The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-10-12

Edith knew there would be trouble very
| soon.
| She at once put herself on short allow
ance. She did not go into shop. She
| passed the most attractive book stores say
| ing, Lead Us not into temptation" She
went on foot il she could not ride in her
own carriage, by which / mean she never
! took the peoples caYriage-the street car.
She was even mean enough to put nickel
into the contribution box at church, sit
ting in the very pew where the deacon was
always sure of five dollar bill. But then
Edith made an account of this, and sol
EMMY pledged herself for every nickel she
laid on the altar TO place ten dollar bill
when-she had it. Dear child, she knew
the difference between little turtle doves
and good large lambs. These economics
she kept up steadily. But economies do
not create money.
And ii seemed as If never were the IN
expected expenses so terrible Then came
a bill for annual costs at the cemetery
which her father had forgotten. Edith
promptly paid that. Then came her an
nual subscription at the Sheltering Arms,
her assessment at the Ladies Relief and
the Sewing Womens Friend. The same
afternoon came a man from the OklohomA
free school. Every young lady of her 40
Quaintance had subscribed so. DIR. With
erspoon had recommended it, and Edith
knew that she was expected TO subscribe.
Endless appeals were made, indeed, from
one and another similar charity. And as
a climax the lst of July came and all her
quarterly bills. The footing was terrible.
And she with so little in her pocket, and.
if there was any virtue in arithmetic, not
$40 in the Waveriy bank!
Edith, on the % Of July, did what you
or would have done. She ordered her
coupe and babe James take her to the
Amicahle again. 1t was just possible that
the things might have changed themselves
back again.
The warders knew her and told her it
was pleasant morning, SIS it was. But it
seemed TO Edith that they looked on her
with an inQuiring air, as If they wondered
that she had dared to come. Still she
braced herself to her duty. She gave the
mystic number and she produced her key,
at which the bolt few back at the right
moment, just as it does in the Forty
Thieves" She carried the tin box out TO
the very same cell she had occupied before.
She felt AS if she were a nun in a convent.
She opened the box and-there was moth
ing there. Then she waited little-poor
child; this was to deceive the warders
Then she locked the box and carried it
back She dared not look them in the
face as they babe her good day, but she felt
in every bone that they disapprOved of her
and even scorned her. Sadly and doubt
fully she babe James take her home, and
he did so.
An idea had crossed her in the cell. The
bonds she had in place of hers were not
hers. No. But they took the place of hers.
Now as she could not cut off her own cOu-
pons and deposit them in the Waverley
bank as her father had taught her, might
not she honestly cut off these coupons and
deposit them, replacing them when the
moment came by her OWN
1t is quite clear, dear reader, 70 an in
structed conscience like yours and mine
that she might not; but Edith had accus-
toned herself to think Of these coupons as
so much money, and as she certainly would
have taken 80 many greenhacks had she
left them in her box and found them there
without looking to see if they were the
bills of one bank or of another, so she sup
posed, though she supposed wrongly, that
a coupon Of the Cattaraugus and Opelou-
sas was money as truly as a coupon of the
c., B. IL O., if only it were dated rightly.
She was u little confused when she found
that no coupons had been cut Off the Cat
tarsugus and OpelOusas bonds fhr FIVE
years, but little did she know of the weak
nesses of that enterprise. She did know
that her quarters coupons on her own
bonds would have yielded her $40; she
made out that amount as well as she could
from the Cattaraugus and Opelousas cOu-
pons. took DO more than she needed, wrote
a memorandum of what she had done and
pinned it upon the coupons. For" she
said, Il may die" and she remembered
that she had heard her father say that some
written memorandum must be left for the
benefit of executors.
She then ordered her carriage again and
rode TO the Waverley bank She handed
her bank book TO the teller, as she had
done before, and the man bowed, a. the
other men bowed, and said it was fine
day She also said it was "A fine day, bat
the spell did not work. When he looked
at the coupons he made no entry in her
little book. Indeed she thought he start
ed. and he crossed the room and spoke 70
his chief The attentive chief at once came
TO the window.
Miss Lane" he said, your father has
made mistake These are Cattaraugus
and Opelousas coupons, and you know it is
long since those could be negotiated
think your coupons arc G., Z. and q. C.,
X and w, and from United States bonds,
are they notY'
Are these not just the same thinR'"
said Edith, feeling a. II she should sink
through the ground. II know nothing
- I fr 20
Here she held closely TO the truth.
She could see vague smile of contempt
pass over the cashiers face as be said:
'W We'll, don't know what hopeful people
would say. Miss Lane. only these things
have no value on the market Bring rs
around your G., b. and Q. and re Will
cash them for you gladly"
Then as she was turning away the teller
whispered to him again, and he said, Do
not give yourss3 any trouble. but you
have overdrsvn your account little"
Poor Edith did not know what this
meant, and he explained that She bad
drawn more money from the bank than
she had ia e; thst this would BE- made
clear 20 her as she looked az the checks
which the teller gave Der. IL was Of 10
the cashier said. only be
thought he would call her attention 70 A.
- poor Edith left the bank without any
money, and feeling that she WIS much
deeper down in the bog Of disgrace than
she bad known
Fortunately she did not understand that
Il ANYBODY had supposed tina. she WAS dis
honest IN overdrawlng ner bank account
she could have been arrested before she T.
LEFT the building This would not have |
happened, however. in any Circumstance /
10 her fathers 6auzhter. The Wsverisy [
bank was a new bank and the people, were /