The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1894-12-08

door. But few hours now separated
him from the detection which he knew
to be inevitab Bile. and which for many
weary, miserable weeks had held his
spirit in the darkness of its shadow.
Honest, upright, faithful 10 his trust,
i John Carver had marched through
forty years of rigid adherence to prin-
ciple and duty. and had fallen in the
forty first with shock SO deep and
sudden that the force of it had we'll
nigh broken his honest heart
] We have here to do with the effect,
not with the cause of the sin. The
motive had been doubtless strong one.
for John Carver was strong man,
morally and physically. Strong-but
the hollow eyes, the sunken cheeks, the
trembling hand, told of tie ravages
that ceaseless singing remorse had
already wrought, the nights of restless
tossing, the days of fruitless yearning,
to GO back to that dread hour and undo
what had been done. As yet the harm
| OF 1T was in his heart alone. When he
had taken from among its ninety-nine
| companions that bond of one thousand
dollars. his firm intention to restore it
to the package before counting-day
was no stronger than his belief in his
| ability to effect such restoration. But
| circumstances, those unstable factors
in earthly events, had otherwise or
! dained. The money-pressure which
for many months had tossed on cy-
! clonic pillows the whole community
had augmented rather than decreased,
| and when John Carver asked redemp-
ton of promises given he found him
self face to face with black wall of
impossibiIity, in which the blacklist
and most ponderous stone Of all was
the impending counting-day.
"Mr. Carver!'
The wretched man started as if to
face an accuser. So absorbed had he
been in bitter introspection that he
was unconscious of the entrance of his
head clerk, who now respectfully ad-
dressed him.
''The committee will meet at ter
o'clock. Have you decided about the
assistants?"
John Carver had pulled himself to-
gether
But for his pallor and the sad hunt
ed look about the eyes, both of which
were easily attributable to temporary
illness or overwork, he was in appear
ance quite himself again.
In deep, steady tones he replied:
"You may ask Mr. Jones to let us have
Mr.. Sam uels and MIR. Slocum. They
were both with us on the last occa-
sion, were they not? And then you
might go to Mr.. Desmond's depart
ment and ask il he can spare Mr..
French for few hours"
Very good, sir!"
As the clerk disappeared, John
Carver slowly descended the marble
stair and seated himself at his desk,
where the demon of despair soon re-
gained possession of him.
One more hour before the counting
should begin. One more hour closeted
alone with his shame-his sin-then
exposure, humiliation, loss of position,
ruin, prison for himself. poverty and
degradation for his beloved wife and
children.
Already the hum and stir of business
were audible in the office adjoining
the strong room. Preparations were
being made to receive the directors as
became their dignity. The occasion,
like Christmas, presented itself but |
once year.
john Carver, rousias himself from
bitter meditation, fglanta& at his |
watch. Ten minutes t0'te6N4ff. Stan
hope was always the first-he was too |
prompt-he always bothered every
body by arriving on the scene of action
before the appointed hour. Stimuli
taneous with the turn OF John Carver's !
thoughts to the too-prompt director
was the click of the iron door that ad-
mitted him to the sanctuary
Mr.. Carverl good morn,ngr'
Good morning, Mr.. Stanhope."
Never break my rule, do i? Always
on time or rather before it. Good rule
that. Never missed train or a boat
in my life. Missed a stage-coach once.
My wife's fault that time. Wedding
tour, you know. Irregularities excus-
able and the 1oquacious Mr.. STAN
hope subsidized into the luxurious arm
chair which an assiduous office-boy had
rolled for his reception.
Another click of the iron door.
Enter Mr.. Hampden, of portly dimen-
sions and dignified mien Intellectu-
ally he conveyed the impression of a
nan who has received frightful blow
IN the head from club, and is slowly
recovering from the effects of 1t. Mr..
aampden waddled and granted to-
wards his seat, vouchsafing a brief
Good morning" to those present
Next came Mr.. Harrington, a dap
DER, lively, good-natured little man of
evenly, whose sparkling eyes beamed