Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-10-26

. boundless confidence in himself. What
an honorable future might have been his
but for his youthful follies! Truly he
could have achieved q wonderful sue
cess in any honorable career. Unhappily
for him, he, like thousands of our BRAIN
lest youth, had entered the Primrose
Way. In our youthful fire and thought
lessness We saw only the flowers and
heard the SIRENS songs, but at last the
Primrose Way led us down into gloom
where all the flowers withexed and the
gay songs turned into dirges.
Looking ut his watch, Mac jumped
up, saying, "It is 1O:45 and time to
be OFF," So he started for the bank, We
following at some distance, our nerves
all ON the stretch. We felt that our lives
and fortunes were trembling in the bal
ance. While watching we saw several
persons enter or leave the bank, and
still our friend delayed his appearance.
To our suspicious minds there ap-
peared to be strange movements about
the bank that BODIED i'll for Us. A thou
sand suspicious born of our fears came
and went through our minds until at
last, unable to endure the suspense, I
entered the bank myself and stood
there, pretending I was waiting for
some one. I sharply scrutinized every
one and everything. Mac was some
where out of sight in the private Offices.
The clerks were gossiping together, and
that to me was suspicious. Then, to my
alarm. bank clerk entered from the
street with an eagle eyed man, a He
brew evidently, of about As years Of age.
Both passed hurriedly into the private
Office, leaving me in an agony of sus-
pense. My only relief at that moment
was the thought that George and my
self had not as yet compromised our
selves, and could, in the event of Mac IS
arrest, manage to save him, either by
bribery or q rescue.
Without appearing to do SO I watched
that dingy, notified door leading into
the private Office until every crack and
seam in it was photographed indelibly
ON my brain.
In the trying periods Of ones life,
when the heart and soul are OH the
rack, how strangely trifling details Of
the objects about one will be noticed
and remembered. It seems some cell Of
the brain, quite separate from the cell
Of feeling and sensation, works calmly
and steadily on, photographing the ma
terial Of ones surroundings.
At last, unable to endure the sus-
pense, above all the uncertainty,
went to the little door, and, opening it,
looked in. To my intense relief 1 saw
Mac sitting there apparently talking I'M
concernedly with Braga, the manager,
and the Hebrew. As had not attracted
attention I closed the door, went out in
the street and gave George the prear-
ranged signal that all was well. Just
then our partner emerged, but with a
telltale face. 1t was flushed with cha
grin and vexation, and there was gone
from the contour Of his body that indie
scribable part that tells, better than
words, Of confidence and victory.
We went by different routes to our
rendezvous, and will. leave it to the
imagination Of my readers to picture
our state of mind as we listened to his
recital of woe-the tale of Priam's Troy
over again.
Mac had been cordially received BY
the manager, and had told him he
would require ego, 900 the next day
would he please have it ready? The
manager replied that he did not require
any more exchange ON London, but
that he would send out for his broker,
who would sell his bills on the ex-
change. He (the manager) would in
dorse the bills Of exchange and indorse
the amounts on his letters of credit. OF
course Mac could only acquiesce, and
Mr.. Braga sent a clerk to his broker,
Mr.. Meyers, to come around. This was
the sharp eyed Hebrew whom saw en-
ter.
The manager introduced Meyers to
'Mr. Gregory Morrison" and explained
that he was to sell exchange for e2O, 900
on MOrrison's credit, which the bank
would indorse. Meyers said, please
show me your letters. Putting his
hand into his breast pocket and pulling
out the little morocco case containing
the two letters, he handed the case and
contents to Meyers, who, probably with
ont suspicion Of anything being wrong,
unrolled both letters, and holding them
in his hands ran his sharp eyes down
one Of them and read right through the
body of tho letter.
Coming to the 'note" which read,
"All sums drawn against this credit
please indorse on the back and notify
the London and Westminster bank Mt
once" he suddenly halted, turned his
hawks eye ON Mac and said: "Why,
sir, here's the word indorse misspelled.
Surely the clerks in the London banks
know how to SPELL"
Here was q thunderbolt, indeed, that
pierced poor Mr.. Gregory Morrison
through and through, but he showed no
sign He ooOlly remarked that he did
not care to have hiSbills sold ON the ex.
change, bat would go and see the peo-
pie Of the London and Rio and River
Plate banks. as they probably would
want exchange and would doubtless let
him have what money he required.
Meyers said very sharply. "Have you
letters tn those banks!'' II have" said
Mac nj the Sapno t;v,o ,,~r,xl,,o:,,~, A,,,~