Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-08-28
UNDER A CLOUD.


admirers would have called him Nhonor-
able," "excellenoy" Judge" or "gen.
eral' if they could find the slightest pre-
text for so doing for in these days we wor-
eh'~ +ho WOW If dnI1n-s -n+ho- +h"r +ho
man of brains and character. 1t is due
Mr.. Roberts to say that he was not bad
man. but his life had been 30 absorbed in
the making OF money that, like many
others, he had come to believe the gather
ing in of dollars was the chief end of man.
Mr.. Roberts had several daughters and
one son. The latter was named Washing
ton, abbreviated into Wash. AS men al
ways yearn for what they do not possess,
Mr.. Roberts was eager that his son should
have a college education, but as Wash
was firmly resolved not to submit to the
training of the higher schools his father
yielded to what could not be avoided, and
comforting himself with the belief that
his son resembled him and was "cut out
only for business" he took him into the
bank when he was IS years old and gave
him salary Of $40 week, which Wash's
mother, who had unlimited means at her
disposal, increased fivefold without her
husbands knowledge.
Wash had horse. He belonged to o
boat club, and before he was 18 he had
established a reputation as a young man
who was to be wealthy some day and who
in the meantime had all the money that
he needed at his disposal, with DISPOSE
ton to spend 1t in what is enormously
called seeing life" 1t should mean tax
ing a look at death.
But Wash Roberts wants grew greater
than his means for supplying them. His
salary at the bank did not keep him in
cigarettes, ties and gloves, and the money
secretly given him by his mother did not
pay his wine bills.
In the bank there was young man, or
rather boy, for he was hardly IL, named
George Fleming George Flemings father
had formerly been assistant teller under
Mr.. Roberts, but a stroke of paralysis the
year before had made him O confirmed In
valid, with no hope of recovery, and as
his salary had never enabled him to lay by
for rainy day he was poor, with his wife
and two young children to care for, SO, by
way Of helping, his son, who was forced to
leave school, was given place in the bank
at So a week, and Mr.. Roberts, who fixed the
wages, said that he could have the work
done for SO, but the SO were added as a
sort of charity for the sake Of the poor
man who had worn out his life in the serv-
ices of the bank.
George Fleming had ambition, char
acter and that proper stand Of pride that
regards all work as honorable and every
duty as a matter of manhood. He was
under Wash Roberts, and he soon dis
covered that he had not only his own hard
work to do, but also that Of the son Of the
president, who was looked up to with
alteration by all the other clerks, for the
son of rich employer, no matter what his
character, is apt to be regarded as a SUI
perior kind OF being by the less fortunate
who have no rich and influential kInsmen
George Fleming, being a wage Garner
the salaried clerks were paid by the month
got his So every Saturday afternoon, and
as he always brought his lunch with him
and walked two miles a day to save car
fare he took home his weeks earnings to
his mother. He cheerfully dropped the
bills in her lap-and, boylike, he managed
to get paid in 81 bills, so as to make the
sum look very large as he counted it out.
Everything passed off smoothly for
eight months, George Fleming giving sat
isfaction and winning the good opinion Of
his official superiors 1t was at the begin
ming Of the month, when one day about
noon he was surprised to receive an order
to report at once to the president of the
bank. Surprised, for he had not spoken
to Mr.. Roberts since the day he took serv-
ice with him, George went to his private
office at once and found the president In
company with q short, stout baldheaded
man, with O smooth shaVen face and keen,
gray eyes.
Fleming" began Mr.. Roberts, did
you get a check cashed at this bank two
weeks ago?"
II did, SIR" was the prompt reply,
while the stranger watched the boy as
hawk does kitten.
ut was for $780," continued Mr.. Rob
erts, land bore my name"
Eyes, sir"
ibid give you that check2"
"You did not"
but you got the money!"
Eyes. SIR
"Who gave you the check?" Mr.. Rob- |
erts, who had been toying with pen,
snapped this out and looked sayagely at |
the boy.
81 promised. sir, to say nothing
about it," stammered George.
Whom did you promiseS"
"That cannot tell. "
Mr.. Roberts and the stranger, who was
detective, whispered for O few seconds
Then the latter said in a hoarse voice:
'See here, boy, If you don't tell me, I'll |
have to arrest you for forgery"
George staggered back as If struck, but |
recovering himself ina moment he said:
II am not fOFger, but promised not |
to tell till the end of the month who gave |
me the check, and must keep my word"
: George Fleming's sense of honor was
involved. That he was right is to be
doubted, but he had pledged his word, and
the injury to his own reputa-
ton he determined to keep it, and in so |
doing he showed the loyalty Of his char
acter.
1t was not until he found himself in |
prison that evening he realized how his |
conduct would affect the invalid father
and the dear, patient mother. Then he
was heartbroken and threw himself on the |
hard cot and wept
His distracted mother visited him next |
and she was with him in the
cell when Mr.. Roberts entered
The bank presidents sternness was
gone. The previous night he had learned
that it was his own son who had induced
George to get the check cashed, and that
the boy had suffered disgrace rather than
break his word.
Mr.. Roberts had the manhood to appre-
ciate the boys character. George was re-
-