The daily morning journal and courier., 1894-10-13

| Nghting his gray eyes and pursins ms kindly mouth. that any one, knowing him. would almost welcome trouble for the pleasure of having Dingleton help him out.
 Nothing serious:" answered Mir. Bill lingsby. brightening up.
 That's good" said Dingleton heart- fly
 Tt might lead to worse. though;" continued the banker refiectively.
 That's so:"assented Dingleton pleas antly.
 "The entire amount taken has not exceeded three months salary of our lowest paid clerk. But the nature of the peculations Is mystifying and an- | moving.
 Most always is:" unused Dingleton smpathetically.
 "one day 1t is in one department; the next, in another. It is never more than q bill or two of small denomina- ton. Sometimes. again. 1t is even post age stamps; and yesterday a bond cou- pon was missed"
 ''Umphw calculated the detective half dzlngly.
 You can see it is not the loss itself It Is the doubt and anxiety everyone suffers. The entire force Is becoming demoralized, and, as I learned this morning, this is being unfavorably mo- ticed by the banks customers"
 That's bad" mwmured Dingleton Suspect anybody?
 NO one; positively no one."" "Oh, no; to be sure" This softly and musingly from the detective. We | ran out and reported on all your folks here sometime ago, MT. Billingsby?
 "Yes, just twenty months since; when the new directory came in"
 "From-ah-the president down to the messenger and night watchmanT
 "Every one. Treated us all alike.
 "All alike;" echoed Dingleton blandiy. Have you those reports handy! The bank president unlocked his desk; reached into one of Its compartments and handed a small packet or neatiy- filed reports to the detective. The latter edged his chair around | little to the light and ran them over hastily, occasionally filliping the dust from one or another.
 "Too dustyw he observed quietly.
 What do you mean, DingletonT Good idea to look such things over, about well, about quarterly, Mr. Bill lingsby. Any good man can run long way off the track in less than quar- ter's time. In much less than a quar- ters time;" he repeated thoughtfully.
 "Why, know the habits and environ ment of every one of our employees like a book, sir"
 Do you?"
 The detective said this so politely, so casually and yet so pointedly, that the banker instantly knew it meant: Then why these thefts, and why have you sent for Dingleton? And he flushed noticeably.
 Good showing here; remarkably good showing, MT. Billingsby;" added the detective heartily. Have you taken on any employees since these re- ports?"
 "why, yes. There's old Everett" "Old Everett?" He's not far beyond my age; but I have come to think of him as old Eve rett,' he's so gray-haired, quiet, am- bling and hollow-eyed."
 Quiet, ambling and hollow-eyed?" repeated Dingleton with the infection of interrogation. And what are his duties?"
 "On the depositors' accounts-third or fourth assistant, I believe"
 Has access back and forth, to the vaults and passes and repasses the tellers compartments?"
 Certainly. A dozen other empolyes of necessity have also. Now, see here, Dingleton, I don't want you to involve that poor old fellow in any of your de- tective stratagems. You fellows have a way of jumping at conclusions and then weaving all sorts of assumptions and, devices to sustain your theories. Let old Everett alone. wouldn't have him hurt with even the suspicion of a suspicion for my position here Why, you might as well bounce upon his boy, Harry, our messenger; as thorough personification of frankness and sun- shine as ever helped bless the labors of great city,"
 Taken on together"
 Mot exactly. The old gentleman first, little over year since; and liar ry, two or three months later, at the time our old messenger went out on a pension"
 You don't mind telling me under just what circumstances?"
 MT. Billingsby flushed again. A man of his judgment, and his position. pioue easily at implied criticism of policy or sentiment.
 Certainly not" ThA little coolly.
 "You know believe in physical train- ing for business men? For years have kept up my habit of taking long walks every morning before and after breakfast; the after-breakfast jaunt al- ways terminating here at the bank"
 Excellent idea;;" observed Dingleton. taking another comfortable clutch at his fat fingers. H'~
 "When the first pinch of the hard times was upsetting monetary affairs l generally made it rule to get here unusually early. saw good deal on l my way through the city that worried l of men out of work, | hungry, distracted and desperate. One morning on reaching the bank I saw this very man, old Everett, shufling | back and forth in @ panting sort of | way along the side of the bank build- | ing, looking as though he were deter mined to do something for which he | could be taken in charge by the police"