Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-12-29

.Just one minute more" said the detective.
There was a half minutes consultation, then
Mr.. Bonus said, with a sigh:
1--WE leave the case entirely in your hands.
I understand that Mr.. Meiggs is satisfied as to
your ability to manage it"
Perfectly" said Meiggs, speaking for the
first time.
The sensation of next days papers was the
Ascending of the popular Mr.. Brooks, of the
Stability bank. The ticket agent was inter-
viewed, the hotel clerk was interviewed,
Saunders was interviewed, and gave a graphic
account of his meeting with Brooks in Chica-
20, and added much about his CHASTITY, con-
sciencestricken face, which he had not men
toned to Mr.. Bonus. Bonus was interviewed.
but said nothing; and the directors were in
tervieweA and said nothing. The detective
was interviewed, and was loquacious; and
the accountant vas interviewed, but gave no
information.
Next day there was a run on the bank, but
all claims were promptly paid and things
seemed to be going on SO much as usual that
before the second day it died out and the
bank resumed its former appearance. There
was a meeting of the directors a few days
afterward. All of the directors were present,
with Mr.. Bonus in the chair. The detective
was seated near a window, the accountant
stood with some balance sheets in his hand at
the lower end of the table.
"Gentlemen," he said, looking at his papers,
there is a deficiency Of S65, $40. 49,"
A look of horror went round the board.
The president leaned back in his chair with a
face as white as ashes. Meiggs had a frown
on his brow and drummed On the table with
his fingers, but he resisted the temptation of
saying, II told you So"
1.-THE stealing" resumed the accountant,
"has been going on for some time and it has
been most ingeniously covered up. The books
apparently balance perfectly, and it was only
by discovering this paper Of figures which I
found in Brooks. private drawer that I got a
clew to the defalcations."
II suppose" said Mr.. Meiggs, "that we have
no further need of Mr.. Ruler; he has done the
work in a very satisfactory manner"
So Mr.. Ruler departed for Chicago and the
detective took his place at the table.
"Gentlemen," he began, II propose to an
nounce in to.morrow's papers that the books
have been examined by experts from Chicago
and that all is perfectly straight. The theory
that will be given of the absconding will be
that, through overwork, Mr.. Brooks has be-
come deranged and I think that we may wind
up with a tribute to his honesty. You may
have observed that the papers say that he has
not specialized and that he had no bad habits,
so we may infer that the Doodle is in the
valise which he took away with him. If you
ever wish to see any Of this sixty odd tho1s-
ands I hope you will express our regrets for
Mr.. Brooks. thrust that nothing serious has
hoppooo1 tn him -
II thought" said the president, "that truth
was your motto"
"Ah, that was last week. Detectives mot
toes have to change sometimes"
Next day the whole town of Stability heard
Of the arrangement of the promising young
man Brooks, lately cashier of the well known
bank of that city. The detective had gone
home. The papers announced that nothing
in the extraordinary transaction reflected on
the good nam of Mr.. Brooks.
Meanwhile Mr.. Brooks had exhausted the
resources of Windsor and was looking yearn-
ingly across to the American shore. He
watched with interest what the papers said of
his case. At last, when it came out that his
innocence had been made clear, he felt a glow
of triumph that his bookkeeping had stood
the severest test that Chicago had been able
to apply. There was now no reason why he
should remain in Canada. He telegraphed to
Mr.. Bonus that for the past week he had been
feeling very queer, and had come to himself
in Windsor aid would be back shortly. When
Mr.. Brooks stepped off the ferry on the
wharf in Detroit a man who had crossed with
him put his arm through his and said:
"Mr. Brooks, I 4 am very glad to see you"
"Who are you?" asked tho astonished
Brooks. II don't think I know you"
mo; you don't" said the other, "but
know you. am a man who hears sermons
in running Brooks, and may tell you that
your race is ended for the present. You are
just n trife too smart, Mr.. Brooks. I ar
Detective Grabum, Of Chicago."-Luke
Sharp, in Detroit Free Press.