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Show I it BB&m THE GREEN BAIZE DOOR By ANSON B. ARDWELL. .:.:. :.:.:.::.:a..:n:o:o:o:a jOt HERE wns rorstory behind ijLJV 'be green bnlzo door; tnn-X tnn-X o s'ble, or intangible, nobody M knew, since no one but Mr. Blakely over snw the in-cldc in-cldc of bis private rooni at Messrs. Blakely & Stephen's Rank. Mr. Dlakcly was president of tbc bank, which wns the only one in tbe town, and showed every semblance of a sound financial basis. Mr. Ulnkely wns n man strangely devoid of eccentricities. Tbo chief faults the bank staff found with blni (were ills indcfatlgnblllty, nnd tbnt, whenever there was business to be done in selling or buying stock, procuring pro-curing loans, etc., bo iavnrlably attended at-tended to it himself. I wns seated r.t tbe desk of the chief cashier, who was away on a short holiday, one morning in September, iwhen ono of our depositors entered tbe bank. "Mr. Boyton, look here." be snid, slipping a half dollar coin upon tbe counter. "Where did you get It?" "What's wrong with it;" I inquired, examining it closely, without noticing any defect, "Did I give it to you?" "Yes. Look at the edge; it's quite smooth." I passed bim ¬her lu.lf dollar, and, ns be went away, I slipped the objoc-jtlonal objoc-jtlonal coin into my pocket, intending (to keep it ns n curiosity. Bnt inter 'in the day. when Mr. Blakely was In ' 'the office, I showed it to him. "Curious!" ho murmured. "One of nn experimental coinage, no doubt, for it's dated 1001. Do you think we've any others similar?" , "No; 1 have been through them." "Strange! Well I'll keep it. It's probably unique." I was disappointed with bis decision, ns I wanted the coin myself. It was against my principles, however, to protest. pro-test. I forgot it entirely until Borne '.weeks later, when Mrs. Dlakely, to she utter astonishment of the bank's staff, turned up an hour or two before luncheon time. Up to that time, although she bad been married more than ten months, -Mrs. Blakely bad never been inside the bnnk. Now she drove up in her carriage, came iu proudly, and asked for Mr. Blakely. I replied that, if she would step into. Uio waiting room, I would summon sum-mon bim in tbe usual way. "No. Show mo into bis private room. I am Mrs. Blakely," she said . tastily. "I recognize you, madam," I replied. "But the rulo is that nil visitors, whoever who-ever they may be, nro to bo shown into tho waiting room, where Mr. Blakely will interview them." "Nons?nci" she ejnculnted. "Such rules do not refer to Mr. Blnkely's iwlfe. The room is at tho end of the passage, Is it not?" "You nre putting mo In nn awkward position," I replied. "I nm not allowed al-lowed to let visitors approach the preen bnlzo door " "Abl" Her proud eyes Hashed. "So there is n green bnlzo door, which no one nppronchcsV" When Mr, Ulnkely came, ho did so In his habitual leisurely manner; and ho walked into tho wultlng room, leaving leav-ing the door ajar. BBBBJ "Mr- Blakely," she said naughtily, "1 BflBBB bnve beeii insulted by ono of your BBBfl clerks. Since when has your wife BBBBj been denied tbo right to enter your BBBBB "Ever since sho wrong!; nssumed BBBB that she bad such a right, Mary. My BBBB clerks have their orders; they obey BBBB them. You eann;t blame them for BBBBB: upholding Piles I myself have framed. BBBBg What do you want? I im busy this BBBBl morning, Tho market is unsteady BBBBJ BBBBV "Tell me, Richard; had you known A I was coming, would you havo allowed j H yur clerk to deny mo access to your H; private room?" Mrs. Blakely inquired. H' "Tt)0 rulo is of many years' standing, ni Mary," be said deliberately. "If It BBBBv iwero set aside for you, it would be BBBJ tho thin end of the wedge; my room B"' iwould 'no longer bo private." BBBBa "Yob Indorse your clerk's insult?" BBBBB "1 uphold my clerk, who upholds the BBBBB BBBBWJ ( 1 felt her ', usn jast me as he came BBBBBi knavaaaaaaaaaHnaw. out of tbc room, and saw her walk round the desks, her Hps tightly compressed com-pressed and her bead high. The following morning when I came to tbe bank, tbo porter me: me with the Inquiry, had I seen anything of Mr, Blnkily? No one bnd seen him since tho bnnk closed the night before. Ho was not in the bunk had not bean homo indeed, it wns lrs. Blakely who bad driven down enrly to Inquire about hi in ; and no one bed seen him. "Mr. lloyton." she asked, "have you seen my husband? You tcro the Inst to lenv", 1 believe?" "Yes, mndnin. but I have not seen Mr. Rniiccly since he put you Into your cnrrlngc yesterday." "Tbnt decides it." she muttered. "Something has hnppenou to him in ills room. The door must be forced. Porter, go for n enrpenter!" "You take tbc whole responsibility of forcing the jreen baize door?" I suggested. sug-gested. "Tbo whole responsibility," she replied. re-plied. When the carpenter arrived, Mrs. Blakely led him to tho door, nnd ordered or-dered him to force it. He smiled grimly r.s hn looked the door up and down. "Iron!" he snld, laconically. " 'Tlsn't ray Job; you want a 'jlacksn Ith." The porter wns hurried to fetch a smith. When the man arrived, he eyed tho dooir critically, nnd looked dubious. For flvo minutes be dealt a rapid-lire rapid-lire of blows, and then tho door began to tremble, then to shake. Finally, nftcr ten or twelve minutes, it gave n shudder, nnd fell outward, swinging on its hinges. Mrs. Ulnkely dnrlcd forward, nnd stopped. Six feet farther down tho narrow passage, another door obstructed obstruct-ed the way. She signed impetuously to the smith, who advanced, nnd shivered shiv-ered tho lock of tbo second door, which wns only light wood. All wns darkness dark-ness beyond tho door. I turned to Mrs. Blakcly.wlo stood gnzlug in wonderment into chaos. "Porter," sho said in n hushed voice, "get me n lantern. Then you enn both lenvo us. Mr. Uoyton's will be all tbc help I shall need." We passed through tho doorway, nnd Into a small, durk room, poorly furnished, fur-nished, with three or four articles or office furniture, and lltterc: with papers. pa-pers. There was no sign of Mr. Blakely. Blake-ly. "Lookl" cried Mrs. Blakely. "A trnp door!" I saw a square had been cut out of tbe carpet, in the centre of which wns a ring, by which I raised the trap. Looking through we saw a ladder leading down to darkness. Going carefully down four'rungs of the ladder, I held the lantern out at arm's length, nnd surveyed tbe scene. A stone-walled chamber stretched beforo' mo like a large vault. In one wall was a low, barre' ooor; in a corner was a small furnace. A peculiar looking machine stood !n the middle of the vault, nnd upon ! ledgo of its frnmo rested a row of silver half dollars. dol-lars. I went down, and, stepping, as I thought to the ground, my foot encountered en-countered something soft. I sprang aside, avoldlug it, nnd snw the body of Mr Blakely huddled up in n heap. "Ab, me! Ab, me!" she moaned, propping tbo head upon her kno with frenzied tenderness. "Richard, husband! hus-band! You did not merely dream you lived your crime that night and now! This is your secret! Tuesday and tho night before ho wns rtstless in his sleep; he talked ot coining coining silver sil-ver coins, nnd reaping proflt profit. Ob, nichard! Richard!" Beyond the police, only Mrs. Blakely Blake-ly and myself kLow the true secret that hid beyond the green baize door. New York Weekly. . |