The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1896-04-07

"sty VI WING WIS. "ens " mouSy
lender.
Moses Leyison lent me ESQ on my
giving him q bill for &io01 payable in
twelve months. My brother from his
arrival in India would have a good
salary. He promised before the bill
became due to transmit to me enough
with what | could save to meet IL.
1.-THE outfit was bought, Frank
sailed, and nine months passed. Then
L received q letter from my brother
saying he had been very I'll, and US
yet, in consequence, had been unable
to save any money to send me. Nearly
three months passed. Then /
received another letter. asking me to
renew on any terms. Frank had been
unable co put by anything. He had
had to make good a loss due to the dis
honesty of his servant. Ii he only had
six months more he could send me two
or three hundred. / went to Levison.
AT first he refused point blank to re-
new, then he consented to renew on
receiving G20-all my savings during
the ~year--and another bill for G2OO,
payable IN nine months. | accepted
the condition. could do nothing else
and wrote to my brother.
The nine months slowly passed.
During them L had several cheering
loDVSio iIobh NY DTOUner. lie was
doing well and saving money, and he
was confident he could send me f2OO in
time to meet the bill. Levison on the
other hand called at the bank several
times just to see hat | was still there,
and to assure me that If f20O were not
forthcoming on the very day, he would
Inform my employers Of the whole
transaction.
AS the day of reckoning drew near
my anxiety became deeper and deeper.
During tho last month l arose every
day looking for a letter from my broth
er, but none came. At last the final
day OF the bills life broke. No letter
from my brother arrived.
On that day of agony 1 went as
usual to h office. In the afternoon
| was sent to the city branch with two
hundred sovereigns for Sillery for
some transactions in which gold had
to be paid. When | arrived he was
in his private office. Evidently he
had been drinking and was only half
aware of what he was doing. He re-
ceived me with q torrent of abuse.
took the money from me, and ordered
me, as | had been late in coming, to
wait at the office after the rest left
until he returned. Shortly afterward
the work for the day was finished, the
bank Closed, and l was lett there alone
to await Sillery's return.
u sat there dumb and half dead
with misery listening to the rain beat
ing against the windows. Tomorrow
was the day Of reckoning. Levison
would demand his money. 1t would
not be forthcoming. He would keep
his threat OF telling my employers,
and | should be kicked into the street.
What was before me then? Absolute
Notwithstanding else-possibly the
jail, for the days Of Imprisonment for
debt were not then over.
How long sat there | can scarcely
say. 1t was very late, however, before
Sillery returned. He was drunken
than ever before and in u more than
usually savage temper. He went tC
there among his papers for u time,
Then he came out and demanded if ]
knew what he had done with the
money [ brought him. l told him ]
did not. He swore at me, and ther
turned back into bis office. Iiheard
him cursing various women and calling
them thieves, and then it struck me
that, instead of attending to his bust
ness, he had found his way into evil
company and been robbed. Shortly
aiterward he stumbled out of his ROOM
and, bidding me to lock up and be gone,
left the bank.
~ proceeded to lock up in a slow
and miserable way. AS l did so, il
ed his overcoat for a macintosh
before leaving the Office that after.
noon, and that possibly he had left the
money he supposed he had lost in the
pocket OF the overcoat he had thrown
of. ~ sudden curiosity possessed me
to know if this was so. relit the
lights | had put out, reopened the
private Office l had locked up, and
went in. [ felt the pocket. | was right.
Inf changing his %overcoat he had for
gotten to transfer the money.
God help me, Frank, a thought
just then flashed into my mind that
put me in y fever. Here were two
hundred pounds-the amount | needed
next day to- save me from ruin. 1t was
in gold, which could not be traced.
It's owner believed he had lost it under
circumstances too discreditaBle to
allow Inquiry into them. He was rich,
and could easily replace the money.
lie was my oppressOr, and | owed him
nj glove or duty. Why should [ not
take this money, and save myself from
destruction
Frank, never be hard on O thief
till you know all the circumstances
surrounding his crime. Sometimes
these are SO strong as to master the
most homes of uS. They were too
strong for me now. | took the money.
hid it deep in my inside pocket. I
rearranged the overcOat so as to leave
1T as | found it then / turned to Leave.
AS did SO q sight met my eyes
That paralyzcd me with terror. On
one side OF the private Office was q
window into the staircase leading to
the upper stories of the house, which
were separately occupied. Tho blind
covering the window was drawn, but
not completely down. AT the bottom
corner. between the blind and the sill,
saw two eyes gazing intently ut me.
Before recover from the shock
they disappeared, and / heard q slight
noise on the stairs as OF some one steal
ing gently away.
Il was discovered Tomorrow [
should be in the dock Mad with
agony and horror, | tore tho money
from my pocket, and rushing to Siilery's
overcOat, thrust it back where ! had
found it,. Then | turned out the Light
again locked the door of the private
office, hurried to the street door, went
out and relocked it. And then, still
full OF fear, L FASTENED OFF to the lodg-
ings OF the bank porter and there left
the keys.
"How / got home that night I can
not tell. When | did reach home [
found a letter from brother awaiting
me. 1t contained a draft for ESQ.
The letter had been DELAYED by the