The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1883-09-27

its influence. Perhaps she had not posted
It as soon as usual. Or maybe there had
been some delay in the mails.
Y next day was Saturday, and the
morning was spent with another fellow
looking over fishing-tackle, and the after
noon in a rousing game of baseball,
whence he returned home so tired that all
he could do was to eat his supper and go to
bed. The letter never came into his head
at all. It did not Sunday, either, ndMoH-
a he did not get home till late, having
stayed after school for an editorial meet
ing. Then the matter was recalled by a
trifle with no apparent connection, as often
happens An open paper was lying on the
dlning.room table, where DR.. Grey had
dung it as he was called off to see a patient
In an epileptic fit; and in large capitals at
the head of one column, were the words:
GREAT BANK ROBBERY.
EMBEzzLEMENT OF FUNDS BY A TRUSTED
OFFICIALS
n Long Course, Of Sssssemdttc Peculation,
Fdcts Of Ae D0ibntodrd Course.
Bobby did not stop to read details, for
strangely enough, at that moment he re-
memoered Aunt Melissa's letter, and for
getting dinner n everything else, rushed
upstairs to see if it had come. He walked
down-forit had not.
And then he did begin TO worry, He
could settle to nothing, but ,foamed about
as though Possessed OF the spirit
OF the Wandering Jew, quarreled
with Rose, was cross to his mother, and
Went to bed at half-past seven to avoid
meeting his father. The next day was one
of such torment that he wondered it did
not turn his hair white. 1t seemed as
though everything conspired against him.
He failed in geometry, was spoken ID by
blunders and inattehtioh, and was kept
after sehecl BY the favorite history teacher
because coming in after recess with his cap
ON. through forgetfulness.
He did not dare say anything about tkn
missing letter, for with the carfous lack of
logic SO often displayed by a guilty con-
science, il appeared to him that any dis
play of anxiety on his part would tell ev-
erything. Even when Rose sympathet.
ically said:
.Where do you suppose your srssebteah
he had answered inadvertently. "WeII, who
eares,ss and begun whistling "Captain
"But don't you think it will Gomez" per-
sisted Rose.
his temper. "What's the odds Il she don'ts
I can get along without her old money.o
ut would be Just like her to take It into
her head not to-" pursued Rose, innocehtly
unaware she was tortiring her brother.
"She can't have forgotten. 1 don't believe
she's going to this year."
"Bother Aunt Melissa! Can't yob lethef
"It's none of yedf business anyway"
swell, then, l hope it won't come"
said Rose, vexed in turn. 'Glad of it,
too. Papa said the bonds, or leases. or
something or other of Aunt Melissa's Chi
cage railroads, had drcrped, and that she
was probably half Crazy even if she has such
. lot Of money. 1 know it won't come now,
serve you right, tool
Rosa 90 1.1-1l:-- DID 4l1,-lx
Bobby glared furiously at her, feeling for
one brief instant that wild anger that
could hesitate at nothing, she didnot know,
then or after, how her words. cut. -He
went of singing the last song Of the Glee
Club, ".Captain John"
meeting was to be held after school the
following Thursday. He shut himself up
in his room and counted the money over.
Twenty-three dollars and a quarter. He
had spent more in small sums, as the ex.
pected twenty-five would cover everything,
Without clearly knowing why he did It,
but with a sinking feeling at his heart, and
a sudden rush Of what, if he had been away
from. home, he would lave called "home-
Sickness" he poured the money into his
pocket, and then he went out, still whist
ling "Captain john" The words had
somehow taken possession of. his brain,
underneath the dizzy whirl Of thought, like
Mark Twaip's h6rse-car refrain:
Vive lie John,
Vive lie John,
Vive lie Captaine John!
And now happened a queer thing. Per-
haps his trouble had really unhinged his
mind a little. perhaps a kind of frenzy
had come over him, in which he 1oOuLd not
think; perhaps the possession of so much
money-unused as he was to the article
made him dizzy; perhaps he had got strung
up to such a pitch that, desperate, he had
resolved to be "hung for an old sheep was
better b being hung for a lamb;h per.
haps 1t was that singular thing scientific
men have agreed to call kleptomania, per-
haps--and this is the likeliest perhaps of
all--it was induced by a state of mind that
not even scientific men could clearly ex-
plain.
He went first to Buffum's, where he
bought i've pounds Of powder, some shot
and a revolver. The revolver was some
thing he had longed to own since long
thing in his pocket, he felt that one of the
ambitions of his life was fulfilled. Then
he strolled along High Street till he came
to ehe one stationery and fancy goods
store, and after a prolonged survey Of the
window n a deliberate selection of
bought a dog-whip, a Russia leather
pocket -inkstand, a belt and a pocket
book, He met Jack Forbes as he was
coming out, and greeting him cheerily,
they went together to look at some pupS q
man had for sale, Bobby finally engaging
one at three dollars, agreeing to call for it
in a day or two. Then he invited his
friend into George Bill Watson's for an ice
cream-strawberry and chocolate mixed
and further treated to cream cakes, pickles
and Washington pie. All the while he was
happy as a king, displayed his purchases
and talked about them, and walked nalf-
way home with Jack, laughing and talking
and eating walnut taffy.
And then he went home, straight to his
own room, and sat down and thought.
Perhaps none of the men whose "defalca-
t~ions'have amounted to thousands suffered
on the eve of discovery, or it may be when
they realized their crime for the first time,
as Bobby Grey did fort that hour. Boys are
apt to be stern judges, and boyish codes of
honor are strict. To come before his friends
how queer he should all of a sudden be
afraid of them-and say: 81 have not the
money" He could not do it. 1t may have
been by a mere revulsion of feeling that it
looked so horrible to him. Was there no
way of escape? Must everybody know
that he was a thief? He looked pitifully
at the money he drew from his pocket
thirty-seven cents-andf felt a vague wonder
that his hair hal not turned white. ASK
Aunt Melissa? That would be useless. Tell
his father? That one thing that was pos.
sible, was of all others the mostimpossible.
Look which way he would there was no
CudtlCO VI SoCdpc. hCISS tud bue SCOrn OF
the fellows, the sorrow and indignation of
the teachers, the grief of mother and Rose,
even the knowing that his name would be
in everyone's mouth in shameful notoriety,
was what-what father would think! AT
the very thought of the look thai would
come into the kind, pleasant eyes, Bobby
felt that all his manhood-or what he
thought his manhood-wouldfee from lin.
and he should burst into tears. His life
seemed to him at an end. There was but
one thing for him to do, and the resolution
he came to was accompanied by such an
guish as, boy or man, he might never know
again.
He opened his upper bureau drawer and
took out, one by one, his choicest tre4a.
sures. A watch that would not go, but
which its owner kept in affectionate re.
membrance of the time when it did, a
stylographic pen with the ink reservoir ex,
hausted; a battered photograph of a mar
in the uniform of a Captain of Cavalry,
which he did not look at, but aid face
down at the bottom of the pile. Then he
| opened the second drawer and took out sew.
eral pairs of stockings, a change of under.
clothing and all his handkerchiefs He
rooda oil thaca nm into a noot 1iE+Ia b,,n11o