The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-04-25
THE STOLEN NOTE.
[ExchanRe.I

SAIEdOIOluhIy Ahou' AAiS OnC 6iSoS AooN hung like a shadow over his many vir- tues. He meant we'll, and when he was sober he did well.
 He was natter by trade, and by in- dustry and thrift he had secured money enough to buy the house in which he lived. He had purchased it before, for s GOO, paying $I 900 down, and secur- ing the balance by mortgage to the seller The mortgage was almost due at the time circumstances made me acquainted with the affairs of the family. But Wal lace was ready for the day; he had saved up the money; there seemed to be no possibility of an accident. was well ac- Quainted with Wallace, having done some little collecting and drawn up legal doc uments for him. One day his daughter Aanie came to my office in great distress, declaring that her father was ruined, and that they should be turned out of the house in which they lived.
 Perhaps not, Miss Wallace" sad l, trying to console her and give the affair, whatever it was, bright aspect. "What has happened 2"
 "My father" she replied, chad the money to pay the mortgage on the house in which we live, but it is all gone now" Has he lost it ?"
 "l don't know. suppose so. Last week he drew two thousand dollars from the bank, and lent it to MT. Bryce for ten days;"'
 He is broker. My father got ac- quainted with him through George Chandler, who boards with us, and who is Mir. Bryce's clerk"
 "Does MT. Bryce refuse to pay it?"
 He says he has paid it."
 "Weil, what is the trouble then2"
 Father says he has not paid it."
 "Indeedl But the note will prove that he has not paid it. or course, you have the note ?"
 No, MT. Bryce has it."
 "Then, of course, he has paid it?"
 1 suppose he has, or he could not have h. note"
 "v h does your father say?"
 " He IS positive that he never received the money. The mortgage, he says, must be paid tomorrow"
 "Very singular. Was your father"
 hesitated to use the unpleasant word. which must have grated harshly on the ear of the devoted girl.
 Mir. Bryce says father was not quite right when he paid him, but not very bad"
 will see your father"
 He is coming up here in few mo. ments thought would see you first, and tell you the facts before he came"
 "I do not see how Bryce could have obtained the note unless he paid the money Where did your father keep it 2"
 He gave it to me, and put it in the secretary"
 "Who was in the room when you put it in the secretary?"
 MT. Bryce, George Chandler, my father and myself.'
 The conversation was here interrupted by the entrance of Wallace. He looked pale and haggard, as much from the et- fects of anxiety as from the debauch from which he was recovering.
 "She has told you about it, suppose ?" said he in a very low tone.
 "She has"
 lpitied him, poor fellow, for two thous. and dollars was large sum for him to accumulate in his little business. The loss of it would make the future look like desert to him. It would be a msfor tune which one must undergo to appre- ciate it.
 "What passed between you on that day?"
 Well, merely stepped into his offioe it was only the day before yesterday to tell him not to forget to have the money for me by tomorrow. He took me into his back office, and as sat there he said he would get the money ready the next day. He then left me and went into the front office, where heard him send George out to the bank to draw a check for two thousand dollars ; so sup: posed he was going to pay me then"
 "What does the clerk say about itp"
 "He says Mir. Bryce remarked, when he sent him, that he was going to pay me the money"
 lust so."
 And when George came in he went into the front office again and took the money. Then he came to me again and did not offer to pay me the money"
 "Had you the note with you ?"
 "No, now remember he said he sup. posed had not tue note with me, or he would pay it. l told him to come in the next day and l would have it ready that was yesterday. When l came to look for the note it could not be found Annie and have hunted the house all over"
 "You told Bryce so?"
 "l did. He laughed, and showed me his note, with his signature crossed over with ink, and hole punched through It."
 lis plain, Mir. Wallace, that he paid you the money, as alleged, or has ob- tained fraudulent possession of the note, and be intends to cheat you out of the amount"
 "He never paid me-" he replied, promptly.
 "Then he has fraudulently obtained possession of the note. What sort of person is that Chandler, who boards with ou?"
 "A fine young man. Bless you, he would not do anything of that kind"
 am sure he would not" repeated Annie, earnestly.