The Potter journal and news item. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1872-1874, 1873-02-14


Roy and l followed her with low as
sent We began. We turned TO that
MAY the 10th, which he mentioned in
the note and named in the night Of his
speechlessness. We took the first entry
of the deposits; we analyzed it. If bills,
it was not 50 noted; if checks. We fol-
lowed them to their final entry. And
So through each and all. Amy surpTis-
ed rs 10y her thoroughncss. Items that
Roy and I were willing to check as be
yond question. she looked to again and
again before dismissing. The General
had been too much narrowed by the
trouble TO make any systematic analysis
of that days transactions at the time.
Who knows but the error. if one, would
have been detected had he called his
quicker-eyed daughter into his conf
dence?
we finally arrived at the end Of that
days labor, and summing up'th fig
ures. we found the balance on hand was
two thousand dollars less than the
amount required. Here now was
chance for speculation. What became
of the sum? Amy was not long in de-
Gliding that its equivalent had been mis-
laid-somc check misplaced; but this
was merely guess-work.
Her proposition, at the next meet
ing. was to search thoroughly the pa
pers in the safe. Not succeeding there,
books and papers in the safe. Not sue
ceeding there, books and papers in the
vault were taken. one by one. and turn
ed. leaf Ly leaf. Thorough? ! think
so. 1t was q slow. laDoriOus process.
Her patience was astonishing. Her
+ glance seemed as though 'twould burn
/ the papers it fell on. But they could
not reveal a secret not in their keeping.
Where was the waste paper put: In
basket. And emptied where? Roy
couldn't say. The old woman who
swept the rooms was called. She emptied
. it. when full. into the dark closet.
/ Sometimes when out Of shayings she
used a little Of it to start the fire. Amy
turned pale. The search among the
contents Of the closet was assigned for
/ the next day. Was it narrowed to this.
the chance Of finding valuable paper
. in the rubbish: She would have had
more heart. but for the knowledge Of
( these occasional handfuls taken for kin
/ ding Piece 10y piece We went through
/ this accumulated heap Of dusty, gone-by
/ papers. and without success.
( Roy and I lad not foreseen the end
failure. We didn't anticipate having
! to sec that noble girl sit down disconso-
/ late. with the tears falling upon her
fallen hands. BY Jove, I wouldn't have
begun the work. 1t was JOY for me to
labor with her all tie way. III. when
I that labor WAS brought to the bitter end
to see loTe 90 ont Of her heart by her
blessed blue eyes. Roy attended her
home.
Tile next day he and ! were seated
in the bank, talking over the affair.
Roy, said I, the Borpeo. Charlie Lane,
/ is due; cant we see, from the skylight
( in the garret. if she is IN Che bay
He proposed going up To see. Roy
went ahead and opened the skylight.
The place was dusty as grave, and just
rs Jolly. There was no BorBeo in sight.
I Account books and bundles of papers
. lay here and there, with dust upon them
nearly an inch deep And over these
/ things. that had one day meaning and
a value. and neither now. the spiders
had woven their homes, and We're hav-
ing in turn their little cares. We look
ed about us curiouSly. Roy remarking
a book on top of pile. less dusty than
the others. proposed 10 me TO take it
down stairs as a curiosity. did. The
skylight waSlowered, and twosunbeamS,
that had vanished as we opened the
light. came back again, and lay athwart
one another like bars of dusty gold
Down stairs we sat and examined our
prize. 1t was not bank book. bat
ledger evidently belonging TO the Gener-
al. and filed with records of dealings
long years before. when in the wood
and coal business. The writing was
ncatuess itself. Rarely blot or eras-
ure did we see. as Roy sat rather indif-
ferently turning the leaves. Occasion
ally there remained an unbalanced ac-
count The fuel had become smoke and
ashes longago, and the debtor dust, may
lie. Here was one Job Jones. charged
with a cord Of wood a generation ago.
Out of this scanty material we imagined
a history for this later Job. We in
vented for him little pleas for his delin-
quency: that he had married a wife:
that be had left the town that he new
er had il; that ii was only half a coId;
that he paid for it at the time, etc.
Nevertheless. it Is a shame, Job Jones.
for you to owe for the fuel that boiled
your kettle. and blessed your hearth
stone. and. perchance, warmed TO life
one of the innumerable little JoneseS, !
we concluded. Didn't his ears burn:
while we were laughing over this,
the door softly opened, and Amy Wood
son appeared. l had almost expected
twas the ghost Of said Jones.
..'She wished again 10 see the book
containing those entries Of the 10th Of
May. Roy brought it. Amy sat at one
side Of the table; Elwell and l at the
other. She Pored over the page, as her