The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-10-28

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81 can't recommend the governor to par
don him."
When the door had closed between
them and Chalmers found himself again
in the open ali he felt himself i'll need of
physical action to relieve. the mental
stress under which he had held himself
so long. A walk would do him good,
and as he started toward the hotel to
which he had sent his luggage he took
definite satisfaction in crunching the
frozen snow of the pavement briskly I'M
der foot.
1t was after midnight and the aspect
of the city had changed. The lights
cleaned as brightly as ever in the tall
towers, but the merrymakers were gone
from the streets. Virtuous and respect
able folk had gone to their homes and
only the wayfarer and the guardians
of the peace remained. Here and there
burst of light and noise came out
from the suddenly opened door of a
drinking place. rs tipsy reveler came
reeling out. A beggar brushed past him
and asked for aims. In the square,
where had shone such brilliant scene
but little time before, the shadows of
the foliage now made queer iiickering
shadows on the smooth snow, and in
| their half light wretched unseXed out
cast of the streets lurled and leered at
him. Poor devil" he muttered to him.
self as he tossed her coin, ''we're all in
trouble together;'' and his thoughts were
of his brother, in his narrow cell, and of
himself, and of the blackhaired woman
whom they both loved, but whom now
neither perhaps would ever wed.
Having put his hand to the task, Chal-
mers now shrank from nothing that
was needful to further his purpose. His
first duty in the morning was to see Mr..
Rodney; this he preferred to do at that
gentleman's house rather than at the
bank, where he was so well known and
where he felt that he would be stared at
curiously. The bank president was cour-
teous, but firmly negatived his pro-
ppsals.
u am sorry for you, Chalmers" he
said, "but | can't do thing to help
you. No, | can't recommend the gov
ernor to pardon him. 1t wouldn't be
right. No, don't care about the money,
the bank can stand that we'll enough;
but it's the principle of the thing. Lots
of young men right here in this town
are following in Georges footsteps, and
they've got to be scared out of it. It's
| the only way to stop them"
II did not understand, Mr., Rodney"
said Chalmers stiffiy, ':that stock gam
bling-speculation We'll call twas so
wholly opposed to your own practice"
Speculation be blowedr' exclaimed
the president, with unfeigned astonish-
ment. Il hope you don't take any stock
in that cock and bull story your brother
told to Miss Tenant. / thought that
was only for the purpose of letting her
down easy, so l didn't say a word
though it was mighty hard work to keep
still-when she came here to me with
the deeds of every blessed thing she
owned and wanted to square his ac-
counts. That girls trump, tell you,
Chalmers. But do you suppose | would
see her little fortune go to replace money
that had gone into the rapacious nav
of this Mile. Leonie, as she calls her.
self? No, sir; amt that kind of a man."
81 presume you know what you are
saying, Mr.. Rodney" replied Chalmers
with calmness, startled though he was
by the presidents implications. But
remember, if you traduce my brother
needlesslI or attribute to him matters
that you fannot substaptiate in his
present detenseless condition you will
| have to answer to me-"
"Look here, Chalmers" returned the
other; neither you nor l are fools, and
we both know something of the world.
Now listen to me minute. If George
had bought stocks during the slump last
fall las l understand this story goesl,
when certificates were selling for about
the value of waste paper, and had got
hold of more than he could carry, and
had come to me and made clean breast
Of 1t, don't you suppose l would have
helped him out, even if he had been dip
ping into the banks funds for the pur-
pose? | wish to gracious somebody had
had the sense to go in then, and to drag
me and the bank after them. But we
were all afraid-thought the bottom had
dropped right out"
The president ended with a sigh at the
recollection of the lost opportunity; the
sight of Chalmers white face, pale and
fixed as marble before him, recalled t0
him the subject in hand.
::.No, sir,"-he resumed, ..:that wasn't it
at all. don't want to hurt you, but
you might as well know the straight
story now"
He looked at his companion interoga-
lively, and the latter nodded to him to
continue:
"The thing had been going On for
three years, and might have gone on for
as many more, or until the bank was
ruined, if it had not been for one of