, 1886-09-16

Eyes, sir, l missed 1t yesterday; and l wrote
to M1srr Marshall, to whom l had sent the
one before that, thinking that I had torn out
two by mistake"
"Tha. rather points to his innocence
whispe red Mr.. Livescy 10 the tall man nt his
elbow.
at may he only Il clever point, sir re-
turned the other.
"You did not put that letter among the
others to be copied in the letter book, = put In
Mr.. Mason.
CrumD hung his head.
lis the cheek he began. after a pause
"Of course II Is forged, - answered Mr. Live
sey.
And was it paidf'
dyes; it was paid yesterday"
MIR Crump shuddered, took n long breath,
and waited.
"Now, Clump, you had better make n
clean breast of It." said MIR. Livesey, after IA
few moments silence. "Tell us who this man
Beckwith is; tell us where the money has
gone-it can't all be spent already-and it
will be mono tho worse for you
Mr.. Crump felt a choking sensation in his
throat; but he plucled up courage enouyh to
say: al ave told you already, sir, that
know nothing nbout 1t. 1t was only yester-
day morning that l noticed that a check had
been taken from the book"
aNhy did YOU not mention it7' asked Mr..
Mason.
II thought ] had torn It out myself along
with tho one ] sent to Mr.. Marshall"
"But it may have been torn ont by any
one in the Office during the day beforef'
ayes, sir, replied Crump. IL don't sec how
any ono could have rot at the book, for | am
very careful. but it il possible"
"The thief hns probably got a professional
forPer to COPY the signature from an old let
ter" said Mr.. Mason, taking up a slip OF
paper. at is beautifully initiated. ! would
not have detected it myself
at il plain that the thief must have been
some one in the Office. though probably he
had an incomplete outside, said Mr.. ~JciircSs.
"a stranger would not have known that the
firm Ind SO largo a balance at the moment
Is there any one Of your fellow clerks whom
yo think may have had n hand in itg' he
added, turning to tho cashier.
"No. sir
"Is there any one who keeps loose company,
or any one who is in the habit of spending too
much money!
Mr.. Crump thought of Carter and hest
tated for n moment.
"Speak, sir, ii YOU are wise, - said Mr.. Live
sey sternly.
81 have sometimes thought that Mr.. Car
ter spent n good deal on dress and so on" TT
Piled Mr.. Crump. But as he spoke he sud
denly remembered Robert Carriers unusually
early appearance on the preceding morning,
and q suspicion arose in his mind. Without
intending it he allowed his thoughts to ap-
pear in his face, so that his protest-"I know
nothing whatever against Mr.. Cartor'-had
but little effect.
Crump was sent back TO his desk and Car
ter was sent for. lie came back to the clerks
Ia q urnto nj -ra.t tn1,-,.ts-. L..:--
st-enuously denied any knowledge of the
forgery. Tic result of a consultation be-
tween the bank managers and the partners
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 dis
missed at once. AS to Carter, they deter
mined to nllow him to remain where he was
and keep a close watch on his proceedings.
Poor Walter Crump went home that day
like one in a dream. He WINS ismissed as the
accomplice OF a forgeri And he could not
say that, in the circumstances, he had been
treated unJustly. The check had been in
trusted to him, and he had lost it. IL was,
apparently 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 fayorite 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 sus-
picion Of having robbed his employers Of
G3.oo0.
About { o'clock in the evening a knock
came at the old mans door. 1t wus Robert
Carter. Crump started to his feet in indigna-
ton. Was this fellow, whom he suspected to
~ fla r.al criminal IN ratna and nIa.f arnr
him in his miseryi
But before he could speak, Carter had come
into the room and held out his hand.
II came to tell you, Mr.. Crump,' said he,
chow sorry we all are in the Office about this
None of us believe You had anything to do
with it, of course. 1t will all come out,
likely, in a day or two"
The old man stared Mt him for a minute or
two without speaking and without taking
Carriers hand.
"Bogonc, sirl' he cried at last. How dare
you come hero TO insult me with your sympa-
thyi You'll | fancy you are the one who
knows most about it,
Annie turned from one to the other with be
wildered, terrified looks, Fortunately she
was the only other one of the family in the
room.
"What is it, fatheri' she cried, clasping her
hands. "What is it you say Robert knows
more about thnn any one elsol Oh, tell me
what has happenedf'
go to your ROOM, girl" said her father,
sternly. "Ihcrc is trouble enough without
your modelling in it. Stop no continued, as
the girl slowly left the room. "You see that
young man. l forbid You to Sec him, to
write to him, to receive any letters from him.
He-vou will know soon enough"
what, siri' cried Carter, his eyes blazing
with indignation. DO you shy that THAT
took the check. Why, it was an inpossi-
bility. even il l had wished to do such a
thing
Leave my house, sirl' was tho old mans
reply, rs ho fcseated himself in his chair. IIc
had by this time persuaded himself that in
some unguarded moment he had left his key
in the safe, that Carter had taken an impress
sion Of it and Ind n false key made, und that
he had got some clever forger 10 initiate the
firms signature. But he knew that no one
would believe him, that appearances were all
against him. and that 1t would be impossible
for him now even to earn his own bread. He
looked upon Carter ms the mnn who hal ruined
him, and In his misery and unreasonnbleness
he fnncied that one of the young mans OBJ
jects was to throw suspicion upon him to re-
ducc him to poverty and make II impossible
for him to refuse to accept him for Armies
HUSBAND. but IN inns the old man determined
he would never yield.
Carter protested once more against the in
justice of the cashiers suspicious and then
left the room. At the street door he met
Annie, who was waiting for him.
"Oh, Robert she exclaimed in a low voice,
tell me what Inns happened"
Somebody at tho Office has forged a check
for $4,000 md more he replied. at had
been taken from your fathers book and-and
-hc fancics l took i'll, who had nothing to
do with his safe Whatever
"And do Won inn-ine IL vvns-n