Southern shield., 1857-01-17
THE STOLEN NOTE.
BY A RETIRED ATTORNEY.

ant John Wallace was an honest, high and exemplary man. His ioone great fault hung like dark shad
 ow over his many virtues. He meant
 well, and when he was sober he did we'll. 'I He was natter by trade, and by Ma industry and thrift had acquired mon- theey sufficient to buy the house in which DEhe lived. He had purchased it sever Ilal years before, for three thousand x ttJJiTiiars, paying one thousand down,
 1and securing the balance by mortgage STto the seller
 CA The mortgage was almost due at
 she time the circumstances made me
 acquainted with the affairs of the fam
 Ely. But Wallace was ready for the
 .day; he had saved up the money;
 Athere seemed no possibility of an ac-
 .cdent.
 T I was acquainted with Wallace, hav-
 ing done some little collecting, and drawn up some legal documents for \ him.
 | One day his daughter Anne came NJ to my office in great distress, declar- II ing that her father was ruined, and that they should be turned out of the osShouse in which they lived.
 Perhaps not, Miss Wallace, I said, Irving to console her, and give the af-
 air, whatever it was, brighter as ect. 'What has happened?'
 ! My father,' she replied, had the of money to pay the mortgage on the lnahouse in which We live-but it is all Ingone now.'
 no Po Has he lost it?'
 Gil II don't know; I suppose so. Last enFeek he drew out the two thousand | ,Ilollars from the bank, and lent it to nMr. Bryce for ten days
 tn 'Who is Mir. Bryce?'
 of He is a broker. My father got
 acquainted with him through George | Chandler, who boarded with us, and ywho is Mr. Bryce's clerk
 Does Mir. Bryce refuse to pay it?'
 eI He says he has paid it.
 of Well, what is the trouble, thenE
 El Father says he has not paid it,
 II a5 I s4qaeed'' s e}I' But the note " will prove l
 tpeseilou have that note?'
 v, nc ~!.se- he has paid it, NEppose he has, or he could not C " ,ad the note.'
 - HW..iiat does your father say?' tn tn He Is positive that he never receiv- h. ed the money. The mortgage, he r. says, must be paid tomorrow IS Very singular, Was your father 1n3i I hesitated to use the unpleasant he words, which must have grated harsh IT. ly on the ear of the devoted girl. ye Mr. Bryce says my father was not l. T. just right when he paid him, though e ro not very bad
 ed Twill sec your father nd He is coming here in few mo- SS ments; I thought 1 would see you and Ta u, tell you the facts before he came.' fit I do not see how Bryce could have t- obtained the note, unless he paid the he money. Where did your father keep aa at it?'
 h! He gave it to me, and put it in it the secretary in the-Hont room.' ill Who were in the room when you a nr put it in the secretary?' ar Mr. Bryce, George Chandler, my ,it father, and myself P, The conversation was here interrup- ve ted by the entrance of Wallace. He
 looked pale and haggard as much er from the effect of anxiety as of the de- H. bauch from which he was just recoy- ee ering. If: She has told you about it, I sup he pose,' said he in avery low tone. ow 'She has,
 m' I pitied him, poor fellow, for two pp+ thousand dollars was large sum for ne him to accumulate in his little business. sr, The loss of 1t would make the future at look like desert to him. It would So eo be a misfortune which one must un- ed dergo to appreciate it. ne What do you think about it?' ask e. ed he, very gloomily. I know he nev- ne ns CT paid me. I was not much in liquor it, at that time. I remember very well
 of going home as regularly as l ever Id did in my life. I could tell how l rh es passed the time ne ne What passed between you on that
 day?'
 Well, merely stepped into his of n cn fce-it was only day before yester- ad .i day-to tell him not to forget to have Q, the money ready for me by to-mor- he row. He took me into his back office, s, s, and as I sat there he said he would get n. m the money ready the next day. lie ID then left me and went into the front CT office, where I heard him send George nd out to the bank to draw a check for $, s, two thousand dollars, so l supposed e e he was going to pay me then, .o, Id What does the clerk say about it! a 'He says Mr. Bryce remarked: when ns he sent him, that he was gong to pay rt .t me the money
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