Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-09-19

In minute. No! Some one else has come
in with him. What shall dor
Mr.. Mason had already closed the double
doors which led from his room TO the outer
Office, and Carter was screwing up his cour-
age to the point Of confessing his presence
when the first words spoken by the stranger
fell upon his ear and made him stand as
still as a stone
"You can take your choice, as I said In
my letter. Hand me over another hundred
or I'll split. What's one seyenty-two out Of
three tbOusandi l had all the risk and
you"
"Silence-will your hissed out Mr.. Mason,
in an angry whisper Il can't give you E1O0,
for haven't got it. But | will give you ESQ
now and $50 next month. After that you
can split il you like. for you shall get no
urOre out Of me. Anything would be better
than living as slave to a man like you"
Hand over the ESQ, them" said the other
after a pause, and then there was a slight
rustic Of bank notes.
You had better leave the country said
Mr. Mason, in a low tone The bank cashier
who cashed the check might meet you in the
street"
I'll take care of that, (" replied the stranger:
and after a few more words had passed the
two men left the Office
All this time Curter had been standing half
paralyzed, first by fear of discovery ami then
by astonishment. But he understood this
much, that this stranger was the man who
had cashed the forged check under the name
of Beckman; that Mr.. Mason knew it, and
so far from denOuncing him to the police was
giving him money to hold his tongue. Yes;
and more than this, the stranger was threat
ening to split upon Mr.. MaSonl
What it could all mean Carter could not
comprehend; but he saw one thing plainly
enough The important point was to find cut
who this rlan was, and where he lived. In
moment {, rter ran out Of the room, seized
his hat, an -ushed down stairs.
He was Just in time. Mr. Mason was leav-
ing the foot of the stairs, going up the street,
while q well dressed man, who had evidently
just parted from him, was walking rapidly
in the opposite direction Carter followed
the stranger to the Mansion house, and saw
him take a Bayswater omnibus. This suited
Carter exactly. He went round to the front
of the vehicle and got up beside the driver.
Then he clamhered along the roof and seated
himself above the door.
At the Holborn restaurant the man whom
he was following got out and stopped to re-
fresh himself, while Carter waited patiently
outside At last he reappeared, and Carter
quietly followed him down Holborn, up
Gray's Inn road, and into dingy street in
the neighborhood of Kings Cross Here the
pretended solicitor stopped at door, which
he opened with latch hey
"Ah!" said Carter to himself, Il have YOU
now!"
He waited few moments, and then knocked
at the docr.
1t was answered by dirty, sIip-shod girl
docs Mr. Williamson live herel- inquired
the young man.
mo, he DOESN'T
Wasn't that Mr.. Williamson who came
borough
~No, it wasn't That was our first floor,
Mr.. Cromer. You've made a mistake"
$50 l have. Beg pardon, I'm sure; and
Carter turned away.
From Kings Cross he went straight to
Scotland Yard and narrated his experiences
That night Mr.. Livesey received a visit which
caused him some surpris-and so did Mr..
Cromer. No sooner was the latter gentleman
in the hands Of the police than he confessed
the whole matter.
Mr.. Mason had known Cromer, who was a
scoundrel with a respectable appearance and
plausible manner, for some time and had
selected him to be his tool He had sent poor
Crump to the docks ON the afternoon before
the morning when the check was missed; he
had come back to the Office after the clerks
were gone, and had then opened Crumps
safe with his own key and distracted the
blank check. This check he had himself filed
up and signed with the firms signature in the
usual way so there was little wonder that the
cashier at the the bank paid il without any
suspicion. He had, no doubt, calculated that
the bank would have to bear the loss: but, as
it was, he had cheated Mr. Livesey out of
e, 600, for, as he himself had but a third
share in the business, only 1000 out of the
3 3,OOO had to come out of his own pocket
Mr.. Mason saved his partner the trouble OF
trying whether he could make him criminaIIy
responsible for what he had done; for when
the police went to look for him he had disap-
peared Probably he had seen Robert Carter
following his aecomplice, and, scenting dam
ger, had saved himself while there was time.
1t turned out afterwari that he had been
speculating largely on the stock exchange and
was sorefy in need of money to pay his losses.
II was some consolation TO Mr.. Livesey TO
think that his dishonest partner had not
profited much by his theft
As for Walter Crump, he was offered his
old place, with an apology and a handsome
present to boot; and he still keeps the books
which he had so long under his care. He has
not quite overcome his prejudice against
Robert Carter, and he always regarded it as
a hard thing that he should have to owe his
n - l.
to that particular young gentleman. How
ever, as things were, he could do no less than
inform Carter that he had done him an in
justice, and that he would be happy to see
him in the evening whenever it suited him to
call The color came back to Annie's cheek
and the light to her eyes when she heard the
good news; and it was not many weeks before
she became the promised wife OF the young
man who discovered the secret of The Mys-
terious Forgsry.-Whitshall Review.