Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-06-02

would keep our account" -iiaai
OF course poor Walter Crump could not
find another situation, though he would
have been glad to take the lowest place in an
office. The wolf came to his door in earn
| est. Annie, who had a situation in board
school, was the chief support Of the family,
and the poor girl was pale and thin from long
hours and scanty meals. - =.
1t was about five months after the day
when the cashier was dismissed in disgrace
that one Mr.. Mason left his office at half
past |. his usual hour for going out tolunch.
Half-past was also the time whenit was
Robert Carter's turn to go out for half an
hour, and Mr.. Mason had hardly had time
to roach the street when the young man left
his desk, went into Mr.. Mason s room, enter
ed a small closet in which wash hand ba-
!. - - was fitted up, and proceeded toswash
ksshends. This was s-ii;sh m.sdemealfor.s m
Especially as accommodation was provided
for clerks in another part of the building,
but Mr.. Robert Carter preferred Mr.. Ma
sons closet, and always used it when he
had chance of doing so.
On this occasion, however, he had barely
begun his ablutions when he heard the out
er door of the Office slam, and then he heard
some one, whom he judged to be his en-
ployer, come into the room.
Fortunately the door of the closet was
nearly closed, SO that the young man was
invisible to any one in the centre of the
room.
"He has only come back for his umbrel-
la," said Robert to himself; ssthere is no
need for my moving. If keep quiet he
will be gone in minute. No! Some one
else has come in with him. What shall l
do?''
Mr.. Mason had already closed the double
doors which led from his room to the outer
Office, and Carter was screwing up his
courage to the point of confessing his pres
ence when the first words spoken by the
stranger fell upon his ear and made him
stand as still as stone.
You can take your choice as / said in
my letter. Hand me over another hundred
or I'll split. What's one seventy-two out
of three thousand? 1 had all the risk, and
yOu-"
"Silence, will you?" Kissed out Mr.. Ma
son, in an angry whisper. 81 can't give
you hundred pounds, for haven't got it;
but will give you fifty now and fifty next
month. After that you can split if you
like, for you shall get no more out of me.
Anything would be better than living as
slave to d man like you"
other after pause; and there was slight
rustic of bank
"You had better leave the country" said
Mr.. Mason in low tone. 'The bank
cashier who cashed the check might meet
you in the street."
"Pll take care of that replied the strang-
er; and after few more words had passed
the two men left the office.
All this time Carter had been standing
half paralyzed, first by fear of discovery
and then by astonishment. But he under
stood this much, that this stranger was the
man who had cashed the forged check un-
der 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 threatening to ''split' upon
Mr.. Mason!
What it could all mean Carter could not
tompikheno, but he saw one thing plainly
enough. The important point was to find
out who this man was and where he lived.
In a moment Carter ran out of the room,
seized his hat, and rushed down stairs. He
was just in time, Mr.. Mason was leaving
the foot of the stairs, going up the street,
while well-dressed man who had evident
ly just parted from him, was walking rapid
ly in the opposite direction. Carter follow
ed the stranger to the Mansion House, and
saw him take Bayswater omnibus. This
suited Carter exactly. He went round to
the front of the vehicle and got up beside
the driver. Then he clambered aleng the
roof and seated himself above the door
At the Holborn Restaurant the man whom
he was following got out and stopped to
refresh himself, while Carter waited patient
1xy ha I'd
Carter quietly followed him down Rolborn,
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 a latchkey.
"Ah?" said Carter to himself, 81 have
you now!'
He waited fow moment, and then
knocked at the door.
1t was answered by dirty, slipshod
girl.
''Does Mr.. Williamson live here?" in
quired the man.
'sNo, he doesn't
s'Was't that Mr.. Williamson who came
in Just now-Mr Williamson, of Peter
borough?"
''No, it wasn't. This was our first floor,
Mr.. Cromer. You've made mistake"
$50 have. Beg pardon, I'm sure''-
and Carter turned away.
From Kings Cross he went straight to
S Scotland Yard and narrated his expe-
riences. That night Mr.. Livesey received
a visit which caused him some surprise
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 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 after
noon before the morning when the check
was missed. He had come back to the
office after the clerks were gone, and had
then opened Crump's 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 bank paid it without suspicion. He
had, no doubt, calculated that the bank
would have to bear the loss; but, as it was,
thousand pounds, for, as he himself had
but third share in the business, only one
thousand out of the three had to come out
of his own pocket.
Mr.. Mason saved his partner the trouble
of trying whether he could make him GRIM
inally responsible for what he had done; for
when the police went to look for him he had
disappeared. Probably he had seen Robert
Carter following his accomplice, and, scent
ing danger, had saved himself while there
was time. 1t turned out afterward that he
had been specuating largely on the Stock
Exchange and was sorely in need of money
to pay his losses. 1t was some consolation
to Mr.. Livesey to think that his dishonest
partner had not profted 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
reputation and his deliverance from poverty
to that particular young gentleman. How
ever, as things were he could do no less
than inform Carter that he had done him
an injustice, and that he would be happy to
see him in the evening whenever it suited
him to call. The color come back to An
nie's cheek and the light to her eyes when
she heard the good news; and it was not
many weeks before she became the promis-