The Press., 1892-12-15


 And my eyes shall light him to bedi
 R. H. Stoddard in Century.
 OVERCONFIDENCE.
 Ten years ago i'll certain good sized town in Pennsylvania there lived fam fly whom Twill call Mitchell. The fam ily consisted of husband, wife and two children, the latter being boy aged five and 8 girl of seven. Mitchell was pri- vate banker, known to be honest, re- spectable and worth clear $1O0,O00. l knew little or nothing about the family until certain incidents occurred. One day his wife was fatally injured in a railroad collision at q point about fifty miles from home. When he reached her, in response to a telegram sent by stranger, he found she had been removed to hotel and was being tenderly cared for by woman who gave her name as Mrs. A. B. Gray, of Philadelphia. She was on the train, but suffered no injury.
 Mrs. Gray, as might as we'll tell you now, was petite, good looking, 8 good talker, and in & general way captiva- ting. Thefact of her taking charge of Mrs. Mitchell as she had done proved her tender heart. She told MT. Mitchell she had been a widow eighteen months and was practically alone in the world, and though he was burdened with grief and anxiety, he did not forget to thank her for her great kindness and to take her address. She resumed her journey, and he took his wife home to die of her injuries. It was three weeks after her death that came into the case. After everything was over the husband sud denly discovered that his dead wife's jewelry was missing She had with her when the accident took place about S1 ,OO0 worth of diamonds. They had disappeared, and when he came to run over events in his mind he could not re- member that they had come home with her. Mrs. Gray had turned over to him Mrs. Mitchell's purse and a few other things, but pair of diamond eardrops, two rings and a pin were missing. l@t
 I was employed toproceed to the scene of the late accident and seek to trace the jewelry. The collision had occurred right at the depot in 8 small town. Peo- pie about the depot and the hotel assured me that Mrs. Mitchell had her jewelry on when taken to the hotel. The land lords wife was positive, and the doctor who was called in was positive, and when I had worked the case out re- turned home to report to Mitchell that nobody but Mrs. Gray could have taken tt,nS 1xxy EI IS cfrr, suhn nd in dignant, and not only vigorously re- pudiated the implication, but discharged me from the case with the assertion that I was 8 novice in the profession.
 I went about other business, and it was about four months before saw Mitchell again. Then he sent for me in an official capacity again. No reference was made to my previous work, but fresher and other troubles had come to him. A month after the death of his wife he had opened Correspondence with had come to take charge of his house. He was without relatives. or at least without those who could aid him in his situation, and she claimed to be free in her movements. You will suspect just as I did, that she had captivated him, but he fought shy of any acknowledg- ment of the sort. I,haven't told you about the bank. It was situated just 8 square from his house and exactly in the rear of it. The house fronted on one street and the bank on another, and there was no alley be- tween. Indeed the rear yard of the house led right up to the rear door of the bank, and Mitchell used to come up and go through the yard. In the rear of the banking rooms, divided off by the usual railing, were the private offices and the vault. A burglar alarm was connected with the front doors and win dows, but none with the back. A large and savage dog guarded the rear, having kennel close to the door. -,.,.z.
 What the banker wanted to see me about was this: He had not only missed money from his wallet at night, but on two occasions considerable sums of money had been taken from 8 small safe which stood in his office outside the vault. One of the mysteries was in the taking of the money. He employed 8 teller and q bookkeeper, neither of whom had key to safe or vault, unless it was 8 duplicate made without his knowledg.. Neither had the word of the combina- tion of the vault, and it seemed impossi- ble that they could have taken the money, even if so inclined. Both were perfectly honest, so far as any one knew, and Mitchell was all tangled up over the mystery.
 He hadn't talked to me five minutes when I would have taken my solemn oath that Mrs. Gray was the guilty party, but of course didn't drop hint of my suspicious to him.. She was shy, prudent and apparently all right. and 1 had put in month on the case and made no di .covery when the outside safe was robbed again. A deposit and some bonds had come in at the last mo- .ment and had been placed there for the night. The whole thing amounted to about $900, and bonds and greenbacks were missing next morning. The safe had not only been opened with key, but the bank had been entered by un- looking the rear door. No one could have entered by the front without sounding an alarm. No stranger could have entered by the buck on account of the dog, who was wide awake and all right.
 When Mitchell sent for me to give me the news I was perfectly satisfied that
 Coop LOOKS. Good looks are more than skin deep, depending upon healthy condition of the vital organs. If tho liver