San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-08-07
CHAPTER V.


~ am almost glad to hear that she Is not
the hcircss people said she Wds."
And now a matter has to be recorded
which will go far to convince many Of
our readers that Capt. Lane was even
more of an old fashioned prig than he
has hitherto appeared to be. After leav-
ing the Vincents' late on the previous
day he had come to his rooms, and sat
there for fully two hours in the endeavor
to compose brief, manly letter address
ed to Vincent pere. 1t was nothing
more nor less than the old style of ad-
dressing a gentleman of family and re-
luesting permission to pay his addresses
to his daughter Mabel. A very difficult
task was the composition of this letter
for our frontier soldier. He was desper-
ately in earnest, however; time was
short. and after several attempts the
missive was completed. His first duty
in the morning was to send that letter
by an orderly to Mr.. Vincent's office.
Then he turned to his sergeant and asked
for news Of the deserter. Not word
had been heard-not a single word.
Il have b2en everywhere could think
Of. sir" said the sergeant, land both the
men have been around his customary
haunts last night and this morning max
ing inquiries. but all to no purpose. The
detectives came and burst into his
trunk, and there was nothing in it worth
hiring He had been taking away his
clothing, ETC., from time to time in small
packages and secreting them we don't
know where. One thing | heard, sir,
that never knew before, and that was
that after he had gone to bed at night
he would frequently steal out of his
room and go away and never reappear
until breakfast time in the morning.
And now will the heutenant-the cap
tain-pardon me for asking the question,
are the check books all right, SIR"
What put that idea into your head:"
asked Lane.
We'll, sir, some of the men tell me
5hat he was always writing at his desk,
and once Strauss said that he had picked
up scrap of paper that he hadn't COM
pletely destroyed, and the handwriting
on it didn't look like Taintor's at all; he
said it more resembled that of the cap
tain, and it made me suspicious. ]
never heard this until late last night.
A sudden thought occurred to Lane.
Taking out his check book, he carefully
counted the checks remaining and COM
pared them with the number of stubs,
and found, to his surprise and much to
his dismay, that at least five or six checks
were missing.
Send for cab at once. | must go
down to the bank. You stay here, and
when Lieut.. Noel comes give him my
compliments and ask him to sit down
and wait awhile and read the morning
paper. I'll be back in a very short
time"
Following the custom established by
his predecessor, Capt, Lane had always
kept the recruiting funds in the First
National bank. His own private funds
he preferred to keep in an entirely differ
ent establishment-the Merchants Elk
change.
The cab whirled him rapidly to the
building indicated, anil, although it
lacked half an hour of the time of open
ing, he made his way into the Office and
asked to see the paying teller.
."Will You kindly tell me if any checks
on the recruiting fund have lately been
presented for payment" he eagerly asked.
The captain was referred to the book
keeper, and that official called him with
in the railing
mo less than four checks were brought
here yesterday for payment, and they
came between half past and o'clock
in the afternoon" was the bookkeeper's
report. There seemed to us something
wrong in the simultaneous presentation
of the four, and was on the point of adj
dressing a note to you this morning to
ask you to come down to the bank.
Everything about it appears in proper
shape and form, except that three of the
checks have been Endorsed payable to
your clerk, William Taintor, who came
IN person and drew the money"
Let me see the checks, if you please"
said the captain.
They were speedily produced. Lane
took them to the window and closely ex-
amined them.
~ could not tell them" he said. "from