The old banker sprang to the handle and tugged at it for a moment. "The door can't be opened," he groaned. "The clock hasn't been wound nor the combination set."Agatha's mother screamed again, hysterically.
"Hush!" said Mr. Adams, raising his trembling hand. "All be quite for a moment. Agatha!" he called as loudly as he could. "Listen to me."
During the following silence they could just hear the faint sound of the child wildly shrieking in the dark vault in a panic of terror.
"My precious darling!" wailed the mother. "She will die of fright! Open the door! Oh, break it open! Can't you men do something?"
Continued next week. Tomorrow's installment from Lays of Ancient Rome by Macaulay.
My favorite short story writer. His word play and his subject matter are the two best parts of his writing. This is one of his most admired stories.
Photo: Author's home in Austin, TX. Now the O'Henry Museum. (CC) Larry D. Moore.
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