The Monitor-register., 1896-08-28
A CLEVER TRAP.
Il am sorry to have to report, Mr..
Ransom, that there is another shortage in
the cash account"
HWbat amouptoD

Eben Ransom, merchant, was just put
ting on his overcoat, preparatory to leay-
ing by a suburban train for his country
house, a few miles out of the city.
He had fingered SO long this day in the
hope that his cashier. John Mesnier,
would accidentally drop into the office.
Maggie, his pretty daughter, the sole
heir to all he possessed, bad blushingiy
asked him that morning when he left for
the city, why it was that he never invited
Mr.. Mesnier out to dinner.
'TIl bring him ont to. day." answered
the rich man, kissing the girls upturned
face.
But it so happened that he had forgot
ten all about this promise until it was
nearly time for him to leave for the day.
"Mesnier will be in soon to report to
Mr.. Hicks" he reasoned. 'I'll wait for
him. and incidently suggest that he run
out with me to Lyndhurst and spend the
night.
Paul Hicks was Mr.. Ransom's business
manager. He had no money interest in
the firm, but from his long experience
had become it's manager, and in addition
to his salary, which was a very liberal
one, received a certain percentage every
year on the firms sales.
Paul Hicks was a tall, saturnine.l look
ing man of forty years, with thin, lank
hair, a sharp face, and the brightest and
blacklist of eyes, deep sunken in his head.
1t was known among the clerks that he
was a very ambitious man, and had hopes
some day of further cementing his con-
nection with Ransom & Co. by marrying
the daughter of the head of the house.
Maggie Ransom had never given him
any encouragement, but he had a logged
persistency and a stubborn will, and
what he set out to do he usually accom-.
plished.
He had been a frequent visitor to Lynd
hurst, Mr.. Ransoms's magnificent country
place, until John Mesnier, the son of an
old friend of the great merchant, was in
stalled in the big city store as its cashier
From the day that the frank faced,
genial young fellow had appeared upon
the scene, Paul Hicks mean soul had
been consumed with jealousy; and when
young Mesnier became a frequent visitor
at Lyndhu1st, and it was whispered
among the clerks that Maggie looked
upon him with favor, his dislike of the
cashier had gradually engendered the
most intense hatred.
He saw the bright fabric of his ambi-
tious day-dreams crumbling into dust
and in his desperation resolved that if it
must fall, others besides him self should
be crushed in the ruins.
There were about twenty assistant cash.
iers in Ransom 6 Co.'s establishment, and
after the close of business each day, these
assistants reported TO their chief, John
Mesnier, and turned over the cash which
they had received.
1t was the custom as each lady-the as
sistant cashiers were all women-reported
and handed in her money, for Mr.. Mes
pier to count the same and check off the
amount, to be afterwards compared with
the sales checks.
He always made the deposit in bank,
and before doing this, counted the cash
10 hand a second time.
On several occasions duriEg the past
month he had found a discrepancy in his
accounts at the second counting. He
had always been short.
The amounts which he was thus unable
to account for were never less than fifty
dollars. On two occasions he had been
short one hundred dollars.
To facilitate business it was the custom
with the assistant cashiers to put the ont
and two-dollar bills they had among theil
cash into packages of fifty dollars each.
The fives were made into one-hundred
dollar bundles, and the ems into piles Of
double that amount.
After the first loss, John Mesnier haG
taken the precaution each day of counting
not only the money, but the different
bundles, and had made a memoranda o.
the amount in each pile and the denomi
nation of the bills.
Notwithstanding these precautions, hi
still continued to find his cash account
short. Sometimes a package of ones or
twos would mysteriously disappear
Once OIL twice the denomination of thu
missing bank-notes was five dollars.
The firms special detective had taker
the case in hand, but had been unable tc
solve the mystery.
The losses annoyed Mr.. Ransom, for h,
hated to think that there was a THE
among his employees, and he had notified
the firms detective to inform him at once
when the guilty party should be found
that he might save the poor fellow from
the disgrace of a public exposure.
1t will be seen, therefore, that Mr.
Ransom was a charitable man, anC
thoughtful of the character and reputa
ton of his employees.
On this particular afternoon, no mes
sage that Cashier John Mesnier coult
have brought him would have been NOR,
unwelcome.
He had missed two trains, and it wa
likely that dinner would be waiting whel
he reached Lyndhurst.
He frowned darkly, there fore, whel
the cashier made his report, and, pulling
the fur collar of his coat up about BIZ
ears, answered him rather snappishly.
"1t seems very strange, Mr.. Mesnier,'
he said, that you allow packages O
money to be stolen right under your eyes
This must be stopped, sir-sto pped, Or
He did not complete the sentence, bu'
bowling coldly, walked out.
A sigh escaped John Mesnier. and biz
frank face biushed with wounded pride
Did Mr.. Ransom suspect him of being
the thief?
His face whitened at the thought, this
time with indignation, and he walked
modify out of the office.
Had he been less engossed he would
have heard a low chuckle coming from
the little Office in which Paul Hicks haG
a desk.
Could he have seen the managers fact
he would have noticed that the expression
upon it was one of mean and cunning
exultation.
Maggie Ransom came to the door whel