Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1893-09-27
THE MISSING COAT.

HcNcI Ooiu dh ~ pouJ nv" 'SiJ'
very near was to death that night,
just year ago; but as | can now
look back and calmly recall each
thought, each word, each act, will
write it down as "A warning to all
who may find themselves similarly
circumstanced, hoping, with all my
heart, that the number may be few.
In the first place my name is
Frederick Putnam. | am, and have
been for the last ten years, the fore
man and bookkeeper of the large
numbering establishment of William
Winston & Company, and hope to
be for another decade, unless some
thing better turns up. Mr.. Win
ston is the resident partner and
manager of the manufacturing part
of the business. The other men,
bers of the firm, of whom there
are two, live in the city, at the foot
of the lake, and attend to the sales
of lumber, which we send them by
vessel.
This is by far the largest share of
what the mill cuts, though the
amount of our sales directly from
the mill to supply the country to
the west of us is quite large.
Well, one cold evening, just as !
was preparing for home, heard
footsteps on the crunching snow
outside, and suddenly the Office door
flew open, as though some one in
haste had given it push, admitting
a tall, stout, well-dress man, with a
small traveling-bag in one hand and
shawl thrown over his arm.
| was alone, Mr.. Winston having
gone home some half an hour be-
fore, locking the safe, in which we
kept our books and papers, and TAX
ing the key with him as usual. l
had already closed the damper to
the stove, put on my overcoat, and
was just in the act of turning down
the lamp-but, Of course, l waited.
"Good evening, sir" said the
man, bustling up to the stove, and
kicking the damper open with his
foot. "Has Winston gone to the
house?"
| answered that he had.
"Whew! | was afraid of it"
He drew out his watch-a very
fine one, thought.
81 shall not have time to 60 up"
he said. "The' train is due in fif-
teen minutes"
"Is there anything l can do?" |
asked.
III wanted to leave some money
with Winston. / intended to stop
in town a day or two, but | have
just got dispatch that calls me
home"
"What name, sir?"
Anderson, of Andersonville."
knew him then, though | had
seen him but once before. He had
been one of our best West custom
ers. ! say had been for the reason
that during the past year his pay
ments had not been so prompt. In
fact he was considerably behind,
and Winston had that very day
told me to write to him, and "punch
him up little" as he expressed it.
The letter was then in the breast
pocket Of my overcoat.
"You can leave the money with
me, sir, and I will give you re-
ceipt."
He seemed to hesitate, which net
tied me somewhat. | never blame
anybody since, however.
"How much is my bill?" he ask
ed, eyeing me sharply.
answered promptly, for | had
struck the balance not more than
half an hour before.
eleven thousand seven hundred
and fifty dollars and twenty-three
cents"
"Humph! Less than supposed.
Write me out a receipt for that
amount"
He left the stove and came and
looked over my shoulder while |
wrote.
ut is all right, Mr.. Putnam. !
know you now. You've been with
Winston a long time. can tell
your signature anywhere"
He drew from an inside pocket a
large black wallet, very round and
full, and counted out eleven different
piles of bank-notes, he told me to
count them. It was a short and
easy task, for each pile contained
just 100 bills. The balance was in
fves, tens and twenties, and took
more time to count them; but at
last we got it so that both were sat
isfied.