"That carries us back quite a way beyond the Revolution. No longer used
but reverently preserved for its associations. And in the cellar of that
simple edifice where the early colonists used to hide from predatory
Indians, is hidden fifty thousand dollars. A suitcase all ready to
snatch, thrust under the bin where the worshipers of old kept the Sunday
wood!"
"I suppose it might rot there and nobody be the wiser?" muttered Archie,
glancing at the venerable meeting house with awakened interest.
"Quite true! But it must be saved from destruction. We mustn't fail
Leary; he's put his trust in me. It's our job to recover the funds, and
if I never ask you to join me in anything more perilous you'll have
occasion to congratulate yourself. There are two automobiles at the
church door now--tourists, having a look at the relic, and their
presence will neatly cover our visit."
They found half a dozen visitors roaming through the church, opening and
closing the doors of the old pews. Archie was accosted by a stout lady
in quest of just the information he had gained from the guide book. He
courteously answered her questions and found the other sightseers
pressing round to share in his lecture on the Cornford meeting house.
When he had imparted everything he knew and added a few fanciful touches
to improve the story, he turned to look for the Governor.
"If you want to see the cellar, don't tumble down the steps as I did,"
called a cheery voice from the entry; "it's an abominable hole!"
Being an abominable hole the visitors laughingly surged toward the door
to explore it, and the Governor struck matches to light their descent.
He brushed the dust from his knees and mopped his face until the voices
below receded.
"All safe and sound! Stuck it out through a back window into a lilac
bush, and we'll pick it up at our leisure. You may not have noticed that
this old pile is built up against an abandoned mill. We shall loiter
back to the inn carrying the loot quite boldly with us. You might lug it
yourself as I'm a little warm from digging the thing up--Leary had
burrowed under the wood bin and hidden it for keeps."
To be sauntering in broad daylight through the principal thoroughfare of
a serene New England town carrying a suitcase filled with stolen money
was still another experience that made Archie feel that he had indeed
entered upon a new manner of life. The Governor with a spray of lilac in
his lapel had never been in better spirits.
"That's a very decent suitcase and you can hand it to a bell hop and
bid him fly with it to your room. You were a little short of linen and
made a few purchases--the thing explains itself. Who could challenge us,
Archie! We'd make a plausible front in Buckingham palace."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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