Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1886-06-11

Carter was sent for. He came oack to
the clerks room in q state of great in
d!gnat;on, having strenuously denied
any knowledge Whatever of the forgery.
The result of a consultation between the
bank manager and the partncts was that,
as Crump could not account for the
loss of the check, he had probably
stolen it; and that, although there was
not evidence enough to prosecute him,
he must be dismissed at once. AS to
Carter, they determined to allow him
to remain where he was, and keep a
close watch on his proceedings.
Poor Walter Crump went homo that
day like one IN a dream. He was dis
missed as the accomplish of q forger!
And he could not say that, in the cir
cumstanccs, he had been treated UNI
justly. The check had been entrusted
to him, and he had lost it. 1t was, APP
parently. at least, his fault that the
crime had been committed. He almost
wondered that he had not been sent to
prison. When he reached his own
house he sat down in front of the fire
without speaking, and even his favorite
daughter, Annie, could not make him
say what troubled him. How could he
tell his children that he, their father,
had been dismissed from his situation
on suspicion of having robbed his en-
ployers of $4,000? About eight o'clock
in the evening q knock came to the old
mans door. 1t was Robert Carter.
Crump started to his feet IN indigna-
ton. Was this fellow, whom he sus-
pected to be the real criminal, to come
and gloat owe him in his misery?
But before he could speak Carter had
come into the room and held out his
hand:
81 came to tell you, MIR. Crump,"
said he, chow sorry we all are in the
Office about this. None of us believe
you had any thing to with it, of course.
1t will all come out, likely, in 4 day or
two"
The old man stared at him for a min
ute or two without speaking and with
out taking Carter's hand.
"Begone, sir!" he cried at last. GLOW
dare you come here to insult me with
your sympathy? You! l fancy you
are the n who knows most about it."
Annie turned from one to the other
with %bewildcred, terrified looks. For
tunately she was the only other one of
the family in the room.
''What is it. father" she cried,
clasping her hands. "What is it you
say Robert knows more about than any
n clsep Oh, tell me what has hap
pened?"
"Go to your room, GIRL" said her
father. stcrnly. There is trouble
enough without your meddling in it.
Stop" he continued, as the girl slowly
left the room. sYou see that young
man. l forbid you to soc him, to write
to him, to receive any letters from him.
He-you will know oon enough"
''What, sir!!" cried Carter, his eyes
blazing with Indignation. "Do you say
that THAT 1 took the check? Why, it
vas an lmpossibility. even if I had
wished to do such a thing"
leave my house, sir!' was the old
mans reply. as he reseated himself in
his chair. Els had by this time per-
suaded himself that in some unguarded
moment he had left his key in the safe,
that Carter had taken an impression of
it and had q false key made, and that he
had got some clever forger to initiate
the firms Signature. But he knew that
no one would believe him, that appd.r-
liz WI u Gtll " Ia III I'll IA IL
would be impossible for him low efen
to earn his bread. He looked upon
Carter ae the man who had ruined him,
and in his misery and unreasonablcness
he fnncied that n of the young mans
objects was to throw suspicion upon
HIM, to reduce him to poverty and make
it impossible for him to refuse to accept
him as Annic's husband. But in this
the old man determined he would never
yield. .M
Carter protested once more against
the injustice of the cashiers suspicious,
and left the room. At the street door
he met Annie, who was waiting for
him.
ooh, Robert" she exclaimed in a
low voice, ''tell mo what has happened"
.'Somebody at the Office has forged
a check for three thousand pounds and
more" he replied. cit had been taken
from your fathers book, and-and-he
fancies l took it, who had nothing to
do with his safe w~hatever.'
'.And do they imagine it was--"
Robert was silent.
'And you came here to say you didnst
believe it? Oh, how good Of youw
"But he thinks 1 am the thief. You
don't, Annie?"
mo, Robert; I am very sure of that.
Only, 1 can't see you SO long as my
fathcr--'
Roberts only answer to this was a
sigh, and with a hurried goodbye the
lovers parted; /.
Weeks and months went by, and the
mystery of the forged check remained
unsolved. Mr.. Livesey insisted that
the firm should bear the loss of the
G3, 900, which Mr.. Mason thought the
bank ought to repay, as they were
legally responsible for the money.
s.No," said the old gentleman, .they
may be legally responsible, but I don't
see that they ought to suffer. The
check itself was in our hands, and we
allowed a thief to get hold of it. The
bank did all they could. The forged
signature is so like yours that no M
could tell the difference; and the bank
cashier tells me that the man who
cashed it showed him letters addressed
to himself as Joseph Beck