Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-12-27
named in the city nearly a week.


ricd into the country AS soon Us they
were delivered to the specified parties,
I returned to st. Joseph.
I hurried to the office: somehow, /
felt as if something was wrong. AS 1
unlocked the inner door, Major Hawley
looked up from his newspaper, and
said:
"By the way, Marie, your brother
came yesterday and got some books
from your desk"
"Some books!" 1 said. And I felt
myself growing pale.
eyes. Ledgers, you know. knew
he was your partner, and so let him
take them. Nothing wrong, is there,
Marle?"
No." I said, and went into my Office
and shut the door. Ny first movement
was to open my desk hurriedly. Yes,
they were gone. John had the books
denounced him for villain.
After awhile grew cooler. Twas
very much surprised at what he had
done. 1t was not like him. 1t was
plain that he thought meant to cheat
him in some way.
Nor was inclined to trust him. I
did not believe that he would make
charges against me on the books, but T
knew lie would reckon that five hundred
and sixty against me on the general ac-
count, nor believe my story that these
OUTLAWS were never made with his
money, or money on which he had q
claim. Nothing burns up confidence
like the love of gold. John and had
never before had word of difficulty or
hard thought, and now here we were,
ready to call each other thieves and
liars.
In the first place I eltinsulted by his
suspicion. I meant no injustice; I
merely wanted what I considered my
right-what thought I had we'll
earned. Then this movement of his,
which had the look of outwitting me, l
mentally mathematical. It was
mean, SLY thing to do.
OF course he would transfer the &C.
counts to his own possession, and re-
turn me the books. There were five of
them. If he had worked all the
night before, he could not have thor
oughly examined more than one. This
private account of mine was entered on
the latest. So the thought came to me,
finally, to regain immediate possession
of this one, at least.
1t was not the mere five hundred and
odd dollars I cared for the loss of; it
was the right which this gave John to
infer that I spent more than I &C.
lnowledged, and, that my personal ex-
penditures were not so inferior to his
that could claim more than half the
contested profits; and more, it was the
disagreeable idea of being defeated.
That very night started for Marie
vile. I arrived the next day. I went
straight Johns house. He received
me alone, his face set in unusual lines,
and his eye meeting mine burningly.
John Marle," said I, ''you have done
a mean thing. You have insulted me-"
"You refer to my taking the books in
which our accounts have been kept?"
he said, quietly.
II do"
Il had right to see them, if I
wished" he said.
But you had no right to come, like
thief in the dark and take them, until 1
told you that they were prepared for
you to examine"
"What preparation did they need?'
said he, with o sheer.
This was too much. Before I knew
what 1 was doing 1 struck him. He was
a large man, but he reeled and clutched
at the piano to save himelf from falling.
His aim missed, and he grasped only
the rich, crimson cloth, and he dragged
it with him as he dropped into seat.
He was very pale. was almost ready to
beg his forgiveness, when he looked at
me with such gaze of hatred that I
turned, instead, and walked out of the
room, kicking an embroidered stool out
of my way as went.
This interview had not been satisfac-
tory, and I was at loss what to do
next. An amicable settlement of the
matter was now out of the question.
I was passing the house that evening,
when I saw the family carriage, con-
tanning my brother, his wife and his
four children, drive away from the
gate. I decided instantly that they
were going to evening meeting in the
town two miles distant. Then the
house was left alone, comparatively
and the books-were they there? Could
I not enter, find them and take posses
sion of them as unceremoniously as John
had done?
1t was growing dark. There was no
light in the front of the house, but saw