The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-08-14
Selected storm.
A Bank-RObber.

Once there was q man. He was clerk
in a bank at $40 month. His name
was John Smith. At directors meet
ing, one day, after the di.counts had
been passed upon and the portly d.
rectors were laboriously getting up to
90, the president, who was the ablest
and wore the most expansive vest of
any of them, stopped them.
"By the way" he remarked, " have
a note from John Smith, one of our
young men, you know-some OF you
know him-but | guess ] must have
lost it. Anyhow, he wants his salary
raised. He says the business of the
bank is four times what it used to be
and his work has increased accord
ingly. He says that with an increase
in the amount of money handled comes
an increase in the strain on his in
tegritv. He seems to think he ought
to be paid for not robbing us. Be-
sides, he says he can scarcely keep his
family on his salary. l suppose l can
answer it without calling another board
meeting ?" he concluded, facetiously.
"Tell him he oughtn't to have such
a big family" suggested one.
"Quote the law against embezzle-
ment to him." said another, and so on,
as they buttoned up their overcoats and
went out about their business.
By-and-by John Smith got the fol-
lowing note, signed by the president
and written upon the note-paper of the
bank, bearing the imposing array of
directors names in neat engraving at
the head of it:
" Mr.. JOHN SMITH:-In answer to
YOURS of even date, | am instructed by
the board of directors to say that they
can not agree with your view of the
case. 1t is true that your work has
largely increased with the growth of
the bank under its present successful
management; but it is no more than
YOU are able to do and no more than
we can find others to do for the salary
we now pay you. The other phase of
the matter you present-that we should
paw you for the moral wear and tear
incident to resisting temptation to steal,
as well as for the physical and mental
work you do-has no weight Our re-
lations, however pleasant personally,
are purely a business affair on both
sides. We pay you so much money for
so much work. Your honesty is pre-
sumed. If you should prove dishon-
est we would discharge you and the
law would send you to prison. With
your family affairs we have nothing to
do, but l may suggest to you that care
full economy in small household ex-
penditures will result in an annual saw
ing which will surprise YOU. Without
endeavored to pry into your private
hax., 7
may say that, in my opinion, the pre-
vailing tendency of young people now
adays is to live too high, instead of be-
ing careful to lay up something for
rainy day."
The directors hadn't been in session
long, the next day, when John Smith
opened the door, handed in a slip of
paper, and walked back to his desk.
There was silence for minute, then
murmur, then the clerks outside heard
a clatter of moving chairs in the board
room, and then the door opened and
two or three voices called, "Smith"
"In a momentW answered Smith,
cheerfully, laying blotter between
the leaves of the book he had been
writing in, and carefully tucking his
pen behind his ear, as though he were
making his toilet.
"What do you mean by this ?" they
demanded, when he appeared in the
directors room. What do you mean
by telling us there is only $9,647 so of
available cash, and suggesting that we
get some for the counter? '
It's So" responded Smith, {" and
thought you ought to know it before
tho ic oil ahnola1 Tba
bank ought not to have to close its
doors in the middle of the day"
But according to your statement of
yesterday and your showing of to-day's
business, there ought to be $3.50, GAS
Where is the quarter of a million
We were just discussing an investment
for it,"
"I've invested it myself" responded
Smith, coolly, :" in safe place-$250,-
600 of it. The other twenty cents
took for street-car money. | took a
quarter of million away with me last
evening""
You what ?''
g stole it, in plain English. When
| got this response TO my note to the
president but really, | must renew
my suggestion about the ACCESSIBILITY
of getting some cash on the counter.
You are very short, and you ought to
attend to it at once"
Two of the directors drew their
checks on other banks and sent them
out, although the signatures were very
shaky; and then, quite at his ease, Mr..
Smith leaned up against the carved
mantel-piece, read the presidents note
refusing his request for ALI increase,
and went on:
when got this note it set me ia
thinking whether, as our relations were
a purely business affair, couldn't dc
better than go on as | had been doing
There was S250,000 in convenient
shape that l could get my hands on
| might have skipped to Canada with
it, but don't like the climate. tool
the money away with me and concealed
it "-pausing for moment and smil
ing down into their eager faces" in {
place known only to myself. | shall
uiua nusalf m and 90 Our ra1atione /,