looked more closely and saw Ned Newton beckoning
to him, and the young cashier was motioning Tom to go around to the
rear, where a door of the bank opened on a small alley. Wondering what
was wanted, Tom slowly ran his machine down the side street, and up the
alley. No one paid any attention to him.

A porter admitted the lad, and he made his way to the private offices,
where he knew his father and Mr. Damon would be. In the corridors he
could hear the murmur of the throng and the chink of money, as the
tellers paid it out.

"Well, Tom, this is bad business," remarked Mr. Swift, as he saw his
son. The lad noticed that Mr. Damon was in the telephone booth.

"Yes, Dad," admitted Tom. "It's a run, all right. What are you going to
do?"

"The best we can. Pay out all the cash we have, and hope that before
that time, the people will come to their senses. The bank is all right
if they would only wait. But I'm afraid they won't and, after we pay
out all the cash we have, we'll have to close the doors. Then there's
sure to be an unpleasant scene, and maybe some of the more hot-headed
ones will advocate violence. We have given orders to the tellers to pay
out as slowly as possible, so as to enable us to gain some time."

"And all you need is money; is that it, Dad?"

"That's it, Tom, but we have exhausted every possibility. Mr. Damon is
trying a forlorn hope now, but, even if he is successful--"

Before Mr. Swift had ceased speaking, Mr. Damon fairly burst from the
telephone booth. He was much excited.

"I've got it! I've got it!" he cried.

"What?" asked Mr. Swift and Tom in the same breath.

"The cash, or, what's just as good, the promise of it. I called up Mr.
Chase, of the Clayton National Bank, and he has agreed to take the
railroad securities I offered him as collateral, and let me have sixty
thousand dollars on them! That will give us cash enough to weather the
storm. Hurrah! We're all right now. Bless my check book!"

"The Clayton National Bank," remarked Mr. Swift, and his voice was
hopeless. "It's forty miles away, Mr. Damon, and no railroad around
here runs anywhere near it. No one could get there and back with the
cash to-day, in time to save us from ruin. It's impossible! Our last
chance is gone."

"How far did you say it was, Dad?" asked Tom quickly.

"Forty miles there, over forty, I guess, and not very good roads. We
would need to have the cash here before three o'clock to be of any
service to us.