The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1868-11-13

sAnen5 Ene EumOr. ABOUT you get
ting 500 pounds was false?" <
| & s.False as7'' IL; s.
81 thought so," was my reply, IL
never gave il any credulencs myself.
Goodnight, Wylde. Ithink you've
been badly used; but. never mind,
your peculiar talents viii find their
due yet" ss 80. ~.
The eminent gentleman had fur
ther stage, which I did not wish to
await-that of blasphemy. / bade
him farewell, and went my way, tho
roughly convinced of what L had
guessed all along, chat ho had never
received the moneys worth of Num-
Der OF, ,4S2.
Next morning, wrote an urgent
letter to Kate, praying her to meet
me in o quiet city square, ut l
O'Clock; telling her briefly that had
way by which I could probably
benefit her father and herself, and on
which I wished to confer with her.
This letter despatched by hand. In
the Office took no notice of either
Murdon or Graham, but went about
my duties quietly. On their parts
they were equally reserved, and no.
thing of Importance transpired until
dinner-time. Then I slipped out,
and went to the place of rendezvous
to meet Kate.
found her waiting for mo, trou-
bled but possessed. We took turn
round the square, and I besought
her, in as few and forcible words as I
could command, to tell me the story
of her fathers implication in the
bank-note business, and the extent
to which he was committed to Muir
don. told her that I had the means
of freeing him from any pecuniary
liability under which he had fallen !;
but, before putting into operation
the means at my command, I must
know how he stood, and what was the
danger threatening him. I urged
thut my love for her gave me the
right to ask this, and that the same
love was the guaranty that I would
only use the knowledge for her father s
good.
After some hesitation. and exacting
many promises, she told me with
such reluctance as was natural to q
pure and loving girl forced to ac-
knowledge fathers guilt. The story
dated eighteen months back, from
the day on which the letter of in
struction had arrived from Theophi-
lus Langbrace, Esquire, authorizing
Messrs. Bustler & Clarke to pay
Wylde 500 pounds. On that day it
was national festivity, and The Of
flee was to be closed early. Murdon,
the cashier, wishing to get away for a
private engagement, had handed a
bank-note for 500 pounds to the old
est clerk, Graham, with memoran-
dunn of Wylde's address, and direc-
tions to pay the money to him
personally, and obtain his receipt for
it on printed form which tho firm
kept for payments generally; the
words being added in writing, sin
discharge of all claims" This bank
note had laiu on Graham's desk until
the clerks were preparing to leave the
Office. The old clerk had just reco-
vered from o nervous attack to which
he was subject, and which, as Kate
said, was wont to impair his memory.
The hustle of preparing for the half
holiday, super-added to the feeble
ness Of his mental powers conse-
ouent on his illness, had caused
him utterly to forget his commits
sion. The bank-note had been
tossed aside, and had apparently
fallen into the waste-paper basket,
close to his desk. At 3 o'clock, the
gas was turned of, (there had been a
dense fog all day in the city, necessi-
tating lights;) and the clerks emerged
in high spirits at their release, Gra-
ham accompanying the rest. On the
stairs. one of them asked for light
for his pipe; but nobody had matches.
Old Graham good-naturedly volun-
teered to go back and get bit of pa
per, SO that the clerk could light his
pipe at a 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 pipe.light the first bit
of tissue paper that came to his hand.
The clerk lit his pipe. and playful
ly thu ust the extinguished bit of pa
per into Graham's face. The old
clerk received it into his hand, un-
consciously retained it, walking q few
yards homeward still holding it, and
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