The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1864-11-10

4
one OF the servants to tap at the suggards
door, we all set down cheerily to the morn
i ing meal. Coffee and cream, cakes and fruit
the salmon from Norway, and the JutIand
Piovers eggs began to wane as the break
'ast advanced, but my fellow clerk did
not arrive to put in any claim to a share of
these delicaces. And Trudeben con,a hooi.
to say that she had knocked at the Enolish
herr's door till her fingers acheds> hrt -
received no~reply. The door was Iocllad
and there was no sound to indicate that tba
occupant was stirring. Mr.. Hansen nnshad
aside his plate and cup.
The young Highlander must be i'll cold
he ''such sound rest cannot be natural
will go up stairs at once, and-but what 10
i thisi Bonner! what noise!"
i An awful noise there was, noise of
trampling feet and shouting voices and in
a moment more number of excited man
came tearing down the street, and began
knocking at the merchants door as if thew
would drive it in. Most Of these men, as +
could see when jumped from my chair and
ran to the window, were packers, porters
messengers, and other persons in the emnlov
OF the firm but at their head was a stont
elderly man, whose frantic gestures gave
him the air of mailman, and in whom,
was amazed to recognize our staid cashier
M. Adolphe. seos a.,..t !, ~ -.
The ladies screamed; and; indeed, this nm
expected apparition foreboded evil. Mr.
| Hansen threw open the window, and asked
what had occurred. There was a hoarse
shout of 'sHheivesi; - and then the sturdy
fellows dotted their red caps, and began
awkwardly to side and nudge one. another
evidently at loss for words to explain
what was amiss. But nj. Adolphe, still
GREATNESS from the unwonted rapidity of
his course, painted out
de par tous les diabIes Monsieur. that
these honest men speak Thieves Yes
thieves; and of such Internal anaacity. of
SUCH artful cunning, that they thave baf1ed
alrmy precautions and--ah ! morbleu it
is too true M. Hansen-zthe cash box is sto-
lem" 4
'srhe cash box p" asked the merchant
half incredaously ''was it not secured in
the safe, as Is the custom My good M.
Adolphe, | can hardly credit it"
But he in his turn was interrupted bv the
excited old clerk, who actually wept as he
related how he bad carefully locked the safe
as usual, the rather because of the laroe
sum Of gold which Mr. Hoyer had brought
in, just as the Office was abont to be closed.
The cashier had placed this heavy reIeau of
gold in the cash box, and securely slowed
it away fin the great iron SAFE the key of
| which he Wore on a steel chain that was
round his neck by day and under his pillow
at night, On going to the office in the
morning, a little earlier than usual, as there
were arrears of work to do in his department
| nj. Adolphe had found with horror that the
safe was open, gaping, as he expressed it
like an oyster, and the money gone. The
porters declared that they had found the
counting house, contrary to all rule, unlock
ed. That they had locked il the evening
before was certain, and that the robber,
whoever he was, had let himself in by the
aid Of skeleton key, was manifest 1t was
only too evident that the large sum which
Mr.. Hoyer had brought back from Russia,
and the loss Of which would seriously dam
age the firm was gone and probably be-
yond the hope of recovery.
Mr. Hansen was strong minded, even tenn
pered parsonage in general, but now he sank
down in a chair, hid his face and groaned
aloud. His wife and daughter chung fond
ly to him, and their whispered words of
wo manly consolation lent him strength to
shake off the bitterness of the pain. He
rose and managed to smile, as be hushsd
the well meant Glamour of the subordinates;
and even claimed down M. Adolphe's agita-
ton in some degree The latter. worthy
man was i'll a pitable state of mind he
seemed to consider his reputation as cash
Ter tarnishe forever by the loss of treas
ure in his keeping, though there could be
no doubt that he had been as careful GUS
todian as any fallible mortal could be. At
last thought struck the merchant
You say M, Adolphe, that you closed
IL. E IoIz 4 &C. II
had gone home, and while the messengers
were putting up the shutters and closing
the doors was it not so p an
Yes that had been the case, NJ Adophe
declared. No one was left in his own part
of the office except Mr.. Simpkins who was
there when Mr.. Hoyer entered with the
cash, and stayed most obligingly, to copy
a letter in the book. He and M. Adolphe
had quilted The Office together.
''Ah, just SO ~ said Mr.. Hansen, thought
fully. 'And Mr.. Simpkins does not take
his place among us at the table for the first
time this morning. R----but it is hardly
possible"
And the merchant with darkened brow
and hasty STEP left the room and hurried
up stairs. Soon we heard him calling for
help, for Ratchet, for crow-bar any,
thing to burst open the door of the English
clerks room. | ran up at his summons, and
our joint strength forced the door from it's
hinges. The merchants worst fears were
realized the room was empty. The bed
had not been slept in. The bird had flown
and by natural inference, Mr. Charles Simp-
kins was the plunderer Of the counting
house, the robber of the cash box Bot we
could hardly trust the evidences of our SEN
SEES !: that young man of such respectable
parentage and education, the son of vicar
and nephew of the second partner in the well
known house of Num- & Grantley, should
have played prank worthy of Jack Shep-
pard, seemed scarcely credible; and we
were still puzzled, too much surprised even
to think of pursuit, when carriage ratified
up to the house. and young gentleman
getting out Of it, feebly enough, and lean
on the arm of a stout shrewd-faced faced
man Of middle-age, rang the door bell and
asked for the merchant, sending in his card;
at which Mr.. Hansen stared bIankly, and no
wonder, for the name inscribed on the card
was "Mr. Charles Simpkins.
the whole truth came out at last. Tie
tall sand y-baired, awkward youngster be-
fore us, very pale and hollw checked, poor
lad, and with evident signs of illness in his
face and gait, was the real owner of the
name Of Simpkins, and the real nephew of
Mr.. Grantley of Thames street. He started
weeks before from England. but on bis way
to Copenhagen. had unluckiIy been. taken
ill of dangerous fever at Hamburg and
too suddenly to have time to write to his
relatives or to Mr.. Hansen. In this strait
le had been, as he said kindly cared for by
\ gentlemanly stranger, whose acquaintance
Ne had made two days before, on his jour
1ey across Germany, and who had called in
doctor and shown him considerable atten-
Jon at the beginning If the malady. Then
1e had been delirious, and when he recover
ID his senses he found sister of Charity by
lis bedside and the kind stranger MAG econ