The Morgantown monitor. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1863-1864, 1863-03-28
MA, SATURDAY, MARCH %, 1868.
"No, sir
UDid YOU ask him for it?"

!. "No, sir
"Did you ask him for it?"
eyes, sir. And he said you would
be2n none the wiser if he told me what
it was. :"
aDoes he look like beggiug-let-
ter writer?'
"He looks little shabby, sir; but
he doesn't talk at all like beggiD =
letter writer. He spoke sharp and
decided, sir, and said that it was in
yonr interests that he came, and that
you would deeply regret it after
wards if you refused to see him.
<itsHe said that, did be? Show him
in atsoncs,, then - -
He was shown in Immediately. A
middaing-sized man, with a sharp,
nwholesome-Iooking face, and with
a Aippant, reckless manner; dressed
in style of shabby smartness; eye
ing me with a bold look; and so
overburdened with politeness as to
trouble himself about taking off his
hat when he came in. l had never
seen him before in my life; and |
could not form the slightest conjec-
ture from his appearance to guide me
towards guessing his position in the
word. He was not a gentleman,
evidently; but as to fixing his where.
abouts in the infinite downward
gralations of vagabond existence in
London, that was mystery which
I was totally incompetent to solve.
is your name Trowbridge?' he
began.
"Yes," l answered, drily enough.
"Do you bank with Marsh, Stra-
cer, Fauntleroy and Graham p
"Why do you ask p
"Answer my question, and you
will know!"
every well, l do bank with Marsh,
Strscey, Fauntleroy and Graham
and what then?'
"Draw out every farthing of bal
ance you have got, before the bank
closes at five to-day
l started at him in speechless
amazement. The words, for the in
slant, absolutely petritied me.
"Stare as much as you like" he
proceeded coolly, Il mean what |
saw. Look at your clock there. In
twenty minutes it will strike five,
and The bank will shut. Draw ont
every farthing, l tell you again; and
look sharp about it. -
"Draw out my money - [ ex-
claimed partially recovering myself.
care you in your right senses? DO
YOU know that the firm | bank with
represents one of the first houses in
the world? What do you mean
you, who are a total stranger to me
by taking this extraordinary interest
in MY atfairs2 IF you want me to
act on your advice, why don't you
explain yourself?'
II have explained myself. Act on
mJ advice, or not, just as you like.
1t don matter to me. | have done
what I promised; and there's an end
of it. :"
He turned to the door. The min
ute hand of the clock was getting on
from the twenty minutes to the quar-
ter.
sDone what you promscd?' I re-
peat,d, getting up to stop him.
eyes, he said, with his hand on
the lock-. II have given my mes
sage. Whatever happens, remem-
ber that. Good afternoon.
He was gone before l could speak
again. I tried to call after him, but
nv lips had suddenly got dry, and
the words seemed to stick on them.
l could not imagine why, but there
was something in the man 8 last
words which had more than half
frightened me.
| looked at the clock. The min
ute hand was on the quarter. MY
office was just far enough from the
hank to make it necessary for me to
decide on the instant. If had had
time to think, l am perfectly certain
that | should not have profted by
the extraordinary warning that had
lust been addressed to me. The sus-
picious appearance and manners of
the stranger; the outrageous improb-
ability of the inference against the
credit Of the bank towards which his
words pointed; the chance that some
underhand attempt was being made,
by some enemy of mine, to frighten
me into embroiling myself with one
of my friends, through showing an
ignorant distrust of the firm with
which he was associated as partner,
all these considerations would un-
questionably have occurred to me if
| could have found time for refec-
ton; and, as necessary consequence,
not one farthing of my balance would
have been taken from the keeping OF