Middletown transcript., 1882-01-06

" Marvin, this is awful! We can
stand it through to-day"
Tomorrow is the funeral, next day
Sunday. We shall not open our doors
again, father, now those drafts are
coming"
We can't pay fifty cents on the dol
lar: but We'll keep a-going till three
O'Clock. .
So they did, but the air was becom-
ing mysteriously filled with rumors un-
defined concerning the stability of the
bereaved firm. 1t was surprising how
many men were ready to remark, II
don't know about it John was the
backbone of the house, And he was
dead, and that very evening his brother
was compelled to remark to his widow,
There will be nothing to divide,
Carrie. y
What, William! Nothing 2''
mot dollar. There has been a
heavy defalcation, heavy losses on top
of it. Quite run now, and more COM
ing. The house will go into bank
ruptcy tomorrow"
"Oh, Mr.. Belford,'' suddenly ex-
claimed Ruth, whose ears had lost no
word he had been saying, "can not
help you? There are my bonds take
them. Uncle John said he had more
than doubled the amount left me-"
Mrs. Belford was staring at her
brother-in-law in open-eyed, silent as
tonishment, while he on his part seemed
struggling with great grasp of some
kind as he turned his head away from
the fearful generosity in Ruth Fara-
days face.
"Your bonds, my dear? There has
been a robbery as well as defalcation.
Your fortune is all gone,-every cent
of it,
Robbery ? All gone Who could
have done it ?"
It's all robbery ~ all but scream
ed Mrs. Belford. "Who did it,
William ? Who did it ?"
"Be calm, Garry, be calm. It's an
awful state of affairs. Tell me, did
Gideon Street come home to supper ?"
Yes, he was here to supper, and he
went out again.
II doubt if you will see him again
very soon. Thank you for your kind
,ffer, Carrie. 1t is time for me to CO."
"Do you suspect Gideon ?''
81 will not say more, now."
II viii, then," said Ruth firmly. 81
10 not suspect him. You must not do
against him, SO far as I am
y
"My dear, generous-hearted girl,
hings must take their own course -
There was nothing Ruth could think
f in reply to that, and, after Mr.. Bel
ord withdrew, she had quite enough to
o in soothing the now hysterieal grief
f the bankrupt's widow. Only one
lean of common sense broke through
be black cloud of all that wifely
orrow.
Ruth Faraday," she said, chow
ould you be such a fool ? If your
ortune had been in your own hands,
ou'd have lent it to them, and you'd
ave lost it. It's inst as well some
ody stole it. Pm glad mines safe,
hat there is of it. What will become
you ?''
That was qestion with which Ruth
ad not begun to wrestle, but she saw
nat it must come, by the light of the
ash Mrs. Belford let in upon her.
he said nothing at the moment, but
he did great deal of thinking all that
vening while she sat alone in the
brary wondering when Gideon Street
'ould return and what could keep him
} late. So late 1t was very late and
le thought whispered to her, at last,
nat she would rather not see him when
e came in, for she would not dare to
I'll him the dreadful things Mr.. Will I
am Belford had said of him.
Gideon chose his own hour, but he
id return, and he was at the breakfast
lble next morning. He was all alone,
or neither of the ladies came down.
hen he went to his own room, and,
ome hours later, none Of those who
altered to join in the solemn ceremo- I
ials of the occasion preceived, in his
ehavior or in that of any member of
ne Belford family, trace of improper
ceiling, only the uncommunicative re-
erve of men and women in aff1iction. !.
Perhaps it was as much Ruth's fault {
5 any ones that Gideon Street and not :
[arvin Belford assisted her to car 6
age and took the vacant seat beside her. !
All the proprieties were duly observed, !
ut in less than an hour after the return !
'om the funeral couple of gentlemen !
alled to see Mr.. Street, and he went
ut with them and did not return that ,
ay. He did not even leave word Z
here he was going, or send any mes |
Gge to inform his anxious friends why i,
e should not come back. {
".
That Saturday night it was well
nown in the financial community that Il
elford Brothers would never again I
ben their doors for business. 1t was b
nown, too, that there were "some
nasty features" about the Z
.ilure.
Mr.. Marvin Belford's own room was, g
lerefore, the most comfortable place q
II him to be in, and he was there but
: had been somewhere else first. He
I'd spent an hour with Ruth Faraday U
st after tea, and he was evidently T.
linking about her now, as he sat and