The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1895-04-20

MYSELF"
be Improbable Immediately offered
him good position with tho house. A
bookkeeper enters and tells the banker
that somebody wishes to see him.
Il will be back at once, he says to his
protcge and leaves him in his private
Office
Tho young man glances carelessly
around the room and sees on the table be-
fore him two packages Of currency under
paperweight On each package there is
pinned a piece of paper bearing the magic
words, Zone hundred thousand francs"
foolhardy idea flashes through the
head Of the young man. Nobody will
notice. - he says to himself. If only for
a minute in my life have 200, 600 francs
in my pocket" With this he feverishly
seizes the currency. But in the same mo-
mont the money disappears in his pocket
the banker enters the room.
"Well, my dear friend, he says, 1--WE
consider the matter settled. Beginning
with tomorrow morning you may consider
yourself in my employ. Your salary to
commence with will be / 800 francs, but
of course hope it will not remain long at
that figure
The young man feels his hair standing
on end. Tho 200 600 francs burn against
his breast But what Is he to do? Put them
back under the paperweighti His protect
or would notice it. Should he tell him of
his childish actY The banker might find
such joke in very bad taste and refuse to
employ person who could be tempted to
commit such stupidity. What should he
dof
sign from the banker signifies that
the interview Is at an end. The unfortu-
nate rises, stammers his thanks and leaves
the room with his 200, 600 francs
First he thinks he will throw himself
into the Seine. Then he wants to put a
bullet through his brains, then fly to Bel
GUM, and at last, after an hours insuffer-
able anguish and fear, he decides to do
what he ought to have done at first.
He goes home, wraps up the currency
and incloses in the package a letter in
which he confesses his foolhardy stupidity
and asks forgiveness. This done he rushes
into the street and hands the package to
the first messenger he comes across.
He has scarcely entered his garrett again
when there is loud knock at the door.
His heart beats wildly. The banker knows
all. They have come to arrest him. He
opens. Before him stands, with a con-
temptuous smile, the messenger to whom
he had given the package.
Quickly locking the door behind him,
the messenger PUSHES against him.
so your conscience troubles you'll You
are sorry coward, you arel First you
commit crime and then you get fright
ened. But am not Of that kind. l could
have kept all of it, but l didn't want to.
l said to myself half eachl Here is your
share The other l keep myself"
And with this he hands the young man
a package of currency. The miserable man
stands as If struck by lightning. He will
not, he dare not, understand. He feels as If
crushed to earth by fate. But suddenly
he starts and cries:
You dare not, you wretchl This money
does not belong to you. / must and will
have 1t" With this he rushes ON the man
and seizes him by the throat.
Are you crazy, fool?" laughs the pow
erful messenger as with a blow he frees
himself from the grip of the young man.
mo stupidities like that, or will keeI
all of il.
Eyes or mol VIII you give me the
money, you miserable thief"
mo; that will never enter my headl"
Beyond himself with rage and despair
the young man grasps q knife from the
table and strikes. The messenger sinks
lifeless to the floor.
, The banker as matter of course, ha:
missed the money. He notifies the police
and puts them on the right track. Wher
the guardians of the law enter the little
garrett they find the unfortunate lying OF
the floor beside the dead and near him the
package of money. He is arrested, charged
with stealing and with numbering his
confederate and sentenced to death.
. This narrative is true word for word
The young man was innocently sentenced
to death by human justice. 1t had to sen
tence him.
How many unknown tragedies are their
not to which the Almighty alone has thu
key!