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SHORT STORY
ONE WINTER'S NIGHT
When old William Griggs, (that is not his real name but it will do) won the-to him-colossal sum of £11,000
in a football sweep he promptly made a will leaving the whole of his estate, in the event of his death, to a certain well-known London divine "to be spent in the service of God, and espe- cially to assist first, cffenders against the law?""
Strange action? Griggs was merely paying a debt he owed. Here is the story of that debt:-
It was one winter's night and old Griggs was walking through long familiar streets on his way to the warehouse he had supposedly left for the last time that morning, after forty years' faithful and meticulously honest service, first as odd-boy, then as pack- er, and finally as night watchman.
Forty years! “And as a reward this finicky new junior partner had sacked him, with a month's notice and three months' wages as bonus! Said the firm bad to economise, and since there hadn't been as much as an attempt at burglary in ten years, it was a need less precaution to keep a night watch- man, and, anyway, Griggs was getting
old, and apt to get flustered at times, He had noticed that!
"That being so, how does he reckon I'm going to get another job, anyway?" old Griggs muttered aloud. "No, of course I can starve, for all he carest Well, I ain't going to starve, and I am going to make them wish they'd shown a bit more appreciation of all I've done for the firm in my time, won't I just! Never had an attempt at bur- glary in ten years, is it? Well, by cripes, they got one coming to 'em now, anyway! Ha-ha..
His laugh would have done credit to any villain of old-time melodrama, bút it was strangled almost at its birth by the sight of a policeman looming sud- denly through the mist ahead.
After that old Griggs plodded along in silence!
*
THE CHINA MAIL, MAY 24, 1940.
By Sir William Thomas, M.B.E.
1
ed in that old-fashioned safe the sum ways prided himself on his honesty, of two hundred pounds, in £ and 10s. was a criminal-a robber. Any police- notes, for the morrow's wages. For man had the right to claim him, and although they had never had a bur- take him "inside." And, thinking of glary, on one occasion the clerk who that, those confounded notes made a had been sent to the banks on Friday horrible bulge, in the side pocket of morning for the wages had been neatly his coat. That would look suspicious knocked down and robbed by three to any policeman! Dangling his arms, thugs in a fast car. And after that he tried to filde, the bulge, but that the wages had always been drawn on only seemed to make it more notice- Thursday, and kept over-night in the able. Hell, it was an awful feeling, safe-though no one knew that except this one of being a criminal-Heaven Duff, the cashier, who fetched the send he didn't meet a constable--if he money himself; the partners, and old did, he was mortally afraid he would Griggs, told to keep a special look out run-and that would tear it! Oh, God during his night watch. They thought this was very smart, because no one would expect them to draw the wages on a Thursday!
4
Old Griggs grinned toothlessly. Very smart, but not quite smart enough! He'd show them-
what a fool he'd been after all! If only it hadn't happened! If only he could go back and replace those notes in the safe again!'
He stopped for a moment, contem-
plating doing it. But the thought of that new watchman stopped him--it would be too dangerous! Besides, hang by now, with the safe door open, and it, he'd have discovered the burglary
... 1 He'd be on the phone now, to the police. !
At the thought of that old Griggs shuddered. The hunt was up-and he was the hunted! He would be hunted and haunted, now, for the rest of his life. O, what a fool he had been!
In his overcoat pocket his right hand grasped the product of the grievance he had nursed and nurtured during usual at that hour of the night, quite The short street by the river was, as the expiration of his month's notice. deserted. Old Griggs knew exactly the Three keys he had
all. got duplicated times of the patrolling constable, and without any great trouble the key of he wasn't due along there for another the gate, the key of the office door, and the key of the old-fashioned safe. And to-night being Thursday, there repos-
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fifteen minutes.
He stood outside the big gates, and glanced ironically at the large white letters. "Wells and Wells.” They wouldn't feel quite so well in the morning, when they found what had happened. Ha-hal.
He slipped his key into the lock of the little postern. He had oiled it well the night before, and it worked as silently as a dream. He locked it again behind him, and tiptoed to the office door, which acted in the same way. His gloved hands left no finger-prints on the handles. He had read plenty of crime-books, and knew all about that trick!
He took an electric torch from his pocket, and swept its little circle of radiance round the familiar office. Then went to the safe and opened it as easily as he had the other doors. On the top shelf inside was a pile of six fat envelopes, each secured by a rub- berband, and all looking exactly the same. He grinned, knowing that. childish trick of Duff's.
•
He hurried on. The mist had thick- ened, and he was glad of it. Hunted criminals liked darkness and mist!
Then, crossing a tranverše road, he saw a constable coming towards him along it. And the bulge was on that side, too.
}}
Flustered, old Griggs made a sort of grab at it. Realised what he had done, and, becoming more flustered did, the worst thing in the world! He started to run. . . . !
Round the corner, down а short. street, round another, as though all. the hounds of hell were on his heels. Only God could save him now....!
Had God heard? For he suddenly found himself in a street that ran along. the side of the canal. And they were repairing the, embankment,, for there. was a pile of stone-blocks close handy. In a flash old Griggs had remembered. something he had read in one of his. crime stories. By God, he'd try it, for he was too old to run far...!
He opened the first envelope-just a packet of old invoices. The second was the same. The third looked like
In another moment he had his over- another similar one, but sandwiched coat off. The notes were in one poc- between the top and bottom invoices ket, the keys in another-all the evid- were the notes the morrow's wages. ence. He snatched up one of the He smiled and then his smile faded. stone-blocks, wrapped that and his Damn it, absent minded fool he was, hat up in the incriminating overcoat,
he had forgotten something! The and tossed the lot into the canal. Then window, of course—!
he hastily wiped his brow, controlled He tiptoed across to it, undid the his breathing, and, turning, walked catch and then went outside. With unhurriedly back the way he
his knife he hacked the wood-work, come."
man almost cannoned into him.
had
"Here! What's the hurry?" old Griggs demanded, querulously.
"Plenty!" shouted the constable. "Seen a chap running along here?"
Not arf" answered old Griggs. "Took the first on the left, 'e did!”
"Right!" shouted the policeman, and ran on at renewed speed.
as though someone had forced the On the corner the running police- catch back from the outside. That would show how. "they" got in. · And he would leave the window open:
Damn it again! He had left the safe door open and the three packets on the floor. Why not do one job at a time? Getting flustered, that's what he was! He hurried in again. Now, which was the packet? Not this one. He put it back in the safe, nor this.
The hatless and coatless Griggs His heart leapt suddenly into his made his way to a main-road, where. throat. He had heard a noise in the he sighted an all-night bus and took building. And then revelation-as- twopennyworth to anywhere, so as to tounding, terror-creating revelation- get out out of the district. He mar- struck him like the flick of a light- velled at his own courage and re- ning flash! All that talk about econo- source. my and no burglaries had been So But later, in the loneliness of his much eye-wash! They had got rid of bedroom, he didn't have any courage him that way, and had employed an- left. For he was still a criminal; still other watchman in his place without liable to be hunted-and captured! For him knowing it! The chap would they would naturally suspect him-he have started fo-night, and would be had known about the wages
being. just about' due to make his rounds, there! And he had been sacked! And,. It was then that nightmare got old of course, they would realise he could. Griggs under its trampling hooves. get impressions of the keys But he acted quickly. Leaving the They might trace him through where: safe-door open, he was out of the he got them cut-and that policeman. office in a flash. He closed and lock- might describe his appearance, later ed the door noiselessly behind him, rah suspecting the trick that had been on tip-toe across the yard, unlocked played on him! Chap walking about. the postern, slipped through it, and without a hat or coat, at that time of locked it behind him again—all in an night was conspicuous anyway! And. incredibly short time.·
even if they just questioned him, he'd be bound to get flustered and break down. That was the worst of him,, nowadays—at such times he always got flustered, and didn't properly rea-- lise what he was saying or doing, un- til he'd said or done it!
In the street he wanted to run, but had too much sense, Nevertheless, he walked swiftly to the corner, and felt better when he was round it. He still walked quickly, but nightmare can- tered easily by his side.
He'd done it now! He, who had al-
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