Weekly commercial herald. (Vicksburg, Miss.) 1884-18??, 1886-04-02
Or BEARER'
BY WALTER PEASANT.
Author eli ali Sorts and Conditions Of
zine Captains ROum etc.
rommsaeed sunday, March u

-" ~ NAAA AAAAAA MAN AAA Az ~ N1EA@
fore went to tbs bank manager and requested
counter merely stating that one Of his
checks appeared to have fallen into the
wrong hands
"Can you tell n1e.n be asked, awho pre-
ssuted these chscksgi
The clerk was paying checks over the
counter all day long, and it seemed rather q
wild question to ask. But there was one
thing IN favor Of his remembering. Inc
only person who was ever sent to the bank
with Mr. Murridge's private checks was his
son.
II cannot remember each one. But ! re-
member something about them, because
your son usually comes with these twelve
pound checkzn
"Well-what do you rememberl'
Two or three OF these chscks--I think
three-were presented by an elderly man
with white hair, q white mustache and a
foreign accent, which | noticed. On, and
he had lost the ~forefnger Of his right hand.
He took the money each time in gld, and
was q long while counting itn
IAN elderly man, with white Inustachs,
and one finger gone. You ought to be able
to recognize himT'
Il think I should know him. Another Of
the checks was presented by a young lady. ]
should certainly know her. said the clerk.
with more assurance. "She was well
dressed, and very pretty Oh, | am sure
should know her,
NOR
why, there was another check presented
half an hour ago.
THAT makes the ffth,n said Mr.. Muir
ridge 4Who presented thatF
"A young mani think ] should know
hLm-with light hair and a light mustache.
He wore a pot hat and a red necktie, and
had a flower In his buttonhole. He walked
into the bank as If the place belonged to
him First be said he would take It any
how, and then he said be would take it in
goldn
And the other two-these twog'
They were presented by your son, as
usual! Your checks being always for the
same amount, and always being presented
by your son, made me notice a difference
THANK You. Observe that l have made !
little alteration. This will, in future, be mE
signature; you see the differencel Now, If
acheck Is presented without the variation,
you viii please detain the man who presents
il, and give him in custody and send for lac.
That's ALL
He went back to his office. Something
was learned. Aman with a foreign accent
and one foreinger gone had presented three
Of the checks A girl, good looking and well
dressed, presented another, and a young gem
tieman in 4 pot hat and a rod tie presented
another. Not a great deal to help a detec-
tive, but something.
His son had not yet returned from his din
ner, and the Office boy was still alone.
where is the callers bookT' he asked
The boy produced the book. Mr.. Muir
ridge ran his finger slowly down the list,
looking for some one to suspect. There was
no ona But the last name of all struck
him. Il was the name OF Mr.. Hyacinth
Cronan, Jr. The only visitors that morn
ing had been those members Of the Cronan
family. He suddenly remembered that
Hyacinth, Jr., had a way of walking about
as if everything belonged to him, and that
he wore a pot hat, and generally had a
flower in bis button hole Why, in a gem
eral way, the descriptions agreed, but then
It was impossible.
What did young Mr.. Cronan come here
forf' be asked.
Il don't know, sir. He came for Mr..
Richard. They went out together at one
O'clock
Mr.. Murridgs gazed thoughtfully at the
boy. Young Cronan might have called at
the bank on his way.
eG0 to your dinner he said to the boy.
abruptly.
The boy took his hat and disappeared IN
trepidation, because the history Of Spring
heel Jack was in the drawer. Suppose his
master was to open hat drawer and discover
i'll This was exactly what Mr.. Murridge
proceeded to do. He opened the toys
drawer AMI examined it carefully. There
was nothing II it at all, except a boys penny
novel, which be turned over contemptuously,
taking no heed Of the way in which the boy
was spending the Office time. What did It
matter TO him what the boy did SO long as be
got through his workl II is not until mid
die age thai we learn a truth which IS not
one Of the most important laws, yet is not
without its u-ses-namely. that nobody cares
how We do spend our time, every mar being
fully occupied with the spending OF his "
time.
When Mr.. Murridge was quite satisfied In
his own mind That there was nothing in the
boys drawer be. turned to his sons table.
He did moi IN ths least suspect his son, or
connect him with The lost checks, but ii was
bis nature to search yerywhere-even in the
least likely places His profession was to
search for N ssing links He knew that
anywhere he might find a clew. He, there
81 g. opened the drawers. He turned Q
the papers. and even examined the blotting
pad, but observed nothing except that the
paper was full Of girls heads, drawn in pen
cnMyery prettily hs had been able to ex-
amino them from "a artistic point Of view.
The boy does think Of something. then ,
said Nj. Murridge; iii Is only a. 0irla
Perhaps he Will wake up now Dick was.
ia tact, wide awake, and had been awake
fnr 4 long time. sGirls headsl wen ~ 4
Young. and believes ia women. Young men
very often do"
On the shelves round the room were nils
OF old Ietters, documents Of no more use ID
any one. account books, and all the litter Of
thirty years accumulation But to search
through this mass Of papers, black with dust
would take too long. He stood beside BIZ
sons table, uncertain, troubled In bis mind
not knowing where to look or whom L
s,sueck Here his son found him, when b
returned from dinner at two o'clock study
inr ths pictures Oh the blotting pad.
Dick,n be said, come into my room
Shut Tie door. Look here Do you know
fhese ehaeksF' He looked at the checks, an
~ h45 aan a. Ia enota. fherafora he ri,