Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-20

, cheerfully gave the info 'mation required
and then TAXED pleasantly on general topics.
[ But his attention continued to rccur to the
handsome ornament that lay on his desk.
and a remark Inadvertently dropped by his
visitor evidently suggested something in
teresting to his mind. II worked rapidly, for
after minutes reflection he astOunded his
visitor with the exclamation, DO | look as
though | was the biggest fool in the world
thirty-HVc years ago.
The reporter admitted that he did not.
mainly because he could say nothing else.
well, | sometimes think | was" con
tinued the hnancier, "and If you care to
listen | will tell you a pretty good story,
1t all occurred just thirty-1yc years ago this
Christmas, and as all the other parties to
the transaction are dead it will do no harm
to tell it. | had Just finished school when
the war broke out, and as | had a mother
and sister dependent on me had to get out
and hustle for a situation while the other
boys were marching away to Dixie. |
finally obtained a position in bank in my
native city. and although | often felt like
coward when the girls were laudng as
heroes my friends who were fighting for the
flag, | stuck to business and succeeded
fairly well BY the time the war was over
| had become assistant cashier of the bank
and as the cashier was the only son of the
head of the institution and did not visit
the office once a week, | was really the
business man of the bank. | had just ar
rived at that stage at which a man begins
to think that he has nothing left to learn
and 1t was right here that | got a setback
that left me in doubt for several years to
come whether | had ordinary intelligence
There was woman in it. Of course. When
a man gets a bit of experience that does
him good 1t is a hundred to one that some
woman is responsible for it. And my par
ticular genius has probably furnished as
much experience for her masculine Gsso.
ciates as any woman that ever wore petit
coats.
she was stranger and she dropped into
the society of our rather od-fashioned city
as naturally as bird in its nest. With
face that did not include a regular curve
she was more wonderfully fascinating than
any woman / ever met before or since.
Physically, her great charm consisted in
figure that realized an artists dream.
Socially, her power was that extraordinary
capacity 10 play on the passions of men that
is born in some women, but can never be
acquired. No man could know her without
feeling her power, and it was not remarkable
that with my ineNperience in feminine diplo-
macy imagined myself very much in love
before she had been in town a week.
Naturally | was much hatterCd to find that
she seemed to enjoy my society, and when
she allowed her eyes TO drcop and a modest
blush to color her plump cheeks as !
approached, my rself-eSteGm reached It's
zenith regarded her preference for me as
a deserved tribute to my superiority TO the
other men of our circle and nothing tlat-
tered my vanity more than the interest that
she manifested in the affairs of the bank
Her ignorance of business matters was so
womanlke and she was glad to listen By The
hour while tried to explain the intricacies
of the business. She was especially in
terested in the big safe that filled one side
of the Office, and even allowed herself to be
induced to VISIT the bank and let me show
her how the great bolts could be so easily
manipulated. Ana 1t was easy to from
the deferenco which she accorded my some
what technical explanations that she thought
| ought to own the bank If | didn't.
There was about month altogether OF
this sort of thing and you can imagine how
thoroughly was under this womans inlu-
ence. / spent every evening in her society
and even got into the habit of running in
after the bank closed to be sure that she
was well and happy. | sent her flowers and
bcnbons by Wholesale and was altogether
something like what have seen referred to
as an angel in dramatic papers. By this
time the holidays were at hand. and l drew
| more largely than | could afford on my still
slender resources to give her Christmas
memento worthy of my divinity 1t was
i magnificent gold watch. studded with dia
monds, for which had exchanged my whole
salary for over two months. | had selected
Christmas eve as the occasion for present
ing my gift, and by previous arrangement
was to spend the evening alone with her at
her home.
81 shall never forget that evening, al
though the recollection is not altogether
pleasant. She wore a light house dress
| which scarcely concealed the exquisite out
| lines of her figure Her big dark eyes were
| lit with some unusual excitement, which
[ fondly imagined WIS due to the prospect
of our evening together and what she must
have known | intended to say. | gave her
the present and listened eostatcally to her
eXtravagant praises Of my taste
For one long evening reveled in a FOOLS
paradise. She was never so charming as
when she sat by my side and blushingly al
lowed my arm to encircle her waist. ! had
determined to have her answer that night,
| and she gave it, Gave ii as woman can
give it when she wishes TO make man her
slave. How coyly beautiful she was, as with
maiden protestation she allowed me to clasp
her in my arms and press her throbblnS
! bosom against my own. We talked OF the
| future and of the home that she was to make
| tho happiest spot in the world. Naturally
| the conversation drifted to my business pros
| poets and we talked about the bank and
| of the outlook for an increase of salary that
| had been grudgingly held out by my su-
perior. | did not consider II strange when
| she turned the conversation to the SAFE ana
| induced me to explain for tho twenue'h
| time how the big door was opened. | had
| always retained enough of my business train
| ing to kesp the combination a secret, but
how could l deny the curiosity OF my
promised wife At her request wrote out
| the combination on a slip of the violet |
| scented paper on which she had written ms
scores of loving messages. And then 1t was
late and she became so sleepy that | felt
! it would be a sin to stay longer, and re-
| luctanty kissed her good night
81 started home, but with my heart
| bounding with my new found happiness
| sleep was out of the question. i walked
out into the country and spent couple of
| hours in telling the stars what lucky man
| was My eyes still retained the picture Of
all her languofous beauty as she bade me
| good night ct the door, and could almost
| feel the soft pressure of her bosom.
."I came bacp bylanother route and CHANGED
| to pass the bark / felt my private key In
my pocket and concluded to look in and
have chat with the watchman, who always |
stayed in the private office. Anything was
better than tfting to sleep after such an
evening as thiss II noticed that the light
| that Stebbin. usually kept burning in front |
of the safe WAS scarcely discernible and
| wondered If that usually reliable parsonage |
was stealing a nap. AS | approached to |
turn the let higher shadow started up |
directly in frcnt ofme. 1t was not Stebbins |
for Stebbins was short and fat, and this |
individual was taller than myself He made |
a dive at my throat and then | saw that he |
was masked His sleeve had caught on the |
gas let and turtted il full on. The safe door |
was open andG, Inside a second man had |
paused in his occijpation OF stufing a sack |
with $4,000 In greenbacks that had been |
danositpd n nav the emDlOyeS OF the rail- |