Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-05-21


train. but not for me. There's something
I must say to you, Mr.. Butler, before go
on to the office, and I've only allowed my
self a minute to spare. Would you mind
leaving us alone for one minute, Mr..
Brown? You can leave the case here; MIR.
Butler can put in the check while he's
listening to me to save time.
| watched the young man while spoke,
than ever. I held out my hand for the
case to pass it to John Butler, and felt
Adams fingers tremble as they touched
mine. And yet not a word had been said
that could alarm perfectly innocent man,
who has no secrets from his employer or
even from his employers attorney.
"Wait bit, l said to John Butler, as
soon as Adam had left the room. "Before
putting in that check, just see if the others
are as they ought to be.
.'The others? OF course they are.
What do you meant"
"Why, as you made one mistake, you
might by chance have made another, you
know. Well, while you're overhauling, l
only just wanted to say
There was nothing | wanted to say, but
had no need to think of a pretext. l
had my eye on John Butler, and before
"say was off my lips
"Good God !" cried he. "Look here !
Brown - he shouted, "Adam Brown"
"Don't frighten him." said l, rising and
opening the door, knowing what John
Butler had found in the case as well as If
had seen it with my very eyes. " MIR.
Brown you may come in now.
He came in as detected criminal comes
before Judge, trembling and pale. l
wondered he had been able to remain IN
the hall alone for that terrible moment,
during which, as he must have known, he
was being tried, found guilty, and con-
demned.
To my surprise John Butler, whom | had
thought in the first stage of passion, sat
STILL in front of his detected clerk, without
a word. But | should not like to have
been in Adam Browns shoes during that
silent pause There was no sign or thought
OF anger in the long look of mingled sor-
row. and scorn-more of sorrow than OF
scorn-with which John Butler regarded
the young man to whom he had tried to be
a second father. I had done my duty, [
suppose but l could not help plying
both, ana / know whom pitied the most
of the two. 1t was not the younger man.
l looked steadfastly at the fifth forged
check for fifty pounds which John Butler
had found, Just l had expected, in the
leather case, and the preparation OF which
was quite enough to account for the sleep
less look of the young mans eyes. 1t
seemed to me that the imitation was even
better than before.
adam Brown, said John Butler at
last, in voice full of sadness, and yet of
the double pathos which comes alone from
more dignitied tirmness than'I should have
expected from such man, g Adam Brown,
| know well enough that you see your de-
ceit discovered, and / won't add to your
wrong-doing by tempting you to tell lie.
l knew your mother-long ago-and for
her sake first gave you work, and bread
to work for. But it was for your own sake
| trusted you, even as she might have trusted
me; and the end is that | shall never be
able to trust man, woman, or child again.
That is the injury you have done to me /;
and there's none greater that man can
do to man. l fought hard against
the belief OF my own eyes-for weeks
I've fought against it but know now.
Don't be afraid I'm not going to have
you-your mothers son-put in the dock
of felon. But there's nothing l can do
for man-a boy-that- Go and
never cross my path again"
The culprit tried TO lift his eyes, but
failed.
Sir" he began, 81 do not defend-I
do not excuse-I never intended"
L am sorry for myself. Do not make
me despise you. A man does as he intends
I'm wrong not to prosecute you; it's
what 1 should do to any other man who
did as-as you have done. Go. l give
you the chance to redeem yourself, if you
can but not with me. Go"
Without one attempt to defend or excuse
his guilt, far less to deny it, the young
man was gone.
81 do not thank You for this Mr. Stand
ISL, said John Builer. The tears came
into his voice as he turned away.
The more thought things over the less
displeased | Was with myself for the way
in which they had gone. The more any
body thinks about it the more finished a
rogue, in spite of mis- years, viii Adam
Brown appear to be. HIS plan was as clear
as day light now. Obviously, he had easily
found where his employer kept his check
book for the bank at Redport, and spent
the better part of Friday night in filling up
one OF its forms, and manipulating the
counterfeit, so as to produce an exact fac
smile of check drawn and signed by
John Butler. Ga my life, / believe he
might, so perfect was his process, have got
jury to acquit him on the ground that
some strange accident must have been his
enemy, and that the check was really John
Buffers after all for the best men of
business may be guilty OF mistake or error
now and then. Yes, but then you see that
defense would not have done after all, see
ing that here was the sixth check forged in
six weeks and that John Butler not only
had never had occasion TO draw these, and
knew he never had drawn them, but had
kept perfectly complete and accurate ac-
count, inaccurate IN no slightest particu-
lar, of all he had had occasion to draw and
remembered drawing. Mistake-if the
reader will think for one instant-was thus
rendered absolutely impossible. And not
only was the matter cliached now by con.
duct on Adam Browns part amounting to
confession, without so much as an appeal
for mercy, but every check in the case
bore the private mark except this alone.
ana Lne packet nAu Deeu III no Hanus Dub
those of Adam Brown.
OF course, it was natural that John
Butler, like ali men of his temper when
they meet with such everyday things as
ingratitude and breach OF trust, should
feel mlsanthropical, and as if confidence In
his fellow creatures was henceforth dead
in him. Bat very few men, indeed, are
Timons. We mostly return to our original
nature instructive trust is happily fine
hardy growth that requires a great deal of
killing. In little while, no doubt, John
Butler would trust the next stranger rather
more implicitly than if he had been his
own brother, and he all the better for be.
ing rid of such an exceptionally clever
rogue, man with positive genius for
forgery, as ex-clerk of the works at Red
port. Perhaps, even, his experience would
have wholesome effect upon him by
teaching him that the son of woman we
have loved in our youth is not, solely for
that rather sentimental reason, bound to
be better than all other sons of Eve in
general. Young men who have had moth
ers have also had fathers and Mr. BROWN