News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-11-04
customers, of whom. being market day,

customers, OF whom. being market dav
there were many
Now, don't know why, but l didn't
seem inclined TO notice any one in par
ticular but Mr.. Ienton (Mr. Dale's sis
ter's SOM and Mr. Mason, the clerk who
bore so admirable character. They sat
side by side in the bank, and were evi
IDENTITY on We Y friendly terms.
Lenton was handsome young fellow
with what you call ''dashing" look
about him; the clerk was just the con
trary, being very quiet and demure-i
though tful young chap, too thoughtful
| fancied, if he had only the ordinary
bank business on his mind.
AS l sat looking out the old cashier
Mr.. Mltley, came in, looking perplexed
Seeing me, he hesitated. Mr.. Dale told
him was TREND, and he might speak
before me.
''WelI sir" said the old man, handing
the manager a sheet of paper, ''thiS
note account is wrong. There is a e2i
note less than there ought to be-"
Nonsense, " said Mr. Dale peremptor.
lily; then, noticing the hurt look OF the
old cashier. he said, carelessly: 81 BEG
your pardon, Mitrey; so there is. Oh
l remember paid one away nmy priv
ate account. Debit my account with
it."
The old man withdrew, satisfied.
Then Mr.. Dale, with an angry look,
turned to me.
Another one missing since yesterday,
Staining, even since you've been here.
they were all right, as Mitley says, last
night"
l said nothing, but thought much
but l wasn't going to commit my
SELF
When the bank closed (by the way,
besides Mr.. and Mrs. Dale, their three
female servants, boot-boy and the two
nephews were the persons who slept in
the house, while the keys were IN MIR.
Males room, though that didn't prove
much, for sometimes notes "went" in
the daytimey took a stroll, ostensibly
to look at houses for sale; really to fol-
low Messrs. Lenton and Mason, who
went off for walk together. | followed
them along a dreary country road, with
about the worst t1intS that ever cut their
London boots. till they came some two
miles out of the town to public house,
the Blue Lion. 1t was an ordinary place
enough, and the landlord stupid sort
of fellow, but he had some good beer,
which is q favorite vanity" of mine.
So | lit my briarroOt, drank my beer,
and studied the prospect while trying to
hear what 1 could of Lenton and Ma
sons conversation, who were quietly
drinking a glass CT ale each, in a very
harmless way, in the window OF
course neither of them had caught
sight of me in the bank, and as for
strangers, they were always plentiful in
MOreton.
Detectives are said, by people who
write about them, to fit facts to their
own theories. Perhaps they do, some
times. Anyhow, l did on this occasion,
when l found the obi ject of my two
visit to the Blue Lion was to
see well-known sporting paper, with
20 strict view as was taken in Moreton
Of banking people, they couldn't have
zone to public house to see. or bought
,r borrowed without the chance of a
'ow,, for Mereton, is place, big as it
5, where everybody knows everybody
Use.
The two poured over this paper as if
hey had something big on the ntsxssii
zig race, and began to think l colld
suess where the no es went. Not that
indOrse the humbug talked about bet
ing whenever a young man comes TOD
grief. There are many things quite as
likely to be the causes of it, but in
his particular instance | thought 1t
more than probable l had got something
ike clew to the puzzle.
After time the young men retired,
having had a long and subdued con-
yersation, and was left to digest what
had heard not much, certainly, but
1 said something to Mr. Dale, staid
IN in my capacity as investor who !
,ouldn't find any investments to suit !
lin and kept my eyes open. Several |
lays passed and no notes were missed. |
hr. Dale got rather more tranquillized,
md Mrs. Dale ventured to play her |
piano to him in the evening, which for |
ONE time he had been too irritable to |
listen to, much to her surprise, as
leither she nor any one else had been |
old of the missing notes, and he was
very good tempered with |
Ter, though short-tempered with most
people.
But one day discovery was made,
lot through me. though for my credits |
had spoken my suspicious of the party |
oncerned to Mr.. Dale, namely, young
Jason. | told him | fancied he was in
oma way connected with sporting mat
ers, and got for my pains an incredu-
Gus laugh and a hasty remark about
detectives acuteness. This nettled me,
o Just told him about the scene in the
Blue Lion.
He was enraged, then, could see,
10Th with me and the two young fel
ows; but just as he was going to say
omething about it in came old Mitley,
IS usual, with bundle of notes that
lay cashed or paid in. Mr.. Dale ran
lis eye carelessly over them paused
his pocketbook and |
hen said, with an atfectation of indif-
erence:
''Where did this five-pound note
ONE from, Witley2 It's very greasy"
Mr.. Mason asked me to change it,
ir."
''Mr. Mason! Very good, you can
o."
The door closed and the manager |
urned to me, his face mixture of re-
ret and anger. II owe you an apol- |
gY, Staining, for laughing at you about |
Jason. l am much grieved, but this is
ne of the stolen notes Still, that |
loesn't prove his gu 1t, and his chang
ng it looks like innocence.
"Or like cleverness, sir, in playing a
'old game to disarm suspicion.
"Well, I'll call him in. Step into |