St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-01-16
THE PONDALE ROBBERY.
eatisoaCtory Solution OF . Very
Mysterious Affair.

Mysterious Affair.
The peace and tranquility that had
long distinguished Pondale society was
disturbed and ruffled
Brown, the postmaster, was first to
discover that something was wrong
with Jaynes Bruce. the wealthy in
surance agent, who, instead Of buying
the Rampant Republican, - he had
every evening for the past twenty
years, got hold of the Defiant Demo-
crat and did not discover his mistake
till Brown called h 10 attention to it.
This and other circumstances gave
evidence of abstraction. After careful
consideration the gossips decided. with
out . dissenting voice. that Bruce had
something On his mind.
Now il Jaynes Bruce was troubled
about anything it was agreed that
there must be Q serious hitch in the
business or social mechanism of the
place, for he was president of the local
board of trade and . trustee of the
fashionable church.
The result of this conclusion immedi-
ately manifested itself in . slight bust
ness depression. first felt by Crane, the
butcher, who failed to obtain discount
on note until rigid inspection had
been made - to its security.
Had Pondale known the truth, its
social structure would have treEbled
70 its foundations.
Briefly, the cause Of Bruce's anxiety
was this: On three different occasions
within rs many weeks he had missed
from his safe sums of money ranging
from fifty dollars to three times that
amount
He was being robbed. and here came
the sting: The thief was some one in
his own employ.
Mr.. Bruce was one Of those men who
pride themselves upon their executive
ability. His business was performed
in the grooves of . cast-ir0n system.
His clerks were machines, and he had
taken care to construct all those ma
chimes himself.
He took the clerks rs soon as they
had finished their education, and, hav-
ing the raw material thus obtained be-
fore him, he nodded and reconstructed
n according to his own ideas When
he had finished the clerk was m accu-
rate automaton, adapted exactly TO the
place he filed and no other.
Once, however, he had departed
from his system to oblige . relative,
taking into his employ young Tom
HYDE, the smsrtest clerk in his estab-
lishment but whose utility Bruce was
never ready to acknowledge on &c
count of his having obtained his bust
ness training elsewhere.
Az soon Is Bruce discovered that he
was being robbed he 1t once suspected
HYDE, and for no reason except that
he knew his antecedents only through
report. which was NO reason at all
He had often said that nothing but
trouble would result from this break
In his system. and it may Be that deep
down in his heart he felt . grim salts
faction In finding himself . true
prophet
Another cause had appeared to preju-
dice him still further against Hyde.
Mr.. Bruce was . widowS., whose
house wax kept by his only child. .
very pretty girl, who materially had
MANY admirers, upon al of whom her
father had looksS With suspicion until
he had discovered that danger lurked
in IN unlooke6-sor quarter. and he
ooncentrated it upou Tom Hyde.
Jaynes Bruce had good sense enough
not to proceed in the ordinary way.
He did not call Miss Edith and COM
maud her to repel the advances Of his
presumptuous clerk. She was OF age,
had . neat little fortune in her own
right and had also inherited . good
share of what her father called
''streugth Of will" and some malicious
people (what great man has no enc
mies?) termed obstiDacy.
Now that he suspected him. he de-
termined to wait until he hod con-
vincing proof in his hands and chen to
show her that Hyde was VILLAIN OF
the deepest dye.
But 8 he sat reading his paper Be-
lore the open fire in the cory citing
room, his daughter crochetting. with
nimble fingers On the opposite side of
The center table. he could not foreoear
10 drop . hint that would tsll her In
delica&e way that he did not look upon
yoang Hyde With approval
NY dear" said he. with attempted
ealmnesA which proved IN utter fall
ure. smy der. don't you think that |
That ycang Hydeas conduct toward you
r rnfher-er, forward and presuming
em - q NJ poGition3"
a. 1Eooped Asr Log laihss toena-
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