Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-09-01
NO. 2o7.
Tales and Sketehes.
MRS. DUNN's CHRISTMAS.
lcoNTrNUED FROM YEsTERDAY.1

lCoNTINUED FROM YEsTERDAY.1
II like to think so," she said, smiling to
herself and looking into the fire "but you
have t heard all We weren't going to
be married Tor year or so, because he
was only cashier in baak at Croittord,
he Pactolus Bank hate the very sound
of 1t; the words burn my tongue and his
salary wasn't big enough to please him;
and then | was in no hurry. l wanted to
make money myself. and life had grown
so sweet, l was almost afraid OF my good
fortune; and perhaps | was justly pun
ished fol my want OF faith In Gods provi-
dence. Well, one day ! had great sur
prise. Aunt Huldah died, and | went
away to the funeral and when the law
yer read out the will, she had left me FIVE
thousand dollars--in a stocking! The
night Ieached home Jules came to well
come me, and showed the shocking and
asked him to guess; and then threw the
whole, part of which was shining gold and
silver, on the table, and it rung with
pleasant sound. But it seemed to me that
Jules had something on his mind that
night. and rallied him about it; but that
made him put out. And then I put the
money back into the stocking and locked
it into my desk, while he held the lamp;
and | remember that when l opened the
desk he caught sight of the daguerreo.
type I'd had taken to give him on Christ
mas, and begged it; and | wouldn't let
him have it, because it wasn't good, and
| meant to sit again, and after he had
gone put it into the fire and said moth
ing. But when he said goodnight there
was something odd about him. he looked
at me long and searchingly, as if he'd like
to see my thoughts themselves; and once
or twice he began to speak, and broke off
with kiss, and finally he told me that
shouldn't see him for a few days. as he
was going out of town on bank business "
Mrs. Dunn paused, and sighed profound
ly; Mr.. Royburne walked to the window,
and shivered as he looked out on the wild
night.
1T was only a few days later when
Langton, the assistant cashier, who board
ed with me, came into my private parlor
and said he wanted to speak with me con-
iaentially about Jules. You can't tell
what chill it gave me. thought moth
ing but he had dropped dead-and I'd
rather it had been SO! 1t seems Jules had
been using the bank money to speculate.
He had lost, Of course. and Langton had
been the first to discover it. and he came
to ME, he said, in order that might warn
Jules that it couldn't be kept long from
the board of directors, as they'd already
got wind of something wrong. unless he
could replace the money Immediately by
begging or borrowing. You may guess
my feelings! | made no question but
Jules had gone out of town with view to
raising the money somehow. too much
ashamed to ask me tor it and tell me his
f,,. II l.. I'D ioft 4 II
could do was to wait his return in fe-
yer OF impatience and it was Christmas
week, too, when everybody's expected to
be cheerful. and there's no end of work to
be done.
Some of my boarders had gone to keep
the season among their friends, but there
were few left. who. like you and me,
Mr.. Roy yburne, had nowhere to co. and
while we We're sitting at tea on Christmas
eve it suddenly seemed to me as if heard
somebody going over the front stairs, and
the thought passed through my mind,
Who can it be p and then reflected,
Oh, It's probably Nancy carrying up the
clean clothes from the wash and rang
the bell for Tidy, the table girl. to bring
up the toast, and asked her, aside, where
Nancy was.
u
folding off the clean clothes from the bars
land Bridget, is she there too p said
"'Yes, marm, a-stoning rasings."
"'And isn't Mary (the chamber-maid)
helping herr asked.
"Not she.' said Tidy she's shiyering
out at the pump, sure, a blathering along
of Barney
81 don't know what possessed me- but
| just asked Miss Gruder to take my place
at the urn, and went upstairs alone I'd
left light burning in my paror. but the
hair OF my flesh stood up when saw that
it was burning in my bedroom instead,
which opened out of the parlor. Howev-
er, after little reflection, l considered
that | might have been mistaken in my
absence of mind, and | stepped into the
parlor, which was Just light enough to
show me my desk with the lid opef and
the papers scattered about. | thought of
my stocking in a minute, and you could
have knocked me down with feather,
though I'd taken the precaution to sew it
into my mattress that very day, till |
should get ready to use it. | telt certain
that whoever it was must be we'll acquaint-
ed with my ways, and had observed where
| put my keys. And who but one OF the
servants could that be And Just as was
wondering if Tidy could be in conspiracy
with the thief, l saw the door of the closet.
that was ajar, tremb.e. w thout second
thought, flew to it and wrenched it open,
and-it was Jules Adderly who stepped
out We looked at each other full
minute in the half-light but we never ex-
changed a word. He had been too faint
hearted to confess his sin and ask my help,
and craven enough to steal into my house
for my money. Do you think could for.
give him just motioned toward the
door, and his head fell upon his breast,
and he walked slowly out and down stairs,
following, and out into the wide lonely
night. The Christmas bells were just be-
ginning to vibrate upon the air as | closed
the door upon him; and they found me at
the foot of the stairs in a dead faint.
II had meant all along 10 give him the
five thousand. With that and what |
could have raised on my house we could
have made good the banks loss, and he
would only have forfeited his situation.
s.Rv the payt waek tho aff.ir uaS tnuc