The Benton weekly record. [volume] (Benton, Mont.) 1880-1885, 1881-06-02
ROMANCE OF A POCKET
BOOK.

wis just 25 when met Alice Thorne,
the daughter and heiress of George Ihorne,
the great banker.
fell desperately III love with the
|charming girl, knowing we'll that such
love WAS utter madness.
Her father was reported to be very
proud, ambitious man, who would look
thigh for d sou-inlaW. / felt that he
would not so much as give me a hearing
to my suit; and us to winning her With
her but misery? | had nothing with
which to compensate her for the sacrifice
OF marriage with my poverty.
So we bade good-by without a word of
explanation, though | knew she read the
anguish in my heart, and tears were i'll
the soft eyes avertea from me. / kissed
the trembling hand she placed III mine,
and turned away and lade farewell to her
and hope together.
Scarcely had | got back to town and
was striving earnestly to drown vain re-
gret in the hustle and interest OF business,
when u terrible misfortune fell upon me.
Mr.. Overton had given me a check for
800, 900, desiring me to go to the bank and
! get it cashed. Having executed the COM
mission and returned, imagine my horror
on discovering that the pocket-book con-
tanning the money was gone.
E1Whether stolen by villains or lost by
liny own carelessness, what mattercd it !?
1t was gone, and was utterly ruined.
What | suffered during the next few
hours God only knows; and when, after
being dismissed, returned to my own
room | was very nearly desperate; not
only had | lost Il lucrative position, but
my future appeared 10 be irrctrievably
blasted; for there are suspicious which
are as fatal 70 Il man morally as would be
physically the wound of a rifle ball.
But | was young and Of d hopeful ma
tire, and | began to realize that | had
been lenicntly dealt with. On recalling
I'LL that had happened after my leaving
the hank, and the utter impossibility of
the pocket-book being taken from the
breast-pocket Of my coat, | came to the
Iconclusion that must have dropped it,
and tl.Arenpon resolved to have recourse
to I'LL means III my power TO rec2ycr the
money.
4 lad saved Hp during the last few years
Ia considerable portion of my salary, and
determined now to devote it TO the pl,r-
pose I had in view. advertised daily in
Esil the prominent journals, not offering
the customary reward, but describing my
unfortunate position; my honor lost and
8 my fortune blighted.
For two weeks kept my loss before tlt
public, and had almost begun to despair
of any favorable result, when, one morn
ing, a stranger came to me-~-- IL tall, dark
stern-looking man, who regarded me viii
IL pair OF Kindly brown eyes, that haA
j something familiar about them.
! The stranger declined tl1e seat oti.Tss
. te;=:.7,a,5 aud tssEs<1z once speak d
: duely and TO the point Il have heard D
: your loss said he. 81 have read you
advertisement in the papers, aud I fee
deeply interested in and for you. I hav
: just left your late employers, and, afte
! the satisfactory manner in which all III:
r inquiries were answered, I became you
= surety for the $780, 200.
: 'sWhat ?''
sprung toward him in the widest ex
citement.
"Oh, sir!,' I began, but he stopped me
= 'tLet NE ttnish,' said he. 'sI'ye don
n this because [ am convinced that you az
a an upright, honest man, and the creates
n proof of my confidence can give you
J. that am about to offer you the positio
. of cashier in my banking house. NJ
# name, sir is George Ehorne." !"
IT George Thorne, the father Of Alice, til
e girl that [ loved! Alb, the mystery We
le solved! II was Of her his eyes reminde
d me; It was to her was indebted for tn
A. help.
1t Fifteen years had flown since the day
d lost the pocketbook. I had now become
9, prosperous man, surrounded by all tf
$, luxuries which wealth affords. | Ia
II found in Mr.. Thornc more than a patron
I found friend; under brusque MAJ
III ner he had heart Of gold. From tt
* first day Of our acqllainEtance hehad eVin
F. ed toward me the liVeliest interest al
~ affection.
~ I was soon made partner, and when,
y a certain blessed day, [ became the hu
band of Alice, and his son-in-laW, he pr
sented ME with a receipt for the S50,O
that he had paid to the =Mess1s. OTertt
=, for my loss.
- So time went OIL. The banking-hou
he known as the 11fh1 " iiioi ''e = v <ss'''
was in a thriving condition.
- had q beautiful wife aud two love
children. and yet, with all the sources
happiness, I was not quite contented
there was a crease in the rose-leaf,
- Tor some time past I have been vain
ilt endeayoring to account for the extrat
ii #dinary interest which my father-in-l;
- had first taken in me, because dlscoVt
ed, as I grew older and saw more Of 4
selfish. egotistieal world, that very II
-, such generous. actions were perform
= without motive, and the solution OF til
., to me, difficult problem frequently ocf