Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-08-25

lno.4gn comes ever every GAY. ana we
azc..4aye sucn news Is we cave Of tho
Gea- old reSIlreat ana the carer ones
who are our especial property. She Is
! what | call genuine woman, and ike
her more and more | must tell you
something | learned through her. The
day after our arrival we We're IN the
library. and my attention was attracted
by a large portrait, apparently crayon
copy of a photograph, that hung over
the mantel. 1t was of singularly
handsome young man, and knt at
once he must be a Guthrie. 1T Is my
brother. said Mia. il such sad. con-
trained tone. taken just few weeks
before his death six years ago. OF
course [ could ask no more. but Winl-
fred and | both noted how utterly her
face changed, how unspeakably dis
tressed "a look came into her eyes. We
could see then why Mrs. Holden should
have said she was haggard and i'll, and
Yesterday Mrs Holden told me some
thing of his story. He was barely TWEEN
tv-two. the idol of the family and inn
mensely popular in society. He was as
sistant cashier in one of she big banks
here. and one day the sudden discovery
was made that in some mysterious way
quite a large sum was missing, money
for which he was responsible. but he
could not account for it; neither could
ANYBODY else. The matter was investi-
gated thoroughly.
"They had detectives everywhere, and
absolutely nothing could be brougat up
against young Guthrie. He never gam
bled, never dissipated in any way, was
model son and brother. Mia was wild
with indignation at his having been
even suspected. Mr.. Guthrie offered to
make good the sum twice over if need
be. and to bind himself for all his
wealth to establish his boys honor, and
| for three or four days all was excite
ment, and then, in the midst Of it, poor
Jack was found dead in his room, a
half empty bottle of chloral by his bed
side. The world said suicide. guilty con-
science. etcetera. but Nita and others
| knew that he had not slept wink since
! the discovery Of the loss and was crazed
with misery. They have always main
| tsined II was an accidental overdose.
/ But i nearly broke Mr. Guthrie's heart,
and it was three years before Mia would
20 into society in S.. Louis again. They
went to Europe and staid there ever SO
long.
what makes it seem probable that
he was uniustly suspected was that the
bank dismissed its cashier, Jacks most
| intimate friend. a man two or three
years older than himself, and devoted
adinirer Of Nita's. 1t was even sup
posed that she was engaged to him.
He had no wealthy friends to stand up
for him, and Jacks death made it APP
pear as though shelc had been guilt;
and vet such sum could not well have
been made away with except by the
knowledge or collision of the cashier
| himself, and though proofs were lack
ing. he was discharged the very day
poor Jack was buried. No one knows
whatever became of him afterward, and
people settled down into the belief that
| this Mr.. Worden was the real thief. But
now comes the strangest part of it all.
The president Of the bank was widow
er who, for two years, had been a sutton
of Nita's, persistent sutton, despite her
marked GOODNESS and aversion. Four
months ago rumors began TO float as TO
the stability OF the bank: then came a
run. panic; the bank had to close its
doors; immediate investigation into its
affairs was made, and then came the
discovery that the president had been a
heavy speculator and had unquestion-
ably used the funds of the bank to cover
his losses. They found his body in
the river four days afterward, floating
down by the old barracks, where you
and had such a happy winter twenty
years ago. People say now that it was
President Percival himself all the time.
and that he threw suspicion on young
| Guthrie because he knew the father
would eagerly pay any sum to cover the
loss and hide the shame; but Jacks
death baked the scheme,
do you wonder now that Nita is
sometimes overweight and nervous:
Poor GIRL who knows what she has suf-
| fered? Who, to see her in society, would
| dream that she had ever suffered at all:
Do you suppose Captain Rolfe did not
hear all about this when he was here on
recruiting service?
"Now you ask me to tell you every
thing about Winifred. Is she happy? Is
she getting over her Disappointment |
do not know just what to say. She is
always bright and apparently joyous in
society; always grateful for every kind
ness and attention shown her; but she is
rarely alone one minute from morning
until late at night, and cannot be sure.
She never speaks of him; and in all the
whirl of social gayety here, and the at
tention she receives ON every side, |
think, hope, she may forget her girl
ish sentiment. Time will show"
Time might have shown, but time was
not accorded. Coming home late one
night from delightful dance their car
| ,.;oo,e efo,,na1 o11tSida fba massive 1aoft.a-