The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-17
A Pane OF GLASS.

IiAe tuc girl very UluCn, ana she mas Deen
rery faithful to her duties and a good sales
woman and all that, but cannot permit
this pilfering to go on. twill lead to some
thing worse before long. think the best
way to save her feelings will be just to tell
her at the end of the week that we don't
require her services any longer, and in that
way get quietly rid of her without any di-
rect accusation. You know we took her
solely on her own recommendation, with
out asking for any references-in fact, I'll
do her the justice to admit that she frank
ly told us she could not furnish any, being
stranger in the place.
But this stealing has been going on for
month now, and as far as we can learn or
find out she is the first one here in the
morning and is here alone long enough to
give her an opportunity to help herself.
Another thing have noticed, and that is
that she has had several little trinkets late
ly which seem to me decidedly more ex-
travagant than girl of her means could
afford to indulge in, unless she has come
by them through such means as begin to
fear she is guilty off,
Fred bit his lip and was silent.
1t would not have helped the case at all
for him to have told his father just then
that he knew the source from whence she
had derived those little gifts, which he had
contrived to convey to her in such way
that she would not be able to detect the
giver and SO return them, and which it had
afforded him such delight to see her wear,
little dreaming at the time that they would
only serve as an additional means of
strengthening suspicion against her.
He had been only waiting a favorable op-
portunity to speak to her of his feelings
and assure himself of her sentiments, be-
fore telling his father of the hopes he had
been cherishing, but before that opportu-i
nifty arrived this unexpected trouble and
threatened disgrace had cast shadow over
the fair name of the girl he secretly loved.
''I'll stake my life, father, that she hasn't
a trinket about her but what is honestly
come by" he exclaimed, after moments
embarrassed silence, and that she is a
thoroughly honest and trustworthy girl.
Don't discharge her this week, father.
Give her-give me one week more, and let
me see if l cannot discover the thief /
promise that if I find it is indeed she I
will not try to shield her. But let me have
that much time to try to discover the real
culprit."
Il don't see how you are going to do it,
replied Mr.. Adams, looking around the
apartment. There is no way that can
see but of getting here ahead of the thief,
whoever it Island, of course, the money
will not be taken with you looking on, and
there is no way for you to conceal yourself
in the room here. You know have been
accustomed to leave money in that drawer,
for the convenience of giving change if it
should be needed, before get down in the
morning, and nobod knows but you that
am in the habit of counting it every night
before leaving, and that for the last month
it has not balanced with the cashiers ac-
count, but constantly shows deficiency.
1t must be taken in tn morning, before we
get here, and Miss Allen is, as she has said
herself, the first one here-indeed she has
key of her own, SO that she can get in as
early as she pleases."
Fred's eyes had been rowing around the
room while his father was speaking. There
was. as he said, no possible chance of his
concealing himself anywhere in the room
without making the fact of that conceal
ment evident and thus defeating his pur-
pose, but as he glanced over at the desk,
which stood at the opposite side of the
room near the window. and in one drawer
Of which was kept the money for such mis-
cellaneous expenses as postage, kilograms
and other incidental small expenditure,
and from which sums that could not be ac-
counted for had been missing for a month
past, his face lightened. The window faced
another window of large building, tbs
side of which was separated only by mar
row court and which was for the time va
can't, and suggestion occurred to him
which he seized upon at once
cpl admit it does look black against
her. father" he said. but believe can
find way in weeks time either to yindi-
cate her or prove that your suspicious are
just, though I believe that it will vindicate
her., just let me have one more week, and
if don't discover the culprit by that time
l will make no further plea"
"All right, my boy" said Mr.. Adams,
smiling and perhaps not altogether with
out an intuition as to the cause of his sons
earnestness. II can stand the loss of few
pounds more, I guess Find the culprit,
and you can name your own reward"
II don't desire any reward, }" replied Fred.
But his troubled face told another story,
and one that his father was not slow to de-
tect.
Not only Margery Allen, but the three
OGutf girls Ill tLt eIlploy VI NuT. AudIQS'
Photographic establishment missed the
frank, bright smile and pleasant word with
which his son had been won't to greet them,
and into Margery's pretty eyes crept a look
of hurt surprise mingled with deeper
feeling. that went to Fred's very heart.
But he maintained his demeanor mistaken,
studying each face and act of
the girls with a scrutiny he had never be-
slowed upon them before, and by night he
had pretty we'll settled in his own mind as
to the culprit but to make that suspicion !
certainty was the task that remained.
If any of the girls in passing near the
window where the desk stood had CHANGED
to glance at the building opposite, they
might have noticed that it had been pro-
vided with shade, with the exception of
one pain of glass, where the shade had been
cut away. But they either did not notice it
or did not think it of sufficient consequence
to mention if they did, and the days work
went on as usual except that Margery re-
marked to herself, with little faster beat
ing of the heart that it was the first day
since her finding the employment that had
been to her such boon that Fred's eyes
had failed to meet hers with an encouraging
or friendly smile, in which of late she had
imagined she could detect a warmer senti-
mpDt