Bats in the Wall; or, The Mystery of Trinity Church-yard

ell as the forms of such belated pedestrians as hurried past, while the glass in the lighted store fronts gl

f Rector street and Broadway, directly opposite the high wall, ever rising as the street

iness hours of the day, at night no more lonel

amous house of worship, surrounded on three sides by the crumbling head-stones of a cent

, clusters of noble trees raise their spreading branches toward the

y church-yard has remained untouched by the hand of Time-remained the one green

oked forth, for his desk in the bank commanded a ful

ontemplating an act, which, if not criminal, is a breach of the implicit

es of the spreading trees, covering the tombs and graves of the dead-we doubt very much if

r of Rector street, and moved si

of Old Trinity had rung out the midnight hour before

Broadway was deserted, and not a soul could b

d than this-even the policemen had sought shelt

to a halt beneath the shadow of the wall. "Now, where in thunder are those fellows, I

d Frank, uneasily, beginning alread

ant with them, anyhow. The thing do

d partaken so freely was

trusted himself; he was anxious to

ittle thing, and with the

with ill success, during the walk down-town,

oy," replied Cutts. "I'm as square as a die myself, and I want yo

a key to the side door

hier and myse

there's no watc

prominent that they never thought it worth their while to keep one

arked emphasis. "And that being the case, we can slip in th

entrances to the We

ay and one from

ter that Detectiv

observed if we stand waiting here. I move we jump over the chur

liquor to give the matter very much thought, Frank followed Cutts as he lightly leaped

beyond a low whistle was heard, which was presently followed by the appea

s that yo

advancing figures, now

in a whisper. "Is tha

e Trinity church-yard at

truck the boy at once, as he s

re?" he exclaimed, peering forward into the

le voice from the sidewalk below. "It means ruin to yo

e wall, Frank, turning suddenly and pressing his face aga

with upturned features and hands clasped a

ture who had followed hi

had the boy been

plicating air, as she knelt before him in the pure white snow. "Remember y

hand on Frank's shoulder as he spo

dder, the boy shrank ba

"for God's sake, what brings you h

besets her son? No, no, bolts and bars cannot keep me in. Locks amount to nothin

from those by whom she was confined. Follow me, and let's be done with thi

e spoke with the lightness of a

had during this strange scene come to a halt a little in t

ed the woman, seizing Frank by the skirts of his coat. "Don't

ive, angrily. "What are we going to do? If

arse voice. "Cutts, you follow me and the thing is done. I've gone too far to bac

tective, while the woman, feebly struggling in the arms of the tw

ng it into the lock of the door of the bank. "She's hopelessly crazy, poor th

nto a dark hallway in the great building on the corner of Rector street and

as he spoke, "and shut the door behind you-i

opened an inner door, supposing

ns! What si

ng through the entire night in this, as in other banks, lay the great doo

lay mingled with a pile of books and papers-t

For Heaven's

t into the dark hall, cal

was no

nes of Trinity Church appeared beyond, bu

Mansfield leaped to

voice. "Young man, wha

rful man was interposed before h

ning down Rector street from Broadway. "Here's one of