Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1895-08-24

charged, or to have
my salary raised, or to have it cut
down.
When / entered the room President
Packers and his colleagues scrutinlzel
Inc as ii | We're promissory note with
only one indorser, until | began to
feel nervous enough to speculate
whether | mishtn't have robbed the
safe in a fit of temporary insanity.
However, the President soon put me
Mt ease on this point by throwing me
into n state of great uncertainty on
another.
Mr.. SAUNDERS began he, with his
usual air Of addressing mass meeting,
"Mr. Saunders, are you person of
prudence, sagacity and good julg-
ment?"
] | thought | had decided these ques.
tons in the negative by accepting the
position | held for the pay received,
but OF course it wouldn't do to say SO,
and | simply replied that [ couldn't
say.
"Or,' continued the President,
"should the contingency arise, of
physical courage in danger?"
/ had played left half-back on Il
light football team against bad tenn.
pered, heavy eleven who couldn
score; nevertheless I again answered
that | couldn't say.
These noncommittal replies seemed
satisfactory, and | now saw that the
object of this catechism was not to
find out if possessed the good qual-
tiles mentioned, but to inform mo in
directly that | should stand in nee
OF them whether / possessed them or
not
1 President Packers went on to tell
me what was wanted. The bank had
to transmit ten thousand dollars to
Shovel Brothers, contractors en-.
ployed upon new railroad in the
northern part of the State, that the
firm might pay its laborers. The re.
gion was desolate, and the express
company refused to make delivery be.
You'd its nearest Office, many miles
distant. Consequently it would be as
well to send the amount all the way
by special messenger.
| was to be that messenger-a and to
go alone, for no unemployed men of
the necessary trustworthiness could
be found to make up guarG. The
Boston bankers, Reichsmarks, Gull.
ders e. Co., were to send like amount
in a few days, but probably by an
other route, SO that should not be
able to take advantage of the protec.
ton their agent would undoubtedly
have.
instantly accepted the commits
sion, moved by desire for a change
from the monotonous routine of the
bank, by certain spice OF adventure
about the expedition, and above all
by the manifest resolve Of the Direc.
tors to send me anyway,
'I'll start tomorrow morning"
every good, Mr.. Saunders" re-
turned the President "Your zeal is
most gratifying. l have only to sug-
gest your making any changes in your
dress and appearance that will pre-.
vent those whom you meet from sup.
posing you to be provided with any
considerable sum of money"
Next morning l was of on an early
train. The Presidents closing hint
had been Needed, and l hattered my.
self that no one could ever imagine
me bank clerk, or q clerk in any
other reputable business.
! Wore a remarkably ancient suit of
clothes, a hat that would inspire dis.
trust in the most guileless heart, boots
which needed backing, linen which
needed whitening-the effect of the
whole perfected by two days beard.
| carried n hollow .chested valise,
which appeared to have seen so many /
of it worst days that it might have re-
manned unstolen if dropped in the !
middle of the most poverty.stricken
street in Christendom. This recep.
tacle treated with the disrospect of Il
man who, knowing its padding and |
pretension, despises it for containlpc
nothing but paper wads and paner col
lars. Yet in that forlorn valise, under
a deceptive stratum CT toilet things,
lay the sealed packages of currency
amounting to ten thousand dollars
The train was through one, and
met not single acquaintance. So
feared no embarrassing recognitions,
and found myself taken for Just what .
l WAS not. The conductor punched |
my ticket with an air of not expecting
me to have any. while the way in
which the train-b boy passed me over in
his distributions of figs and fiction
filed me with self-complacency. Ny !
disguise was, beyond doubt, com
plete success.
The day went Oman uneyentful |
and hungry day, for | thought it due
to my assumed character to buy no re-
freshments but doughnuts and sau.
sages, two things | cannot eat. To-
ward night / changed to branch
road. There w're few passengers, but
among them / described for the first
time an object of suspicion---a young
man whom / had noticed covertly
cycling me at the junction, and who
now sat across the aisle.
He was very well dressed, had the
unmiStakable bearing OF the city, and
would have been the last person in the
world to cause any anxiety but for his |