The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1879-07-24
THE SCOTTISH BANKERS DI.
JENNA.
CHAPTER 1.

was startled by his teller, James Ham
ilton. coming to him to say, just as thu
banker had signed the last official let
ter before proceeding to lock up the
safe: IL am sorry to say, sir, the cash
appears to be one hundred pounds
short" James was very pale as he
spoke, and despite his efforts to pre-.
vent it his voice trembled. A stranger
could not have told whether the
youths agitation was the result Of
fright or guilt.
Mr.. Duff knew him too we'll to lei
the latter alternative dwell in his MIND
for even moment; but the lads ex.
element was somewhat infectious, and
it was with just little throb that he
replied: You are joking, Jamie.'
81 was never more serious in nv
life," reiterated Hamilton.
cit is some mares nest, depend
upon it," said Mr.. Duff, in tone that
partly treasured the poor fellow.
Have you been very busy at the desk
to-day, James?'
THAT is the mystery of it, sir; we
have not been busy. Hardly three
pages of our cash-book are filed"
"a hundred pounds! HIM! l am
going upstairs to dinner. In the
meantime check your summations and
your cash. and by and by I'll come in
to lock up the safe with ye."
The teller went from the bankers
room to the outer office with a very
grave face. Mr.. Duff, who lived with
his family, as is customary in Scot
land, in the very commodiOus house
attached to the bank, sent his letters
to be copied by the junior clerk, and
then went leisurely up stairs to dinner
MIR. Duff was, for a man who does
not object to permanent residence in a
provincial town, very easy and pleas
ant mode of life. His work was not
hard, nor were his responsibilities very
heavy. He had pretty and comfort
able home in an old-fashioned country
town, and although his wife lay in the
churchyard on the brae by the river
side these ten years, still he had two
OF the prettiest girls in Tollkirk-Min-
ma and Mary Duff (beside Jenny, the
married daughter, who lived in Edin-
burgh)-whose delight it was to make
his life sunny and happy. He.was nat
urally-being known to possess private
means, and on account of his official
capacity as the dispenser of discounts
and the custodian of the wealth of the
neighborhOod-a man of some impor-
lance in Tollkirk, and formed part
of, as well as moved in, Tollkirk's best
society. He was a Magistrate and
farmer as well as banker; and on Sum
days, for many long year, he had
stood beaming behind s'the plate'' at
the entrance to the "auld kirk" He
was respected by his Edinburgh en-
ployers as man of prudence and sa
gacity, who never made bad debts,
never troubled them with applications
for rise of salary or transfer of agency
whose books always stood the mi
nutest inspection, and who, speaking
generally, wanted no favors from
them. Rather, granted favors, by &C.
casional invitations to visit him at
Tollkirk, where there is unsurpassed
trout and salmon fishing, besides mag
nificent " links" for golf, and where
the local distillery yields a liquid of
more than local reputation. The city.
birds were not slow to accept such
invitations, Mr.. Duff being over a tum-
bier of toddy the best of company, and
generous in the matter of horses and
fishing-rods. The chief inspector of the
bank came often enough to WOO the
fair Jenny, the eldest of the family, and
took her away with him one summer
day, to the general bereavement of
TOllkirk.
The banker did not hurry over din
ner on the particular afternoon of
which 1 write. 1t was nearly seven
O'Clock before Mr.. Duff remembered
that he had not yet locked up his safe
and that his clerk was probably wait
ing below for him He was surprised
when he opened the office door-lead-
ing to the hall of his house-to find
Hamilton still bending over his cash
book, with an expression of deep anx-
lety on his face, and bundles of bank
notes lying on the desk before him.
"What, James, still in a fog?'' he
asked, cheerfully, as he came in.
"NGt found your difference, eh!'
81 am a hundred pounds short, sir,
without Doubt
Hamilton bad tolled through every
entry over and over again. had count
and recounted his bundles of notes, and
now had very sharply-defined fear in
his heart, and vision in the back
ground of his Imagination of a dearly
loved old mother waiting for him at
home, and who was ill able to bear the
responsibility of such loss-if loss
it should prove to be.
"a mare's-nest, I'll be bound" Mr..
Duff said, good-naturedly, taking Ham,
ilton's place before the cas6-book.
Very carefully and with keen eve he
went over each entry; very carefully,
too, he counted the cash, and recount
ed it; but only to find that Hamiltou's
words were too true. The cash was
undoubtedly one hundred pounds short.
~ think we had better sleep over
it," Mr.. Duff said at last, looking at
his watch. 1.-The difference will tnrn
up in the morning, you NAV depend
upon it, Then the cash and books
were carried into the safe and the Of
fee closed for the night.
Poor Hamilton lay awake nearly all
night thinking over some probable clue
to the whereabouts of the missing
money. Never before had he left the
bank with such a dread on his mind,
for he felt certain he had gone over
each item of the day, that he had moi
overPald any one to such an extent;
and he knew that on him devolved the
responsibility to make good any such
deficiency. He hardly spoke TO his
mother as he ate what she called his
ruined dinner spoiled by three
long hours waiting in the oven-nor
could she get from him all through the
evening hint of the cause Of his
trouble. She guessed, and limited that
perhaps Minna Duff, "the little fiirt. y
had something to do with his gloom,
for she knew how her boys heart Law
In regard to the bankers younger
daughter; but her sons reply was
equivalent to snub.'
He was in the Office two hours be.
fore official bank hours on the follow.
ing morning; but no trace Of thu