Show c BEYtfNB 11 THE GREEN L BAIZE DOOR 1N By ANSON n ARDWfiLL i k1 7 i i a = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = HI 1 3 jSZQiZ IIKUE wns instery behind I Lt4 t the green bnign door thue 0 HP 0 Blblo or Intangible nobody t1 Jtf R knew since no one but Mr WOW Hlnkely over saw the in Bide of Ills private room lit Messrs j Hlnkely Stephens Hank 4 Mr Blnkoly I was president of the 1i bunk which was the only ouo In the town and showed every semblance p of n sound llunnclnl basis Mr Hlakely wns n man strangely devoid or eccentricities The chief faults the bank stall found with him I were his Indefatlgablllty anil tnat whenever there was business to bo J 4 lOne In selling or buying stock procuring 1 pro-curing loans etc he ijvnrlnbly attended at-tended to It himself M 1 was seated rt the desk of the chief cashier who was away on a short holiday one morning In September when one of our depositors entered the bank i Mr Uoyton look here he said tdlpplng a half dollar coin upon the counter Where did you let It rtii Whats wrong with U7 I Inquired examining it closely without noticing any defect Did I give It to you Yes Look at the edge Its quite smooth cI I passed him Miothor hilf dollar and Ins ho went away I slipped the objec I tlonal coin Into my pocket Intending to keep It as n curiosity But later j in the day when Mr Hiakcly was In the olllcc I showed it to him 3 Curious he murmured One of it nn experimental coinage no doubt for Its dnteJ 1001 Do you think weve + k any others similar q e No I have been through them I 1 Strange Well Ill keep it Its r probably unique f3 I was disappointed with his decision ns I wanted the coin myself It wns against ray principles however to protest pro-test I forgot It entirely until some I 4 weeks Inter when Mrs HlaUely to I L ifhe utter astonishment of the banks I i14 staff turned up an hour or two before 4 luncheon time Up to that time although she hnd been married more than ten months i Mrs Hlnkcly hail never been Inside I 1 ojj the bank Now she drove up In her carriage came in proudly anti asked t I for Mr Hlnkely j I replied that If she would step i f Into the wilting room I would summon t sum-mon him in the usual way 1 t No Show me into his private 4 l room I nin Mrs Hlakely she said i1i hastily t I recognize you madam I replied 1Ji Hut the rule Is that nil visitors whoever K J who-ever they may be are to be shown i into the waiting room where Mr t I i Hiakcly will interview them 4 j r Nonsiiso she ejaculated Such 1 If rules do not refer to Mr 1 Illnkelys Itv wife The room Is at the end of the J k passage is It not rh 1 You are putting mo In an nwkwnrd l 1tr l position 1 replied I nm not allowed al-lowed to let visitors approach the r I green baize door Ah Her proud eyes Unshed So d 1 I there is a green baize door which no h r one approaches i I k When Mr Hlnkely came he did so t 1 In his habitual leisurely manner and I J i he walked Into the waiting room leaving it I leav-ing the door ajar I I L Mr Ulnkely she snid naughtily 1 t hnve been Insulted by one of your r r l clerks Since when has your wife ii been denied the right to enter your Il f t J i private room I 1 tl i Ever since she wronil nssumed 11 that she had such a right Mary My I C 1 clerks have their orders they obey 21I I them You enniit blame them for i tff If upholding fibs 1 myself have framed 4 i What do you want I im busy this > J ft 1 morning The market Is unsteady 1 r just now 4 Toll me Itlchnrd had you known I wits coming would you have allowed i i < t t your clerk to deny mo access to your i private room Mrs Hlakeiy inquired The rule is of many years standing i Mary he said deliberately If it 4 iwere set aside for you It would be the thin end of the wedge ray room would no longer bo private m You Indorse your clerks insult J I uphold my clerk who upholds the J banks rules 7 1 felt her Vush jast me as he Caine lout of the room anti nw her walk round the desks her lips tightly com I pressed and her head high I The following morning when I came to the bank the porter me mo with I I the Inquiry had I neon anything of Mr Hlnlnly No one him seen him Mnco the bank co ed ho night before Ho wns not in the bank had not besn homo Indeed It was Mrs Hlakely who had driven down early to Inquire about him I unit nn one lied I seen him h I I I Mr I i I my toil she askcd have you Keen my huslmndv You ere the last I to leave 1 bnllove i I Yes inadnm but I have not seen Mr Hiuiicly since he put you Into your carriage jestprdny I I That decides It she muttered Something has happened to him I i I in I i I his room The door iiiust bo forced Porter go for n carpenter I I You take the whole responsibility of I I forcing the JTCCII baize mba I sug gestd I i Tlio whole responsibility she replied re-plied I When the carpenter arrived Mrs i Hlnkcly led him to the door nnd ordered or-dered him to force It lie smiled grimly rs he looked the door up ana down I Iron he snid laconically i Tlsnt I my job you want n jlncksn 1th I j The porter was hurried to fetch n smith When the man arrived he eyed the door critically and looked dubloiiK For live minutes he dealt n rapid lt lire l of blows and then the door began to tremble then to shnke Finally after ten or twelve t minutes It gave I a shudder and fell outward swinging on Its hinges Mrs Hiakcly darted forward and slopped Six feet farther down the narrow passage another loor obstructed obstruct-ed the way She signed Impetuously to t the smith who advanced timid shivered shiv-ered m the lock of the second door which was only light wood Ml was darkness dark-ness beyond the door I I I I turned to Mrs Hlnkcly who stood gazing in wonderment Into chaos I I I Porter she said In a hushed voice get mo n Inntcrn Then you can both leave us Mr Boy tons will be nil the help I slinll need We passed through the doorway and Into I a small dark room poorly fur nislied with three or four articles of cilice furniture and Httere1 with papers pa-pers There was no sign of Mr Blake ly 1 Look cried Mrs BInkely A trap door I I I I saw n square hnd been cut out of I the carpet in the centre of which was n ring by which I raised the t rap I I Looking through we saw a ladder lending l down to darkness Going carefully down four rungs of I the ladder I held the Inntcrn out nt arms length anti surveyed the scene I A stoncwnllcd chamber stretched before me like a largo vault In one wall was a low barns door In a corner was n small lurnnce A peculiar looking i machine stood n the middle of the vault nnd upon r ledge of Its frame rented a row of silver half dollars dol-lars l I went down and stepping as 1 thought to the ground my foot encountered en-countered something soft I sprang aside avoiding It amid saw the body of Mr Hlakely huddled up in a heap All me Ah me she moaned propping the bend upon ler Imo with frenzied tenderness Klchard husband hus-band < l You did not merely dream you lived your crimes that night and now This is your secret Tuesday and the night before ho was rtstless in his sleep he talked 01 coiningcoining silver sil-ver coins and reaping profit piollt Oh Richard Richard Beyond the police only Mrs Hlnke ly and myself ki ow the true secret thnt hid beyond the green baize door New York Weekly |