St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-11-28

premium. and bought at one discount e
''Im very glad of it. Charlie" | said.
and felt really pleased. not only fol
! ThrapStow'S sake. but because | Should
he glad to get rid of the bonds. and the
directors Shugs whenever they We're
mentioned.
d" Hand 'cm over, old fellow" said
Charlie, land I'll bring You Billings
check up i'll five minutes. You wont
have closed 10y then : or if You have.
| I'll come in al the private door
| went to the safe. and put my hand
upon the bonds.
| Charlie stood there looking so frank
and free. holding out his hand for the
bonds. that | hadn't the heart to SAY To
| him. as ought to have done Bring
your customer here, and let him settle
for the bonds, and then will hand
them over. | should have said this to
anybody else. but somehow | couldli t
say it to Charlie. There would be only
five minutes risk, and surely it MAS no
risk ut all.
The thing WAS done in Il moment |
was carried away 10y Thrap>toW'> ire
SiStable manner. handed over the
bonds. and Charlie went oft like u Shut
1t wanted seven minutes 10 3. and /
sat watching the hands of the clock in
il little tremor. despite my full con
lidrnre in lhrap>toW but then had
50 thorough Il knowledge of all the IIrlr>
of banking. that couldn't help feeling
that had don" wrong. y few minutes.
however. would set il right. Charities :
white hat and glittrrlng topaz would
soon put III an appearance.
just il minute tn:} the cashier brought
me three checks. with little slip ni
paper rattached. They were Thrap>t"w'> :
checks. for fifteen hundred twelve
hundred and three hundred odd re
>pcctiVcly. and his balance WAS only
five hundred odd
turned white and cold. "Of course
ynu must refuse them" said tn the
cashier.
When he went ont. | sat in my chair
quite still for Il few minutes. hrWildcr-
ed at the sudden misfortune that had
happened To me. Charles IhrapNtoW
Was clearly Il dciaultcr but there WIS
this one chance he might have given
the checks i'll the confidence ot selling
those bonds. and placin" the balance
to his account. In due course. these
checks. which were crossed. would have
been brought to the clearing house. and
have been presented on the m"lIUW.
But il seemed that his creditors had
! some mi>trI>t of him. and had caused
/ the checks t0 Ice demanded uUt nt due
I course.
The clock had struck ;. Charles had
not come back. The bank doors closed
/ with IL clang. | could endure the >I>-
lici 81 no longer. Telling the bank pur-
ten that. if Nh. lmap>t"w came. hr
. WAS t" hc admitted 1t The private door,
. and WAS To Ice detained in my room till
I | returned. | went ont ANA m:idc my
/ way to his office. which WIS only = few
/ hundred Yards distant. licWH>m't there.
/ The clerk Il youth "t H.. knew E"lhlng
/ about him. lie Wa> in Cnprl cont.
/ perhaps. ANY " here. he didn't know.
! Had h., been in within tn" last half
/ hour! Well. no the clerk did not
/ think hc had. His story. then. OF the
/ customer waiting at his office vas :. lie.
! With heavy heart. | went back /"
the bank No: Mr.. Thrap,tow hadn't
been in. the porter said. | took Il cab
and went of /" the office of Mr. GrdGc-
mount. the solicitor tu the bank. told
him in confidence what had happened.
and asked his advice. ''Cuuld | yrt ::
warrant against this lhrap~t"W ion
stealing" the bonds
Il pom my word" said Grdwcmuuut
Il don't think y"u can make Il criminal
matter of it. 1t isn't larceny. hrcau>r
Nou abandoned the possession of the
bonds Voluntarily. No: | don't see
how Nou can touch lin. lou must
make Il bankrupt of him. ana ihcn , ou
can pursue him. a> haNjmg traudulcn1ll
carried off his a>>rt>.'
Bun that advice WIS no good tn me.
| think WAS wrong in taking it. |
think | ought Ia have gone straight oil
to the polio" office. and put lhr affair in
the hands of the detectives. Digniticd
men of law. like Gcdgrm"rmt. always
find dozen rci>or> for inaction. except
in matters that bring gr>t to their own
mill.
went home completely di>hcartrnrd
and detected. How could face my
directors with such Il story aS that
had to tell The only cNru>c that /
could urge. of private friendship and
confidence in the man that had robbed
us. would make the matter uuli til,
worse. Clearly. ut the Samc time that
! told the circumstances to the directors.
| should hc bound to place my rcNiguI-
ton in their hands. to hc put int" force
If they Thought fit. And there would
he little doubt but that they would az
ccpt it How damaging. too. the story
would be to me. when | tIicd tn obtain
another appointment
| had promised to take my wife and
children for an excursion down the
al. 4. Il Il
the Youngsters eagerly reminded me If
my premise. ! replied 50 SaVagclN and
steInIy. that the children made oft in
tears my wife, coming to see what
was the matter fHIed little better. |
must have had IL sun stroke OF some
thing. she told me. and brought band
ages and ear de cologne. flung away
in il rage, and went ont of the house. |
must hc doing something, felt. and
hailed Il cab and drove to ThrapStoW' :
lodgings.
Mr.. ThrapStow wasn't coming home
that night. his landlady told me she
thought he was away for little jaunt ::
but she didn't know. He occupied the
ground-tioor of small house in Ec-
clesford street. Pimlico-two rooms
opening into each other. told the
woman that would sit down and write
a letter. She knew me we'll enough. as
| had frequently visited Thrapstow.
and She left me to myself. Then began
to overhaul everything. to try t" find
out some clew to his Whereabouts. \
few letters were on the chimney piece ::
they were only circulars for trHdeSmcn
In the replace was Il considerable
quantity of charrcd tindcr He had