The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1868-11-28

never gave it any credcncc myself. Good
night, Wyldc. think you've been badly
used but never mind, your peculiar tai
ents Will find their due YETI
The eminent gentleman had further
stage which did not wish to await, that
Of blaaphcmy. l babe him farewell, AMI
went my way, thoroughly convinced of
what had guessed all along, that lie had
never received the moneys worth Of Mum
her Or, 1872.
Next morning l wrote an urgent letter
to Kate, praying her TO meet me in It phi
vate City square at one o'clock telling her
briefly that had a way by which / could
probably benefit her father and herself, and
on which l wished to confer with her.
This letter dispatched by hand. In the
Office took no notice OF either Iurtlon or
Graham, but went about my duties quietly.
On their parts they were equally reserved,
and nothing Of Importance TRANSFERRED until
dinner time. Then / slipped out, and
went to the place Of rendezvous to meet
Kate.
I found her waiting for me, troubled but
possessed. We took turn round the
square, and bcsauyht her, in as few and
forciblc words as l could command, to tell
me the story of her fathers implication
with the ban,1-note business, and the extent
to which he was committed to Murdon.
told her that | had the means of freeing
him from any peclmiary liability under
which he had fallen; but, before putting
into operation tie means at my command,
| must know low lie stood, and what was
the danger thrcatcuir. him. I urged that
my love fer her gave me the right to ask
this, and that the same love was the guar
anty that l wo,ld only use the knowledge
for her fathers good.
After some hesitation, and cXacting
many promises. she told me with such re-
iuctancc as was natural to Il pure and low
ing girl forced to acknowledge a father $
guilt. The story dated eighteen months
back, from the day on which the letter Of
instruction lad arrived FROM Thcophilus
Langhracc, Esq, authorizing Messrs.
Buster and Clark to pay Wylde five hun
drcd pounds. On that day was a national
iostiyity, and the Office was to be closed
early. Mug,ion, the cashier. wishing to
get away fn2 q private cnga cement, had
handed a ;;ani.-nole for fi;c hundred pounds
TO the oldest clerk, Graham, with a memo
randum Of Nyldc's address, and directions
to pay the money to him personally, and
obtain his receipt for it Oh a printed form
which Tie ;iim kept t'nG payments general
'y: the void, Icing added III writing, lin
discharge os al claims This bank note
had lain on Graham $ desk until the clerks
were preparing to leave the Office. The
Old clcr,: he'd .i,:st recovered from a ncr-
vuus attack to which he Was subject, and
which, ID; Kate said, was wont to impair
hi; memory. The hustle Of preparing for
tie half holiday, supcTaddcd to Che feeble
ness of his mental powers consequent on
this Illness had caused him utterly to for
gct his commission. The bank note had
been tossed aside. and had apparently fall
en- into the raSte-baSllet close to his desk.
Vt three O'clock the Gas was turned off
there had been dense fog all day in the
C:iy, ncccssi:atias lights and the clerks
emerged in high spiritS at their release,
Graham accompanying the rest. On the
stairs one Of thciA asked for 4 light for his
pipe but nobody Lad matches. Old Ora
ham good-natu! c,l!y volunteered to 50 back
and get a bit Of paper, so that the clerk
could light lis pipe at gas-burner on the
staircase lower down; and, making his
way back into the office, he found in the
yellow obscurity the waste-paper basket,
and twisted into Il pipc-liglt The first bit of
tissue paper that came to hand.
The clerk lit his pipe, and playfully thrust
the cxtinyuiSEcA bit of paper into Griiam's
face. The old clerk received it III his hand,
retained it, and walked few
yards homcward still holding it, and then,
wondering what he was carrying, opened
out the folds. To his disnay, he found in
the charrcu fragment of tissuc-papcr Il cor
ncr of the hank-noLe which he now re-
mcmbcrcd he ought to have paid away to
William WylLe!
Tho shock Of the discovery paryalyzed
him, and when sense returned he saw him
self III imagination Il ruined man, dis
charged from his situation If not pros
ecuied by his employers, and turned with
daughter Kate into the streets for the triile
of rent he owed. lie had always been
nervous man, Il moral coward and his fear
of consequences made him blndly accept
the one dangerous loop-holc Of escape of
fcrcd to linn. lie had not the courage
to confess his negligence, and throw HIM
fatal step, and from carelcssncs; passed
into crime. After much bewildercd coagi-
taton with himself for Kate knew moth
ing of his misfortune till long after he
decided upon pretending to have paid the
money to William Wylde, and producing
a fictitious receipt from that worthy.
But forgery belongs to the fine arts, and
old Graham was Il sad blunderer, being
only novice i'll the accomplishment.
Perhaps it was this inexpcrience which be-
trayed hiln,-perhaps Murdor discovered
the true state of the case, from subsequent
application for money made by Wylde.
vt all events, The wretclled old man was
soon found out, and the cashiers sharp
questioning wrung the truth out of him.
The knowledge Murlon kept for his own
use. Affecting to discredit the story of
the accidental discovery of the note, lie
persisted in regarding Graham as a thief as
well as a forgcr. Thus playing on his ter
ror and misery, and intensifying the self
rcproaches of the old clerk with the cruel
lest sarcasm, lie brought him into a state
of abjectness which left the miserable man
an easy prey in his hands. Then Murdon
struck a keen and bitter bargain. He
would keep the defalcation a secret from
the firm on one condition. The condition
was the possession of Kate.
How soon the bargain was ratified by
the unhappy girl herself, had to supply
out of my own knowledge, for here l broke
down in utter grief but knew her gentle
winning ways, her absorbing love for her