The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-08-01
THE MISTRESS
ID ~
of the Mine.
or a Woman Intervenes.
by Robert Barr, Authoritative Face and the flask.
tEga4sE ~ !. ~ -...ir|
of the Mine,

W NOOSA A1SAAA = AuIAAOA~UAt3
q e. ! !:
"Aren't they always correctly kept?
thought that was what bookkeepers
.,ere hired for" So.
"If books were always correctly kept
there would be little for us to. do; but
It happens, unfortunately for some but
fortunately for us, that people occa-
sionally do not keep their accounts ac-
curately." Il ~. IL
And can you always find that out if
you examine the books?"
always" -:
Cant a man make his accounts So
that no one can tell that there. is any
thing wrong?"
1.-THE belief that such a thing can be-.
done has placed many poor wretch in
prison. 1t has been tried often enough"
II am sure they can do it in the states. :
have read of it! being done and cpn-
tinued for years. Men have made of
with great sums Of money by ii kiify-es
ing the books, and no one found it out
until the one who did it died or ran
away"
Nevertheless, if an expert accountant !.
had been called in he would haVe found
out very soon that something WAS:
wrong, aid just where the wron9yVass
and how much" Is u II? = -, . ~
81 didn't think such clevernesy <pps-.
sible.i' Have you ever discoverea sallyr4
thing like that2' = i.,., $3.50,
II have"
what is done when such ding is ,
1iscovered?" er
"That depends upon circumstances.
Usually policeman is called in"
"Why, it's like being a detective. I
wish you would tell me about some OF
the cases you have had. Don't make me
ask too many questions. Talk"
II don't think my experiences would
interest you in the least. There was one
case with which l had something to do
In: London two years ago that
ooh, London. don't believe the book
keepers there are half so sharp as ours.
If you had to deal with American ac-
countants you would not find out so
Easily what they had OF had not DONE
"Well, Miss Brewster, what tell you
whisper it to anybody else, but I may
say i have Just had an experience OF
that kind with some of your very sharp
est American bookkeepers. found
that the books had been kept in the
most ingenious way, with the intent to "
deceive. The system had been going on :
forSyears." !.
.How interesting. And did you call
in a policeman"
mo. This was one of the cases where
a policeman was not necessary. The
books were kept with the object OF
showing that the profits OF the moi
the business-had been much greater
than they really were. l may say that
one of your American accountants had
already looked over the books, and,
whether Acknowledgements or careless
ness. or from a5wdrse motive, he re-
ported them albright. They were not
all right, and the fact that they were
not will mean the loss Of n fortune to
some people on your side of the water
and the saving of good money to others
on my side.''
-'rhen l think your profession must
be a very important one" ,-~..
'sWe think so, Miss Brewster. would
like to be paid percentage on the
money saved because of my report !
"And won't your" ..a
UNFORTUNATELY no."
IL think that is too bad. Isuppose the
discrepancy must have been small, or
the American accountant would not
have overlooked it,
II didn't say that he had overlooked it.
STILL the size of the discrepancy does
not make the difference. A small error
is as easily found as large one. This
one was large. l suppose there is no
harm in my saying that the books, talk
ing them together, showed a profit OF
100000, when they should have shown
loss of nearly half that amount. 1.
hope nobody overhears me"
'No; we are quite alone, and you may
be sure will not,breathe word Of what
you have been telling me-"
Don't breathe it to Kenyon. at least.
He would think me insane if he knew
what have said!" *, \
lis Mr.. Kenyon an accountant, tooP"
'Oh, no. He is nlineralogist. He can
70 into mine and tell with reason
able certainty whether it will pay: the
working of it or not. Of course, as he
says himself, any man can see six feet
into the earth as we'll as he can. But it
Is not every man that can gauge the
value of a working mine SO well as John
Kenyon" s,
:''Then while you were delving among. |.
the figures, your companion was delv-
ing among the minerals?"
Precisely"
"And did he make any such startling
discovery as you did?''
mo; rather the other way. He finds
the mines very good properties, and he
thinks that if they are managed intelli-:
gently they will be good paying invest!
ments-that' is, at a proper price, you!
know-not at what the owners ask for
them at present. But you can have no
possible interest in these dry details.",..~- :,
Indeed, you are mistaken. think
what you have told me intensely inter
esting." a., 4xt,.
For once in her life Miss Jennie Brew
ster told the exact truth. The unfor-
tunate .man ut her side was fattered.
"For what i have told you.' he said,
1--WE we're offered twice what the Lon
f7o,, roonIe nav ,,s for coming ont here.