hnve an other piece of cake? Mamma said I pould have a second piece if you asked me to."—New York Journal. Hoquel. And they lived happily ever after. Naturally this preyed ou Ihe mind of l the princess. *- "It's a sign we're not in the best soci ety!" she exclaimed, terrifledly. The prince strove to comfort lier, ar guing that marital bliss was not of ne cessity bourgeois; hut at this her liigh aess burst into tears, remarking with no small acerbity that men lack discern ment, anyway.—Puck.