San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-04-14
4" NO said he.

berS ON sheet of paper, and pushed
checks, notes and gold up to the fiat
middle part of my desk. l did not
books that night, and when l had fin.
ished the letters and he was gone
should put the money i'll the safe in the
back room. The memorandum of the
numbers l should leave with the keys
at Chaplain, and the whole transaction
would be dealt with by my assistant,
BroadwOod, in the morning.
Making out the list had taken a little
time, as the notes were all small and no
two in sequence; they had been col
lected for minor accounts in the coun-
try.
81 put my list of notes on the desk be-
side me, and went on with my letters,
several of which were now ready for the
copying press.
"That evening GRANNY talked lot
about the business and the news of the
day and all sorts of things. could not
tell him to go away, for he could see L
was not myself leaving yet, and copying
the letters, putting them to dry, inclos-
ing them in envelopes and addressing
them was not occupation for which
man could reasonably claim quiet.
when my batch of letters were ready,
seeing half an hours work still before
me, held them out to him and said,
When you are going should be obliged
If you would post these, as am not near
ly finished here yet
"'Certainly,' said he, taking the hint
and rising.
"'Any one in the place who could show
me out? All the gas is turned off below
and l have never gone down in the dark
ness said he, moving away.
"There's no one but ourselves here.
I'll show you the way l said with alac-
rity, delighted to get rid of him.
Il had led him through the long, dark
corridor and half down the stairs when
he suddenly stopped and cried out: My
stick! l left my stick above. l won't
be a minute, Mayfeld. Just wait here
for me-
He ran up stairs to fetch his stick and
was back with me in the darkness in a
few seconds.
81 found it all right, he said; 1t was
just at the door. got it without going
in at all.
Il struck a match to light him, and
presently he was out on the asphalt of
Bread street, walking rapidly toward
Cheapside.
"When l got back to the counting
house the checks were on the fiat top of
the desk. The gold and notes were
gone.
Il had taken the numbers of the notes
on a sheet of paper, and left the list on
the slOping part of my desk to dry be-
fore putting it into my pocket.
The paper on which | had taken the
numbers Of the notes was gone alSo!"
AS my father-in-law spoke rose to
my feet and tapped the glass over the
document let into the oak above the
fireplace, saying, And this is the paper
with the numbers of the stolen notes on
it."
and that is not the paper with the
numbers of the stolen notes ON it," said
James Mayfeld.
From the moment l left the count
ing house to show Grainly out that
night, twenty years ago, no one has ever
seen the list | made of the notes. Grain
iy must have destroyed it the moment
he was out Of Bread street"
My father-in-law finished his glass of
port and resumed his story:
Here was |, on the eve Of my mar
riage, simply ruined.
"Grainly had my receipt for the G293
cash, and he had the G293 cash also, and
Grainly was a thief who enjoyed the
favor of his employer, while was in no
particular favor with the firm. | be-
lieve Up to that time l was supposed to
be honest.
The e4S in gold was of course gone
as much as if it had been dropped into
the crater of burning mountain; and
as the numbers of the notes could no
longer be produced, and they had not
come direct from bank, but had been
picked up here and there in the coun-
ny, IIO "-~tV "SIS SOIO do IuOISl JutN
had been blown overheard in the AT
lantic ocean.
ut was plain there would be no use
in following Grainly even if knew the
way he had gone when he gained Cheap
side. 1t was plain no marriage could
take place tomorrow morning. 1t was
plain my course was to go without the
loss of moment to Mr.. Strangway and
tell him what had happened. Whether
he would believe me or not who could
say? Not l anyway. He might reason.
ably order me into custody. Very well
if he did must not grumble or feel ag
| grieved. Our wedding was fixed for II