Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1888-12-22
CHAPTER u.

y (AAHIEA IL
Y u snail country town it Is impossible
thet EaytEilg can be kept secret, except
murder, end then rumor points to so
Inscy probable criminals that justice and
dete1tiYo policemen become lost in surmise,
Gnd en1barrass the innocent that the guilty
may go free. Slow to detect murder, the
provincial intellect is swift at the discovery
OF love. Had Romeo met Juliet at fancy
Ball 81 Veddltssham, instead Of at mas
ouerade in Verona, and afterwards prowled
about the garden of his mistress fathers
house, the Signori Capulet and Montague
would have been Informed Of the occurrences
early on the following morning by several
competent and credible eye witnesses-all OF
the gentler sex, and the majority on the other
side of five-and-thirty years of age.
1t was Christmas day, cold, clear and
frosty NJ Dawbarn was dressed in his
brightest black, and his cravat was as mon
ument to the most irreproachable of laun
dresses But Mr.. Dawbarn was pale and
agitated, his head shook and his hands trem-
bled, till the papers he held i'll them ratified
and crumpled.
When a servant opened the dining room
door and announced Mr.. Munro" Mr.. Daw-
barn turned paler, and when the young clerk
whom Mr. Robert Sudden had so playfully
rallied n fortnight before in the street Ell
tered, the banker trembled more violently.
Mr. Munro" said the banker, when the
door was closed, ''you-you-you doubtless
know why have sent for you-on this fes
tive occa-sion-sion, tOday|
The Young clerk, who was as pale as Mr..
Dawbarn, faltered out, mo, sir" with 50
Transparent an effort that the banker saw
W.
reason of the interview.
your conduct, sir, has been such that /
IL do not know how to address YOU" STAN
rnered Mr.. Dawba1n THAT you, sir, my
servant, nv paid and salaried servant,
should haze 50 abused my confidence; should
have so dared to try to SO iniure he isis
what did not expect from you. | know all,
sir, all. You are discharged from the bank
this moment"
A Ucng shot over tho young mans face.
you will not be allowed to enter tho
again. This quarters salary is there, sill"
The banker put upon the table a small paper
packet Gas | shall not suffer you to take
your place at your desk again, there is half
years salary" The banker placed another
small packet on the table, and the clerk made
a deprecatorv motion with or ; hand. Il in
sist on it, sir and shall take no denial.
also insist on your leaving Bramllngdon to-
night or tomorrow morning, at the latest.
Should vou have any debts here, leave list
of them, and today being Christmas day,
will see that one of the clerks pays them the
tiav after tomorrow. There can be no ex-
cuse for your remaining, and your absence,
sir is q matter of much more Importance
90 HE than a few pal.ry pounds; 50 will
hear of no objection"
M Dawblrn paused and drew breath, and
the Young clerk looked at him and then at
the window, rs if out into far distance be-
yord.
Ny accounts, sir he began, when the
banker interrupted him.
"Nir be found quite right, I dare say. Had
Won only robbed me of money, sir, should
have bcca better pleased. l have treated
vou only too well, and in return see what
Won have DONE Mr.. Dawbarn struck his
clenchcd hand upon the table. But no
matter. Do understand that s on will leave
Bramlingdon tonight"
Munro took his ewes from the window, and,
boxing fu! III the bankers face, said:
Lucy"
Mr.. DGwbarn's face turned scarlet, and he
again seruc., the table Don't mention my
daughters name to me, sir, if you please. |
won't hear it! How dare you: There, sir,
are the publishing letters you have sent to
ncr. and if you have any sense of decency or
honesty left, you will return those you have
OF hers-of-Of my dau hter's."
Munro took M the letters his former mas
ter had tossed to hirl.
Did YOU hear m, ~ asked the banker.
II beg your pardon"
i say. VIA YOU rive me back her letters,
ana will you leave Bran. ingdon to-night:'
There was q pau 2, and the bells of the
church RAM out fc-' orning service.
Il can make no promise, SIR replied the
young clerk, very clearly. Il have duty
to yo3r daughter as well IS a duty to YOU. If
She desires that | should'-
You set mo ut defiance, do you, sir:" burst
in the banker. VERY good, very good; but
don't suppose that if you stay here forever
that yo1 VIII see my daughter, or be enabled
to write 70 her Ii you stop in Bramlingdon,
she gees, Next week she travels with Eer
mother To London abroad, anywhere away
from her fathers presumptuous clerk, who,
because his master asked him a few times to
his house, to sit at his table, and treated him
as IN equal, 50 far forgot himself as to lift
is ewes up to his daughter, his only child"
1t had been q terrible Christmas morning
III the bankers house. Mr.. and Mrs Daw
barn had been informed that their only
daughter. Lucy. rose every morning early
and had an interview with the young clerk,
Munro, il the kitchen garden, the door of
which opened into a lane, and Of which door
either Lacy or the young clerk, or both, pos
sessed key. Lucy had been forced into con-
fession, and had gone on her knees to her
papa, and wcpt and irlplored him not to hurt
her George. She had given up all his letters,
which she was in the habit of placing under
her pillow every night, and which letters
Munro had written stealthily in banking
hours and placed in a certain portion Of the
wall, near the tool house in the kitchen gar
dem Mr. Dawbarn went on wildly and
frightened Mrs Dawbarn, goo.i, notherly
woman, into q fit. When Mrs Dawbarn re-
covered, Miss Lucy went off into a swoon,
and her father and mother had to recover
her, and Mr. Dawbarn was in agony lest the
servants of his household should be cognizant
OF the disturbance, which was an entirely ull-
necessary excitement on his part, as they,
the servants, had known all about it for the
last eight months. Poor Lucy was told that
Munro was to be Immediately sent away,
but that she and her mamma were to go to
church that day, as their absence might be
remarked by 4 devout but curious congrega-
ton, and that she was to battle her eyes and